Sweetie Bot decided to bug Ishi Rudell, the (co-director of Rainbow Rocks) with a Q&A style interview, and sent us over the transcript to post up. What should we expect to see in the second of the Equestria Girls line of movies? With the teasers seemingly beating even the last one in quality, it seems like the team has really gotten into the swing of things. Lets hope this helps paint a picture for those of you still wondering what exactly to expect!
Head on down below the break for all of it.
Q: Lets get the easy one out of the way. How was it like working on the Equestria Girls sequel?
A: It's been great... A lot of fun! As a new director I've been learning so much from Jayson and Jim. I've been super lucky to have them sitting in the same room as me to bounce questions of them. And I've also been blessed with an awesome crew I think every one working on the sequel to Eqeustria girls has really upped their quality this time around! People have been really passionate about this next film.
Q: What was the most fun and least fun thing about working on Rainbow Rocks?
A: The most fun? Everything, from giving our input on the script, to the music... We've got some awesome music in Rainbow Rocks! To working Every day next to these jokesters Jayson and Jim! Literally every day is a laugh fest! Least fun? Well there have been some late nights and stressful moments, but that's all part of the process. Nothing that's lasting in my memory as an bad moment.
Q: When was Rainbow Rocks first started/put into the works?
A: Around May of 2013 was when the we got the premise from Hasbro.
Q: What are some aspects you believe have been improved on from the first equestria girls film.
A: Not to biased, but I think the story is even better for EG2... And we had some great board artists who really got into the characters. Our layout team is a little more experiences this time around due to this being their 2nd crack at human characters.
Q: On the same note, how does Rainbow Rocks compare to the first EQG film as a whole?
A: Again, I may be biased but I think over all it's going to be a better film. Since EG1 set the stage for our new world... EG2 gets to focus A little more on the story
Q: Have you found yourself reading all feedback on the first Equestria Girls, positive and negative, and done some things to try to address the criticisms of the first film? Perhaps not just you, but also the writer(s
A: I personally didn't spend too much time reading all the feedback from the first film... I try not to get too caught up in the criticism. When we watched the movie in theaters it had a pretty great response from the audience. That being said, we did try to make a lot of Improvements on the first movie. I know that a lot of the feedback from the brony community was valid, but it's difficult to filter the Constructive criticism from the trolling some times. I can't speak for Meghan who wrote the 2nd script. But based on how it turned out, I'm sure she heard some of the feedback.
Q: Were there any hiccups/mistakes/errors in the making of Rainbow rocks?
A: Of course not..:P Lol nothing worth saying... For the most part, everything has been running smoothly.
Q: What are some scenes/ideas that didn't make the cut?
A: Hahaha... Oh god, I wish I could tell you! But some of them had us ROTFL in the editing suite.
Q: It was revealed at New York International Toy Fair that, like its predecessor, the film will also get a theatrical release. Do you know if it will be in limited theaters, like for EQG1, or be released in most major cinemas?
A: Unfortunately I don't know exactly what plans Hasbro has for a theatrical release on EG2. So I probably shouldn't even speculate...
Q: So far, the biggest gripe people have expressed towards the upcoming rainbow rocks film is that Fluttershy only has a tambourine. Was there any other instrument considered to be given to Fluttershy?
A: Heh yes... This was something already established, and we didn't have the power to change it. We had a few different ideas for Fluttershy's instrument. Violin being one of them.
Q: Another thing people have noticed is that the Rainbow Rocks shorts are much more visually impressive than most of EQG1. Was this just something done for the shorts, or has Rainbow Rocks been kicked up a notch?
A: You can expect the same quality for Rainbow Rocks... Maybe even better! We had a lot of fun doing the shorts... And that fun carried over in the rainbow rocks
Q: Should we expect to see plenty of TV/movie references and callbacks?
A: There might be a couple... If you look close enough.
Q: With tons of Rainbow rocks Trixie merchandise already on store shelves, and Trixie getting her own short animation, can we expect to see her play a big role in the upcoming film?
A: I can only tell you that she will be more visible than she was in EG1.
Q: This is an important one. Are we going to see more or less of Flash Sentry in Rainbow Rocks, compared to EQG1
A: I think we've utilized the character properly for EG2... I hope that's good enough?
Q: Besides what we've seen, Pop, rock, and dubstep, are there any other styles of music we can expect to see/hear?
A: As far as the music is concerned you'll just have to wait and see... All I can say is that it's really good! Daniel really stepped it up for Rainbow Rocks!
Q: Was the fandom a big factor for making the decision to give dj-pon3 and Trixie bigger roles in Rainbow Rocks?
A: For the Rainbow Rocks shorts we had a little more freedom to be experimental. This is why you guys are seeing videos like Music to My Ears I think it's pretty obvious that the fandom does have a little influence on what we put out there.
Q: Along with EQG1, would you say that Rainbow rocks is canon to FIM?
A: Not 100%. All though the universes are obviously connected, we're trying to separate them as best we can.
Q: Since the portal to EQG land only opens every 30 moons, how long would you say a moon cycle in Equestria is?
A: Hmmm that's a question better left for Jayson Thiessen. I'd say it's roughly around the same as the human world, but then again, A moon rotation would vary depending on how big or small the planet it was rotating around?
Q: That about covers it.
Is there anything else you want tell us about Rainbow ROcks, before signing off?
A: I can tell you that Jayson and I just viewed the first act, and we were extremely happy with how it turned out. We've got an OTS [Opening Title Sequence] that's going to blow your socks off... Thanks to amazing boards and layouts by Tony Cliff Our layout team has done such an awesome job on this movie, thanks to Christopher Lienonen and Steph Mahoney. You'll especially want to keep an eye out for Katrina Hadley, who's storyboard panels are a work of art! All in all I think you guys will enjoy Rainbow Rocks... And for those of you who are afraid it interferes with the regular season of MLP, don't be! No matter what, the team here at DHX is going to bring you the best quality entertainment we know how to! And we're very lucky to have an amazing relationship with Hasbro entertainment, who give us the freedom to do so.
As always, thanks to Sweetie Bot from HN for all of it!
