Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey - Back to the Future with Bill and Ted

 FANTAZONE

Superstar Facts & Pics - No. 24, 1991

Back to the Future with Bill and Ted
In the new sequel, those time-trippin’ teens share an adventure in hell!
By Frank T. Cosentino

    The year is 2691 A.D. Students at a university in San Dimas, California are being instructed by a man named Rufus.  What are they being taught?  These potentially excellent students are learning the totally excellent teachings of Bill and Ted, that is, until the evil Denomolos takes it upon himself to rid the world of any inkling of the two.  He has the ultimate secret weapon – the evil robot twins of Bill and Ted, which are sent back in time to take over the lives of the real Bill and Ted and discredit them, thereby changing the course of history.  Most non-triumphant!!

    Just when you thought it was safe to get back into your time machine, those air guitar-playing, heavy metal-loving heroes of time travel are back in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure II.  Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves reprise their title roles as Bill and Ted in a comic odyssey that takes them to heaven, hell and beyond to protect the world from evil, save the women they love and, oh yes, win the local Battle of the Bands contest.

    If you thought the supporting characters in the 1989 original, which included Abraham Lincoln, Joan of Arc and Socrates, were a rather odd and eccentric bunch, well – you haven’t seen anything yet.  This sequel boasts God, Satan, the Grim Reaper, two Martians, the Easter Bunny and an array of other formidable forces as its supporting cast.  Recreating their roles from the original are comic great George Carlin (Rufus), Hal Landon, Jr. (Capt. Logan), and former Star Search spokesmodel and Dallas regular, Amy Stock-Poynton as Bill’s stepmom, Missy – the center of his "minor Oedipal complex."  What about the "excellent" babes Bill and Ted rescued in their first adventure?  They’re back, too – only this time they are being portrayed by Sarah Trigger and Annette Azcuy.  Seated at the helm of this roller coaster ride through the annals of time is director Pete Hewitt, in his feature film debut.

    Twenty-eight year old Hewitt, a graduate of England’s prestigious National Film School, won the British equivalent of the Academy Award in 1989 for his original 30 minute short film, The Candy Show.  He was chosen over 50 other directors to create a visually intriguing new film that would stand on its own.

    There was little doubt that there would be a sequel to Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure.  The film was the sleeper hit of 1989, and the enormously popular of Bill and Ted were even spun off into a Saturday morning cartoon series.  Hewitt was ready to rise to the challenge and wasn’t concerned about comparisons that may be drawn between the two pictures.  "I think it used to be the case where sequels were sort of slapped together based on the success of the original film.  I don’t think that’s the case anymore.  I think it’s perfectly acceptable.  I thought a lot about whether it was a good idea to do a sequel and I think it doesn’t really matter if it’s a sequel.  What it boils down to is whether it’s a good script or not," says Hewitt.

    In putting together the new Bill and Ted film, producer Scott Kroopf, who also produced the original, as well as Outrageous Fortune, and the recent hit Class Action, was determined to round up as much of the talent responsible for the success of the first film and then let them go in a new and different direction.  He hired writers Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon, who created the characters and penned the original screenplay for Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, to come up with a new script that would take the pair to previously unexplored and more elaborate territories.

    The creation of the "Bill and Ted" characters came about in 1983 when writers Matheson and Solomon were improvising comedy within a group of fellow UCLA students.  They invented histories and acted out routines for the seemingly witless pair, who always appeared to be out of sync with the rest of the world, but perfectly tuned into each other.  Hewitt feels that it is the special relationship which Bill and Ted share that is responsible for the success of the first film and the immense popularity of the characters.  "Everybody at some point in their life has had a friend they could just turn around to and nod or wink, or not even say anything at all, and still be completely understood," the director says.  He also credits stars Reeves and Winter.  "They’re just so perfectly cast and so charming," Hewitt adds.  "The two of them are really good friends and it shows, it really shows."

    Although fantasy and science fiction propel the plot, the most important aspect of this film, according to Hewitt, "is definitely the comedy; the comedy from the relationship between the two characters and also how they interact with what’s around them.  One thing I’ve been very careful to keep my eye on is that the places they go to don’t overwhelm them.  The important thing is that it’s Bill and Ted in hell, and that we get to see hell . . . it’s more important that we go in and almost look over the shoulders of Bill and Ted and see how they react to these situations."

    The accent may be on comedy, but the sequel’s fantasy element is still substantial.  A top notch technical team has been hired to help Hewitt create the mythical yet familiar places and creatures which Bill and Ted encounter on their journey.

    Richard Yuricich, an Oscar nominee for his amazing work in the science fiction greats Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Blade Runner, is supervising special effects and serving as second unit director.  Creating special make-up effects is Kevin Yagher, best known as the mastermind behind the "Chucky" doll in Child’s Play and Child’s Play II.  Yagher also designed and applied the make-up in three of the five Nightmare on Elm Street films.

    Visual design became extremely important in the making of this film.  The idea was to keep the audience intrigued but not overwhelmed by what they saw, so as not to take away from the story.  Working with production designer David L. Snyder, Hewitt used 25 sets built on three soundstages and other outside locales.  Although no two sets are alike, a subliminal feeling of circular shapes was used to tie them together.  Heaven is an assortment of white, gleaming cities built on an enormous disc; classrooms of the future are domed and multi-colored.

    As far as effects and design go, hell posed the biggest challenge.  "I wanted it to look hellish," says Hewitt.  "I wanted it to look like a conventional, stereotypical image of hell in so much as it was fiery, red rock and furnace-like, but at the same time, be something you haven’t seen before."  To that end, many computer-generated special effects were used, as well as split screen and a variety of wide lenses that create odd perspectives of the strange, new worlds Bill and Ted must venture through.

    Special attention was also paid to the music, as Bill and Ted are loyal rock and roll fans who have their own band, Wyld Stallions (sic).  A number of rock artists are used for acting roles in the film, including Jim Martin, guitarist for the Grammy-nominated hard rock group Faith No More.  Martin is featured throughout as a visitor in the future.  In addition, a string of local bands perform in the climactic Battle of the Bands concert scenes.

    With the Bill and Ted sequel in release the multi-talented Hewitt plans to direct a feature length version of his acclaimed short film, The Candy Show, using a script he co-wrote.  His advice to anyone attempting to break into the movie industry is simple: "Trust your instincts.  Get some money, get some film, and just do it."

    Does the future hold another excellent adventure for Bill and Ted?  Hewitt claims that, box-office pending, there is no talk of another sequel at this point in time.  Whether these best buddies return in a third screen outing or not, you can be sure their motto will never tarnish: "Be excellent to each other" and party on, dudes!

Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey - To Hell and back with Bill and Ted

 FANTAZIA

No. 16, 1991

HEY DUDE!
To Hell and back with Bill and Ted

Starring Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter, the film co-stars William Sadler as The Grim Reaper, Joss Ackland as evil rebel leader De Nombus [sic], with George Carlin once again playing the time travelling dude Rufus.  The film is directed by Peter Hewitt, produced by Scott Kroopf, with the screenplay by Chris Matheson and Ed Soloman [sic], who wrote the original screenplay for Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure.

On a musical note, the film features songs from bands such as Slaughter, Faith No More, Megadeth and Primus.  There are also special guest appearances by Faith No More’s Jim Martin as the world’s greatest guitarist, and San Francisco-based rockers Primus as Bill and Ted’s competition in the climactic Battle of the Bands contest.

A top notch technical team was assembled to bring to life the unique landscapes of Heaven and Hell and the array of weird creatures that Bill and Ted encounter.  Supervising the special effects was Oscar nominee Richard Yuricich who worked on Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Blade Runner.  Creating the special make-up effects and creatures was Kevin Yagher, who designed and created the mechanical Chucky doll in the Child’s Play films and designed Freddy Kruegers make-up in three of the five Nightmare on Elm Street films.  In addition, the effects company Video Image (Die Hard 2, Terminator 2 & Darkman) executed a variety of effects including state-of-the-art computer generated graphics used in creating the afterlife sequences.

The original idea for the characters of Bill and Ted, two suburban teenagers who just want everyone to ‘be excellent to each other,’ came to writers Matheson and Soloman [sic] in 1983 when improvising comedy with a group of fellow UCLA students.  Enjoying the imaginary pair so much, they began concocting elaborate routines and histories for them, never intending Bill and Ted to be filmed.  A year later, when they found themselves writing letters to each other as the characters, they began to feel they might be on to something.  So entrenched were they in the characters identities, that it took a little more than a week to come up with the original script for Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure.

It took more than four years to get the film made and released but it was to become a sleeper hit.  Audiences couldn’t resist the characters, whose penchant for using terms like ‘excellent’ and ‘dude’ and strumming imaginary air guitars, quickly became part of American culture.  "The thing about Bill and Ted" observed Matheson, "is that they treat everyone the same, whether it’s God, the Grim Reaper, a teacher or an ordinary person on the street."

British-born director Peter Hewitt who was chosen over 50 other directors to create a new, exciting epic adventure that would stand apart from the original time travel film, was inspired by the friendship between the two characters.  While some might see Bill and Ted as quintessentially American, he found them to be more in the tradition of any popular comic pairing; "Bill and Ted are a latter day Laurel and Hardy," explained Hewitt.  "We’ve all had friends we can simply look at and without saying anything, know exactly what they’re thinking.  They have that kind of relationship.

"Bill and Ted are the ultimate version of that, one person in two bodies."

Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter remember going through a series of long, rigorous auditions four years ago before landing their roles in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure.  Now off-screen friends, they both contribute story ideas and work together to mold various nuances of behavior.  Even the writers readily admit that their own ideas for the characters are taken to totally different extremes once the actors get hold of them.  "I think Bill and Ted are lovable, but you know, they are also frustrated, like everyone else.  They want to let loose with this rock band and yet it’s something they can’t accomplish.  They were given this incredible legacy the last time around that they were going to do amazing things and yet none of it has happened yet.

"That creative frustration we all can feel is sort of the essence of their characters for me right now, and it helps send them on this mythic sort of journey.  Yet they still maintain that innocence they had before.  They haven’t become jaded people.  They still have the same spirit.  I think we’re doing what Sam Rami did with with Evil Dead 2, where the sequel improved on the original.  The first film was small but successful, so on the second film we have the budget to make the film that we wanted to make the first time."

Reeves likens the characters to people he’s seen in his own life, whose friendship carries them through a variety of situations.  He particularly finds the often imitated Bill and Ted-speak (excellent, bogus, bodacious) indicative of a lot of close relationships he’s seen.  "For a lot of my friends, I know that kind of thing is true.  These two guys I know can rap to each other and I don’t understand what they’re saying.  It’s like a whole other thing.  Bill and Ted are an example of just really good friends who’ve developed a way of speaking to express how they feel and what they’re doing."

Producer Scott Kroopf hired Matheson and Soloman [sic] to create an all-new adventure that would take the duo to a more fantastic world unlike any that they explored in their previous outing.  He successfully lured back Winter and Reeves, whose careers had been taking off since the last film, with the idea that the characters would mature (as the actors had) without losing their humour.  Other original cast members, such as George Carlin as their mentor Rufus were also bought back as a familiar counterpoint to the new characters the duo face.

"Their (Reeves and Winter) careers have moved on," said Kroopf.  "They’ve grown up, so they were concerned not to still be playing these teenage characters."

"This movie is a mini-mythic comedy, we see Bill and Ted travel through Heaven and Hell and it’s played as if what is going on is absolutely real and happening.  The joy comes from pitting these epic concepts against Bill and Ted’s unpredictable reactions and playing it straight-faced."

The film has a much broader scope from its predecessor, allowing for far more character development and for Bill and Ted to grow as real people, instead of being typecast as eternal teenagers.  The script is set roughly five years after the first film.  After graduating from high school, they have moved into an apartment together but they are still frustrated musicians.  Their situation is not improved when they are killed by robot duplicates who take their place in order to sabotage their performance in the Battle of the Bands competition - the presumed event that will set them on the path to the legendary status they enjoy in the future.

Kroopf insisted that the film had a unique look and theme, although there was some initial hesitation to go with the writers’ idea of exploring the afterlife.  However the producer quickly saw that the comic possibilities of Bill and Ted ‘hanging out’ with The Grim Reaper were endless, the choice of a director who could convey this kind of humour was vital.  Says Kroopf: ‘We wanted a director to whom this film would be his most important work to date.  Pete (Hewitt) was hired because he had the best cinematic version of the script.  I felt we had to have an extraordinary visual stylist, along the lines of Terry Gilliam or Tim Burton and we felt we found that in Pete."

Hewitt, an inveterate comic book fan was instantly excited by the opportunity; "I saw a lot of possibilities in the script.  I was given a chance to do a future, a Hell, Heaven and to deal with death, subjects which have all been done many times in previous movies but to be able to do them my way, using all these great mechanical toys."

Because so many familiar and mythic places were created such as Heaven, Hell and the future, the sets were built to be recognisable enough so as not to take away from the story but different enough for audiences to still be visually intrigued.

Though no two sets were exactly alike, Hewitt decided to create a subliminal feeling of circular shapes to tie them together.  The future is presented in an array of bright, vibrant colours contained in a domed classroom; Hell is taken to dark and fiery extremes in a series of round boulders linked by chains to an enormous rocky sphere; Heaven is a collection of dazzlingly white and gleaming cities built on an enormous disc filling an infinite void.

In addition, Bill and Ted’s nightmares are seen through an array of wide lenses that create odd perspectives of already strange looking settings where such characters as the Easter Bunny and Bill’s wraithlike 88-year-old Granny Preston reside.  Effects creator Kevin Yagher likened his Bill and Ted design experience to "Working on a more twisted version of Alice in Wonderland."  As well as designing prosthetics for Alex Winter to wear, doubling as his own grandmother, he also conjured up an interpretation of the Easter Bunny.  By far his most popular creations were the two short, stout hairy ‘Martian’ from Heaven called Stations.

"Our creature approach is a little on the cartoonish side," Yagher joked.  "Peter (Hewitt) wanted the Stations to be funny so, I came upon these large butts in a suit that are hairy, naked and have no genitalia."

While the special effects play an important part, the characters and comedy are the main concern.  As Hewitt states; "The bottom line was that this is a comedy and it has to be funny.  So I was always aware that the technology we were using shouldn’t dampen Bill and Ted’s humour.  If I had to choose between a take that was better for the camera or one that was funnier, I’d use the funnier one every time."

Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey - Shot By Shot - Preview The Movie Magazine

Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey - Orion Pictures Promotion Guide

 ORION PICTURES PROMOTION GUIDE

1991

Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey

The following is a promotional guide sent out by Orion Pictures to owners of movie theaters
with ideas for promotional events to help publicize Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey.

BILL & TED’S BOGUS JOURNEY

They’re back.  Totally back.  Bodaciously back.

Those two triumphant dudes from San Dimas who soared through the circuits of time to bag the great personages of history -- and break box office barriers -- have a heinous new challenge on their hands.

Somewhere in the nefarious future, a pair of robots have been created who resemble Bill and Ted in every way but one.  They’re evil.  Twisted.  Warped.  Homicidal.  In short, they’re not very nice.

Their mission is to travel by telephone booth to this, the 20th Century, and annihilate our heroes.  That’s the beginning of a wild comic odyssey that sends the real Bill & Ted to hell, heaven and beyond in a desperate attempt to regain their lives, save the princess babes, protect future generations from the forces of evil and, of course, win the Battle of the Bands.

Along the way, they encounter such formidable figures as the Grim Reaper, Lucifer, Martian tourists, Albert Einstein, the Easter Bunny and 88-year-old Granny S. Preston, who’s a puckering fool.

While our heroes are off on this harrowing adventure, their double-crossing doubles are back in San Dimas, ogling the pristine princess babes and otherwise besmirching the duo’s reputation.

Can anything be done about it?  YES.  You can promote the "Brimstone Heights" out of BILL & TED’S BOGUS JOURNEY which again stars Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter in the title roles; George Carlin as the rocker of the ages, the resplendent Rufus.

All it takes is to be excellent to your audience and make the most of promotional appendages like the phrasebook that follows . . .

---

BILL & TED’S MOST EXCELLENT PHRASEBOOK
A non-heinous guide to a whole new language

In their first adventure, Bill & Ted created a whole new language . . . loosely based on 20th Century English.

Now, in their second melee, their lingo, like the cosmos, keeps expanding.

That’s the reason for this BILL&TEDSPEAK-INTO-ENGLISH AND VICE-VERSA VOCABULARY.  It will help you understand what the non-non-anti-heroes are saying without subtitles of which there aren’t any.  And since scores of teenagers will appropriate the pair’s patois when the movie opens in cinematoriums world-wide on Friday, July 19th, you’ll be able to converse with them in their native tongue.

According to Ed Solomon, the co-author of both Bill and Ted adventures -- "excellent" and "bogus" -- the characters don’t speak "surfer talk," "valley talk" or any other teenage idiom.  (They’re from San Dimas, California, which is just to the right of San Bernardino, a hundred miles from the ocean and nearly as far from any valley or Galleria.)

Their dialogue is unique unto themselves.

But feel free to pass it on to deejays and TV personalities . . . entertainment editors and humor columnists . . . shopping/entertainment guides . . . or the public at large by printing up BILL&TEDSPEAK heralds and flyers.

Be sure, though, to keep an extra copy handy for your next trip through the time-space continuum.

BILL & TED SPEAK IS SHOWN IN RED
ENGLISH TRANSLATION IS SHOWN IN BLUE

(Please note that Alex and Keanu went on record in television interviews in 1991 saying many of the translations were the product of a publicist’s mind and have little in common with true translations of Bill & Ted speak)

Excellent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Good

Most excellent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Very Good

Triumphant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Excellent

Outstanding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Most Excellent

Stellar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inspired

Sterling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fully Inspired

Awesome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Awesome

Unprecedented . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Really Good

Unrivaled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Best

Bag it . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Grab it

How’s it hanging? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hello

Scorched . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stared at

Melvined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tricked, duped

Bogus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dangerously melvinized

Egregious . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Most bogus

Bodacious . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Unbogus

Party On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Keep it up

The Short Dead Dude . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Napoleon

The Salad Dressing Dude . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Caesar

The Frood dude . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Freud

The Pool Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Marco Polo

Heinous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bad

Non-heinous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Good

Non-non-heinous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Real bad

Non-non-non-non-heinous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Egregiously bad

Full-on robot chubby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Large metal erection

Princess babes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Medieval girl friends

Totally . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fully

Most . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Totally fully

Flake off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Adios

Resplendent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Resplendent

Be excellent to each other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Love thy neighbor

Loogied . . . . . . . . . . . . . . spit

No way . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Forget it

Yes way . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Of course

Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Greetings ... salutations ... yes of course ... where do I sign?... way to go

                                          ... hallelujah...right on... (and of course) ... excellent!

Most atypical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Incredible, amazing

Metal heads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rockin’ Musicians

The floppy eared, egg dropping hippity-hopping behemoth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Easter Bunny

Reaped . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Killed

The Ugly Red Source of All Evil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Devil

Your Royal Deathness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Grim Reaper

The Fugue Dude . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J.S. Bach

Mr. The Kid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Billy the Kid

Beelzebub . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Dude Downstairs

Dickweed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jerk

Miscreant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Loser

So-Crates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Socrates

God’s Finest Planet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Uranus

The Repository of All Earthly Building Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Builders Emporium

Light Heavyweight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thomas A. Edison

Esteemed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Famous

Personages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Esteemed dudes

Joan of Arc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Noah’s wife

The Dude on the Penny . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lincoln

The Dude on the Dollar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Washington

Phantasmagorical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spooky

The Straw Dude . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Tin Dude’s pal

Dudes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Non-babe personages of the human species

---

BILL & TED’S CAPS, SHIRTS & SHADES

To celebrate the most bogus journey in mankind’s history, Orion Pictures has created a plethora of prodigious premiums. And thanks to the popularity of our partying protagonists, these caps, tee-shirts and sunglasses are bound to disappear faster that two dudes in a phone booth.

As Cleopatra would put it (and she frequently did) you can bet your asp on that.

The cap bears the logo of the living legends.

The tee-shirt shows the team desperately attempting to escape the wearer’s chest.

The title treatment "shades" will leave recipients glassy-eyed.

To order these items as contest prizes, incentives or giveaways, contact your Orion field representative . . . and tell him (or her) that Rufus sent you.

---

THE SUPERSTAR OF AIR GUITAR

If you don’t play guitar – and can’t afford one, anyway – you can always be a star of "air guitar."  It’s easy.  Just strum away on a non-existent instrument while letting out a few high falsetto yelps.

To complete the effect, slip a disc in the CD player and make like you’re rockin’ with the real thing.

Thanks to Bill & Ted , it’s becoming such a popular pastime that the Premiere Radio Network is conducting the first annual BILL & TED’S EXCELLENT AIR GUITAR CONTEST in 25 top markets.  Participating deejays will invite listeners to phone in and say why they deserve to be named the station’s "Superstar of Air Guitar."

The most convincing calls (with or without musical stings and howls) will qualify some 25 competitors to take part in an air guitar contest, which the deejays will host at a special screening for the station’s listeners.  There, winners will be chosen by audience acclaim or by a panel of expert judges (like local rock stars, on-air personalities, etc.).  Either way, the triumphant air guitarists will win trophies, prizes (like real guitars) and the chance to display their synced-up styling through TV guest shots, personal appearances and equally electrifying gigs.

To expand the promotion, some stations are holding semi-finals in malls, clubs and various entertainment venues, while others are staging two listener screenings – one at which the winners are chosen, the second at which they perform as "airheads" for the first time.

It may not be a stepping stone to a new career.  But it should be a hell of a lot of fun . . . and a source of plenty of on-air promos.

If there is no Premiere station in your time warp, don’t fret.  Simply line up a youth market outlet, set a word-of-mouth screening for its listeners, and adapt the plan outlined above.

After all, the name of the game is "airplay."

---

LOKYL TALYNT

If you think it takes talent to play a totally invisible instrument, what about those who rhapsodize on the real thing?

In this radio tie-in, participating deejays should begin by explaining that in Bill & Ted’s new movie, the San Dimas duo and their medieval princess babes are precariously poised on the brink of superstardom.  All that stands between "Wyld Stallyns" and the fame foretold by their future tutor, Rufus, is to win the battle of the bands.

Young musicians in the listening audience indubitably have the same aspiration.  And the station is prepared to back them to the hilt.

They may win an on-air audition.  They may cop a gig at a local nightspot.  The least they’ll receive for tuning in and tuning up is a pair of passes to one hell of a movie.

Competing bands are instructed to send in demo cassette tapes from which tie-in deejays will choose the semi-finalists.  Each day during the play-off period, the station airs two or more demos.  Listeners have an hour in which to phone in and vote for their favorite group.  The daily winner’s tape is held over for the next day’s competition against another set of potential non-unknowns until one band emerges triumphant.

Among the prizes might be a local tie-in TV appearance . . . a professional engagement at a youth club or nightclub . . . use of the station’s equipment and facilities to cut a "studio demo" which the band can send on to record companies . . . or if you throw a Bill and Ted party (described elsewhere in this kit), top billing at your "Non-Bogus Bash."

---

BILL & TED’S NON-BOGUS BASH

"Party on, dude!"

That simple, yet elegant invitation should be all you need to precede a most unprecedented night of unbogus fun.  But it helps to arrange for a tie-in radio station and a most esteemed nightspot to join the festivities.

Obviously un-misnomered, "BILL & TED’S NON-BOGUS BASH" is an egregious event that should be hosted by the station’s top jocks and feature a cornucopia of games, contests, prizes, drinks and comestibles . . . like good stuff to eat.

For example:

* It’s the perfect place to stage your "Bill & Ted’s Excellent Air Guitar Contest" and/or a "Battle of the Bands" (as described elsewhere in this guide).

* In the spirit of the pair’s game attempt to get the hell out of hell, "Beat the Devil" game tourneys are most incumbent.  Assemble an array of challenges like "Clue" . . . "Battleship" . . . electric play-action football . . . "Chutes and Ladders" . . . "Parcheesi" . . . darts . . . maybe even some video games if the venue is properly equipped.  Keep score: dudes against dudes, babes against babes, evil doubles against evil doubles -- or vice-versa.  And be sure to reward the winners.

* As far as food goes, base the menu on historical figures who figure in Bill & Ted’s adventures.  For example, try Julius Caesar salad, Joan of Are-ka-bobs, Madame Duck Curie, Lincoln cheese logs, (and, in honor of his Secretary of State, Salmon P. Chase croquettes), J.S. Bach’s lunches, Freud chicken, and Ty corn on the Cobb.  Finally, top the meal off with Marie Antoinette’s "Let Them Eat" cake for dessert.

