I'm Harmon Kaslow, Producer of the Atlas Shrugged films. Ask me anything.

Posted by $ HarmonKaslow 10 years, 7 months ago to Entertainment
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I'm Harmon Kaslow, Producer of the Atlas Shrugged movies. I've produced quite a few movies over the years but am most proud of course to be involved with Atlas Shrugged. I'll be returning here at around 2PM ET this afternoon, for about an hour, to answer your questions and read your comments. I look forward to hearing from everyone!

Harmon

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EDIT #1: Hi ... as you know, we're having a very busy week. In addition to the http://www.KickstartAtlas.com campaign, which is running well, we're working on getting the screenplay finished, locking down shooting locations, identifying department heads, and figuring out a shooting schedule ... but it's great to be here ... and I look forward to answering your questions.

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GALT'S GULCH EVENT TIPS
1. Read all of the previously asked questions before submitting your own. Your question may have already been asked.
2. Write one question per comment.
3. Vote on questions submitted by others. The most popular questions and comments will rise to the top.

Keep in mind, Harmon has only limited time to spend in the Gulch today and may not get to all of your questions.

Scott (sdesapio)

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Contribute to the Atlas Shrugged Kickstarter campaign now: http://KickstartAtlas.com

All Comments

  • Posted by term2 8 years, 4 months ago in reply to this comment.
    My suggestion wouldnt be an Ayn Rand production. BUT that said, one could start with the current situation (or worse) and then APPLY Objectivist principles to things to show how a society could improve. I think that today two things are apparent:
    1) With the popularity of post apocalyptic shows like Walking Dead, World War Z, etc, I draw the conclusion that people are indeed thinking that all these government intrusions and money printing will cause a collapse of some sort- but they dont know what sort of collapse.

    2) People in general today dont really understand how to rebuild a society in practical terms. AS really ended at the collapse. The only show I have seen that even deals with this aspect is Jericho on Netflix.
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  • Posted by $ HarmonKaslow 8 years, 4 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Term2 ... a great idea. However, our rights are limited to remaking Atlas Shrugged. Your suggestion falls outside of the scope of the rights we acquired from the Ayn Rand estate.
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  • Posted by term2 8 years, 4 months ago
    How about a TV series which starts off at where AS ends- namely how a society such as ours can be rebuilt. Its fiction, since the direction now is still down, but you can start with the reality of venezuela and how it could possibly be rebuilt.
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  • Posted by sydney 9 years, 8 months ago
    Hi. Will we be able to keep galtsgulchonline and the producer's areas alive even though the movie is done...?
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  • Posted by rlewellen 10 years, 4 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I had the opposite reaction. I thought she should have just left. She was the only one who started with the right ideas, and maintained her beliefs so she found out James was a fraud why kill yourself? Pick yourself off brush yourself off and start all over again. Did I miss something?
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  • Posted by $ johnrobert2 10 years, 7 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Ahhhh. That would be Australia. Right? Yeah, Yeah, I know, Kiwis don't like that. But, that's the mainest land in your part of the world. Talked to fella awhile back on the South Island, owns a hotel in Invercargill, I think it is the Bavarian. Looks to be a nice place.
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  • Posted by $ Maree 10 years, 7 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Many countries - obviously our forum is largely American but Rand is universal. Myself, I am on strike in New Zealand although i assure you it is not the Gulch.
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  • Posted by richkinley 10 years, 7 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Harmon, that's why I hope you can find a few minutes for the events that led to Cherryl's suicide. In my view, that's a very powerful moment, considering her reconciliation with Dagny.
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  • Posted by richkinley 10 years, 7 months ago in reply to this comment.
    That scene is from Part II, and IMO was regrettably left out of the movie. I'm sure the producers considered it, but time constraints didn't allow for it. Let's face it, most of the viewing public have never read AS, so the scene would have meant nothing to them. I remember the scene from AS1, where Dagny threw the glass of wine in Francisco's face. If you hadn't read the book, the natural reaction would have been "where the heck did that come from?"
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  • Posted by $ Maree 10 years, 7 months ago in reply to this comment.
    those of us outside the USA have a long time biting our fingernails waiting for the DVD.
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  • Posted by plusaf 10 years, 7 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Ironically, the SyFy channel might be fertile ground. They've done some groundbreakingly good stuff in the past, although they seem to have gone for lowest common denominator in the past few years...

    Just a thought.
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  • Posted by plusaf 10 years, 7 months ago in reply to this comment.
    In terms of a movie, I can't see including the whole speech, verbatim... If "highlights" were done in a voiceover to visual examples of them, it might have some impact. In rethinking my reaction to richkinley's post above, a clock could be used to show that the actual speech ran an hour or two, so for moviegoers who had NOT read the book, there might be a hook to make them curious about what HAD been left out... especially when they see what happens AFTER the speech (in the movie.)

    Lots of Hitchcock's best thrillers had most of the "violence" off-screen, y'know?
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  • Posted by $ johnrobert2 10 years, 7 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Also, James' denunciation of Cheryl, leading to her death, is the defining truth about the looters. You can't get any more cynical than that.
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  • Posted by richkinley 10 years, 7 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I understand your time constraints, but the poignancy of Cherryl's apology to Dagny is powerful.
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  • Posted by $ stargeezer 10 years, 7 months ago in reply to this comment.
    As difficult as traveling is for me, I'll fly, drive, roll my wheelchair, whatever it takes to see a early showing of the final part of the film I've waited to see for so long.

    BTW, the end of AS is not the end of the tale - it's the beginning of new story in a reborn world.
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  • Posted by $ HarmonKaslow 10 years, 7 months ago
    All right Strikers ... I'll answer the rest of the questions a bit later, but thank you for the questions.
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  • Posted by $ HarmonKaslow 10 years, 7 months ago in reply to this comment.
    We haven’t done a good job with the drama on the prior movies, and that’s something I am determined to change in Part III. I have brought in some secret weapons to help us on the screenplay … people who deeply understand the work and the characters … and challenged them to stay true to the characters, stay true to the message, but ramp up the conflict and drama in each scene so that the film plays cinematically.
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  • Posted by richkinley 10 years, 7 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I would recommend cutting to a clock a few times, to give the audience a better idea as to the length of his speech.
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