* Drinks should pose no problem.  But they usually do.  Nevertheless, serve up some Napoleon brandy or Albert Einstein-s of beer.  For those who eschew alcohol, how about Shirley Temple "Shirley Temples?"

* Stage a costume competition among those who emerge from the murky pages of history.  Score your "esteemed personages" on a scale from "Bogus" to "Bodacious" with a grand prize for the most excellent pseudo-celebrity.

* Use this "party-on party" as the site of your "Bill &Ted-Evil Bill/Evil Ted" look-alike contest, inspired by the duo’s double-crossing doppelgangers (again featured elsewhere on these pages).

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BILL & TED’S TYME SURE FLIES CAPSULE

As the dingy long-haired quantum dude once hypothesized, "E=MC Hammer."  Which means that in time and outer space, everyone’s your relative.

To hammer that message home . . . and knock out some free promotional space . . . conduct the following week-long experiment.

Arrange with a tie-in radio station to mock-up a time capsule.  Then invite listeners to suggest items the capsule should contain to reflect the culture of Bill and Ted’s time.  Namely today.

Anything goes (at the discretion of participating deejays) from brand new pre-ripped blue jeans . . . to one of those key chains that beeps when you clap . . . to a Madonna video.

When full, your capsule should be sealed.  On-air personalities should participate in interring it in a public place, like the lobby of your theatre, or a local shopping mall on the opening night of BILL & TED’S BOGUS JOURNEY.  You might want to keep it under glass so patrons can get a good look.

Exactly seven days later, the capsule should be recovered, opened and examined -- as an on-air event -- so that everyone can see how profoundly BILL & TED’S BOGUS JOURNEY has changed the world in just one week.

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THE MOST FOREMOST BILL AND TED DUDES OF ALL TIME

Bill and Ted may be the only two dudes who’ve ever started out flunking history, only to go down in it.  But several of their namesakes are equally renowned.

That’s the catalyst for this radio quiz in which the answer to each question is someone named Bill or Ted.  (If a tie-in deejay needs a contest hook, this should fit the bill . . . or, at least, the ted.)

1. Name the rough-riding presidential Teddy boy who was the Bull Moose Party’s first -- and last -- candidate.  TEDDY ROOSEVELT

2. To prove his music was ahead of its time, this Bill rocked around the clock.  BILL HALEY

3. Who’s the outlandish, outrageous Bill who hangs around in the comics with an oversexed penguin?  BILL THE CAT FROM "OUTLAND"

4. This guitar maniac isn’t a cat, but he’s obviously been scratched by one.  And if you know his hit song, you know the fever’s catching.  TED NUGENT

5. This Bill has been a father figure to generations of stand-up comics, Jell-O fanatics and TV viewers.  His pal, Fat Albert, would be proud.  BILL COSBY

6. Quick!  Name the Bill who started the Pony Express back when you absolutely, positively had to get it there next month.  BUFFALO BILL CODY

7. This Ted has been called the sexiest dude on television.  The patrons at a Boston bar will drink to that.  TED DANSON

8. Everybody remembers his brother, Wally, his dad, Ward, and his mother, June.  But what was the "Beaver’s" full name?  THEODORE "TED" CLEAVER

9. He’s paled around with Mick Jagger for nearly thirty years, but this notable dude has never been caught off bass.  BILL WYMAN OF THE ROLLING STONES

10. For two dollar bettors, he was the "Two Dollar" Bill who rode more winners than any other jockey in racing history.  BILL SHOEMAKER

11. He was "Saturday Night Live’s" live wire who hit his stride in the movies, busting ghosts.  HINT: His name is Bill.  BILL MURRAY

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FORUM OR AGAINST ‘EM

If you want to know what today’s teens have on their minds, get with Bill and Ted.

Better yet, get a top-rated deejay to talk to his listeners . . . and give them a chance to get with BILL & TED’S BOGUS JOURNEY as a guest of the station.

The idea is for the deejay to poll his audience and find out what’s in . . . what’s out . . . what’s hot . . . what’s not . . . what turns them on . . . what gets them off.  Those who share their views on the air get a pair of passes to see the on-screen action.

Each day for a week prior to the opening of BILL & TED’S BOGUS JOURNEY, the tie-in jock explains the polling procedure, poses the daily question and opens the phone lines.  Topics might range from "Today’s most exellent (sic) rock star is . . . " to "What attracts me to a dude (or babe) is . . . " to "The first thing I’d do if I won the lottery would be . . ." to "If I could travel in time, I’d go to . . . "

Tie-in deejays -- who know their audience best -- are bound to come up with their own survey questions.

In addition to the movie tickets, special prizes could be in order for those whose answers are the most entertaining, offbeat or perceptive.

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BILLS AND TEDS GO TO TIIE MOVIES

How many Bills and Teds are there?

The answer -- like new math -- is one of the most confounding mysteries of the universe.  Start with the fact that Bill and Ted met themselves coming and going, frequently by phone booth, in their first adventure.  Then add the gruesome twosome -- Evil Bill and Evil Ted.

But that’s just for openers.

There are scores of Bills and Teds throughout the country who are bound to enjoy their namesakes’ exploits.

The idea is to arrange with a promotion-minded radio station to hold a special screening at which the ticket of admission is to be named Bill, Ted or a variation thereof . . . or come with someone who is.  Which opens the event to anyone bearing a valid piece of identification bearing the name William . . . Guillermo . . . Wilhelm . . . Willy . . . Willie . . . Wilhemina . . . Billie Jean King . . . Williamette . . . Ted . . . Theodore . . . Thaddeus . . . Edward M. Kennedy . . . Teddy . . . Teddie Jean King . . . Theodosius . . . etc.  As well as anyone fortunate enough to have an aptly-named friend.

The station should point out in its on-air announcements and other promotions that there will be "NO EVIL ROBOTS ADMITTED, WHATEVER THEY CALL THEMSELVES. EVIL ROBOTS LIE!"

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BILL & TED’S BOGUS LOOK-ALIKE CONTEST

No one looks more like Bill and Ted than their robotic replicas, Evil Bill and Evil Ted.

Which makes that classic promotional ploy -- the look-alike contest -- fair game.

The sole caveat is that only two-person teams -- consisting of one "Bill" and one "Ted" -- can compete.  But the contest can be conducted anywhere . . . in a mall, at the theatre, in a phone booth, at your Bill and Ted’s Non-Bogus Bash.  You name it.

Depending on the site, line up a promotional partner (like a radio station or a promotion-minded merchant).  Then have deejays and other celebrities serve as judges.  And when you promote the prizes, make sure you have two of everything.

The contest should be open to males, females and even mixed doubles with one important proviso.  To prevent heinous hoaxes, prominently post a sign which reads:

"NO EVIL ROBOTS ALLOWED!"

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INTERZONAL TIME TRAVEL THROUGH TELEPHONY

It’s no accident that Bill and Ted defy the laws of gravity, physics and the San Dimas P.D. in a telephone booth.  What better way to reach out and touch someone in another time zone?  Or a different dimension?

To prove the point -- and play up the movie -- arrange with a top deejay to make his (or her) audience a most unrivalled offer.

First, the deejay picks a faraway place -- Nepal, for instance -- then tells listeners something like this:

"Right now, it’s 3:00 AM in Katmandu, Nepal.  If you know anyone in Katmandu, if you have their phone number and you’re willing to share your conversation with the rest of the audience, phone us immediately and we’ll put you through to Katmandu.  If no one answers or the line is busy, you’ll still win tickets to see Bill and Ted zoom through time and space in a phone booth in BILL & TEDS BOGUS JOURNEY.  If you don’t know anyone in Katmandu, stay tuned because we’ll place another call in one hour to . . . Lapland! Maybe you know somebody there."

Not every promo will pay off in a phone call.  (How many of us know people in Nepal . . . or Lapland . . . or the Orkney Isles?)  But those that do should make for some great on-air eavesdropping.  And, either way, Bill & Ted get plugged in.

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BOGUS BILLS AND TEDS

Bill and Ted don’t believe in passing the buck (mostly because they don’t have one to spare).  But that shouldn’t stop you -- or promotion-minded local merchants -- from blitzing your burg with bucks good for great deals on pizzas, burgers, tacos, chicken, music, clothing and other totally terrific things.

All it takes is to print up a bunch of "Bogus Bills and Teds" -- fake currency featuring the face of Evil Bill on one side and Evil Ted on the other.  Just take the reproducible artwork on the next page to your local printer, and tell him to, "Mint on, dude!"

Then arrange for fast food franchises, music outlets, boutiques, salons, amusement arcades and other youth-oriented retailers to honor "Bogus Bills and Teds" as discount coupons.

You can pass out the funny money at the theatre, in high traffic areas like shopping malls, and through radio tie-ins.  If people save the bogus bills, instead of spending them, that’s okay, too.  They should be worth a fortune by 2691.

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NON-BOGUS BOGUS STICKERS

NOTE: To clarify the situation – in advance – please be advised: Unlike the "Bogus Bills" printed elsewhere in this kit (which are fake), the "Bogus Stickers" presented below are real.

Like Bill and Ted, young moviegoers know what’s bogus and what isn’t.  And they don’t hesitate to put the word out on the street . . . the fence . . . the school books . . . the school . . . or anything else that stays stationary long enough to become an impromptu "Bill-& Ted-board."

We’ve all heard about the writing on the wall.  This time, it better say BILL & TED’S BOGUS JOURNEY.

Fortunately, on the next page, you’ll find reproducible artwork designed for producing self-adhesive stickers that bear the words "BOGUS – Courtesy of BILL & TED’S BOGUS JOURNEY."  Print them up.  Then hand them out and let the kids decide where these stickers apply.

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WHO’S BOGUS

It’s amazing . . . unbelievable . . . scary . . . almost too much for a mortal mind to bear.  In 100 years of moviemaking, no one’s ever seen anything like a Bill or a Ted.  Then -- WHAMMO!

Suddenly, there are two identical Bills and two ditto Teds.  And not even our heroes can tell the real thems from the fake thems.

There’s only one thing to do: Run a contest promotion.  (It’s a dirty job, but somebody has to do it.)

On the next page, you’ll find eight photos of what would appear to the naked eye to be Bill and Ted.  But look closer.  Because half the shots are actually Evil Bill and Evil Ted -- which means that contestants must somehow determine who’s who.

Formatted for duplication (like Evil Bill and Evil Ted), this slick should be passed on to local newspapers, neighborhood shopping circulars or a weekly entertainment guides.  Or used to create a heinously hermetic herald to hand out at theatres and shopping malls.

Since this is such a stupefying puzzle, it seems only fair that winners receive a stupendous prize: Tickets to see BILL AND TED’S BOGUS JOURNEY.

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HYSTORICAL TRYVYA

There are two things to remember about history.

It’s stuff that happened.

And it shows up on tests.

But since those exams are usually multiple choice tests, even people who don’t know anything about history can take pride in being right about 25% of the time.

Now, here’s a test on which even Bill & Ted could score 100 % because the answers are all incongruous (where laws are made).  To score with your audience, pass it out . . . and on . . . promotionally.

1. The first Continental Congress was held at the . . .
A) Arsenio Hall Show.   B) Gettysburg Address.   C) Love Shack.

2. Alexander Graham Bell’s first words on the telephone were . . .
A) "The number you have reached is not in service."   B) "Please deposit twenty cents for the next three minutes.   C) "You have reached the bell residence.  We’re sorry we’re not home to take your call."

3. Name the most valuable jewel in history.
A) The Neil Diamond   B) The Oliver Stone   C) The Minnie Pearl

4. Who painted the Mona Lisa?
A) Leonardo the Turtle   B) Vincent Van Patten   C) Who knows?  The dude never got caught

5. Joan of Arc was . . .
A) Noah’s wife.   B) The Minute Maid of New Orleans.   C) A famous French torch singer.

6. Who started the great Chicago Fire?
A) Mrs. O’Leary’s cow   B) Joan of Arc   C) You can’t pin it on me

7. Which of the following was not tried for witchcraft in Salem?
A) The witches of Eastwick   B) Ozzy Osbourne   C) Shirley McLaine

8. The Great Pyramids are . . .
A) An Egyptian rock band.   B) A mail order scam.   C) Pyramid-shaped

9. Which of the following was not named in honor of an American president?
A) The Lincoln Tunnel   B) The George Washington Bridge   C) Route 66

10. The first American to walk on the moon was . . .
A) Michael Jackson.   B) Roseanne Barr.   C) Alice Kramden.

How ‘The Keep’ Changed Michael Mann’s Filmmaking

 

Originally Posted by https://collider.com/michael-mann-the-insider-explained/

How ‘The Keep’ Changed Michael Mann’s Filmmaking

I know that when you directed The Keep , you originally had a much longer cut, but it's never seen the light of day. Do you still have a copy of the longer cut, or does it no longer exist?

MANN: I don't even know. I’d have to dig into our archives to find out. We have a pretty spectacular archive. We saved everything, but I don't know how much I've saved on The Keep. The poignant tragedy that came was that the visual effects genius who worked on it, Wally Veevers — who was a spectacular guy, who goes all the way back from The Shape of Things to Come all the way through 2001 [A Space Odyssey] — died halfway through post. He had many esoteric forms of creating some of the visual effects, and it was only through the generosity of the visual effects community in England that we were able even to finish the picture. A lot of people who knew and respected Wally dove in to try to figure some of this out. So, it was a bizarre project.

You've expressed dissatisfaction with the final cut of The Keep , and I'm curious, did your experience on that project turn you towards more grounded genres permanently?

MANN: No, it had nothing to do with that. It had to do with going forward and shooting a movie before the screenplay’s ready. There was a one-year window in which to get the movie up and running and finished because of something that had to do with Paramount and a UK tax deal. I agreed to do that and was trying to finish the screenplay at the same time. So, no, it's nothing to do with gothic or sci-fi subject matter.

One of the big thrills of that was to work with John Box, who was a fantastic production designer with three Academy Awards, Lawrence of Arabia, Oliver Twist, A Man for All Seasons. What an honor. A lot of things about it were new that we did, especially the design influence of German Expressionism and the exploitation of Albrecht Speer, the Nazi architect. I was very interested in the causes of fascism, the nature of its malign appeal to cultures in distress and a form of mass schizophrenia, and to try to express that in the form of a Freudian fairy tale, meaning not metaphor or allegory. It was informed by reading Bruno Bettleheim and was an interesting challenge. If I made it again, it would be much better. [Laughs]

I really, really hope that one day you will go into your archives and see what you have because I would love to see if there is a longer cut. The problem obviously is VFX aren't done, music's not done, but it's definitely something that I'm sure fans would love to see, even in a rough cut.

MANN: So, since The Keep, after that, I’ve always been much more careful about not going forward to something until it's ready.

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure - Promotional Materials

 

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure - Special Shoot