Entrevista: Hal Barwood

El día de hoy, queridos lectores, en vez de un review, tenemos aquí presente una entrevista con Hal Barwood, un novelista y previamente diseñador de videojuegos conocido por hacer algunos de los videojuegos más famosos de Indiana Jones en los años 90, tales como Indiana Jones y el Destino de Atlantis o Indiana Jones y la Máquina Infernal. El señor Barwood fue muy amable con nosotros y contestó las 15 preguntas que le enviamos, preguntándole sobre su carrera, sus días en la ya desaparecida LucasArts desarrollando los juegos de Indy y sus futuros proyectos. He aquí la entrevista, cuál por supuesto, se encuentra en inglés:

1.       Tell us about yourself, Hal. When you was born and which were your inspirations to become involved in the film industry?

HAL REPLIES >>> I was born in 1940 on the East Coast of the United States, in Hanover New Hampshire, and I grew up there. It’s a tiny university town, the home of Dartmouth College, and where my father ran the local movie theater, choosing films to his and the town’s educated tastes. As a consequence, I saw a lot of classic movies at an early age. I don’t think it’s possible to exactly identify one’s formative inspirations, and it wasn’t until I was halfway through college that I realized I wanted to make movies for a career. I won a fellowship to the famous film school at the University of Southern California (USC), married Barbara, my childhood sweetheart, and we were able to fulfill our dream of living on the magical West Coast. 

2.       From all the movies you worked on, which you consider to be your best? Did you have any plans to return to filmmaking in the future?

HAL REPLIES >>> In my case, the projects I’ve worked on are a little like my children — you love ’em all. But making movies is a job that’s forever in the past. Long ago I transitioned into video games, and now I write books.

3.       How you were hired by Lucasfilm to work on LucasArts? Your experience as screenwriter made you suitable for the job?

HAL REPLIES >>> Well, I was hired by Lucasfilm Games, not Lucasfilm itself, and by the time I completed my first game as a professional video game designer / project leader, the company had become LucasArts.

I’ve been friends with George Lucas since film school days. George knew of my interest in games and let me hang around his new company. After Last Crusade, the game creators (Ron Gilbert, David Fox, and Noah Falstein) all wanted to move on to other projects, but the company wanted a follow-on to a big hit. They knew me, hired me, and helped me figure out how to get rolling in my new career.

4.       Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis is known today as the best Indiana Jones video game of all the time. In regards to the plot, how you and Noah Falstein pitched the story for Indy’s next adventure after the third film? Any characters, plotlines and MacGuffins considered before settling on Atlantis?

HAL REPLIES >>> As is now common knowledge, when I stepped aboard the company, I was handed a screenplay that was rejected as a movie. That screenplay was all about a monkey god in Africa, and Noah and I thought it was rejected for good reason. We cast about for an alternative by leafing through coffee table books in George’s reference library. When we opened the book Mystic Places to the entry for Atlantis we saw the mythical city laid out in three concentric circles separated by canals. That diagram sure looked like a video game! We soon learned that none other than the famous philosopher Plato was the main source for Atlantis lore, and that sealed the deal. Plato mentions a peculiar metal, orichalcum, and that became our maguffin, the goal of Jones and Nazis alike.

All Indiana Jones stories start in an exaggerated version of ordinary reality, and they all slide into the supernatural. So I cooked up a companion for Indy, Sophia Hapgood, who happened to possess a mystical amulet imbued with the unhealthy influence of a former Atlantean demigod.

5.       Over the years, there have been rumors that Fate of Atlantis was designed as the official precursor to the then unreleased fourth film. It’s this true or are just unsubstantiated rumors?

HAL REPLIES >>> Oh boy, that idea again. *sigh* Yes, outsiders have suggested that Fate should have been a movie, or should become a movie, but you have to understand that George Lucas and Steven Spielberg would never make a movie from previously published material. And anyway, the story is original and always and only intended as a game. I’m glad it turned out well and grateful for its many fans.

6.       From all the Indiana Jones video games you worked on, did George Lucas had any involvement, even in a minor capacity? Or even Steven Spielberg?

HAL REPLIES >>> The short answer is no. (But see #8 below . . . )

7.       For years, we have read about the cancelled Indiana Jones and the Iron Phoenix, the intended follow-up to Fate of Atlantis. However, there were other plans for a follow-up known as Spear of Destiny. Which was its plot and did you regret to never make it?

HAL REPLIES >>> I was not involved with either of those projects, and I can’t remember much about either one.

8.       Respect to Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine, another one of the best Indy games, I read that your original intention was to use UFOs as the MacGuffin but George refused due keeping them for the fourth film. From what was about the original story you pitched, about the Roswell UFO incident?

HAL REPLIES >>> When it came time to make a Jones 3D action-adventure, I thought flying saucers in the early 1950s would be a good bet. Roswell stuff, and so forth. But George vetoed the idea, and it became Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine. I didn’t know it when I made the proposal, but he was already planning Crystal Skull. Too bad for both of us, although I’m very proud of Infernal Machine and how it made use of Babylonian mythology.  

9.       Although your original story for Infernal Machine was turned down for a fourth film, you were anyway allowed to depict the Soviets and the Cold War in the game. Did George put any restrictions on how to depict the Soviets, as he was saving them for what became Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull?

HAL REPLIES >>> Whoa, there — my story for Infernal Machine was never planned or considered for a movie of any kind, in contradiction to any rumors out there. The idea to move Indy into the post-World-War-2 era with Soviets as the adversaries was entirely my own. George put no pressure on our ideas at all.

10.   A bonus level of Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine focuses on Indy returning to the temple of Raiders of the Lost Ark and uncovering a second idol. It was your idea to create this level? And in which year it’s actually set?

HAL REPLIES >>> We had enough resources and time to do bonus material, and the return to Peru was the result of discussions between the team and Geoff Jones, who built the level. It’s so titanic it’s practically a game in itself and is also one of the most fiendishly difficult levels in the game. Hats off to any who finish it!

11.   You revised the story for Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb. Any changes you suggested or recommended for them?

HAL REPLIES >>> I didn’t really revise anything. I might have made some suggestions — the idea of Nazis roaming China never impressed me — but the external team went its own way. I was disappointed in the result, I’m sorry to say.

12.   Though you retired from LucasArts after Emperor’s Tomb, you returned for Indiana Jones Adventure World. How much was your contribution on it, as it differs from the previous Indy games made by you?

HAL REPLIES >>> My contribution is nonexistent. I worked on Adventure World before it became a Jones game. I was frustrated by the design constraints dictated by Zynga’s social demands. Although I have a lot of respect and affection for the team that built it, my initial hopes turned to skepticism, and the game staggered and collapsed in the marketplace. 

13.   Did you like Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull? From all the Indiana Jones films, which one is your favorite (for me, the third one)?

HAL REPLIES >>> I’m not a fan of Crystal Skull. I don’t think the plot was coherent, and incidents like sword fighting while riding a truck through the jungle  seemed way over-the-top. Most sequels go downhill, I’m afraid — it’s a common phenomenon — and my favorite by far is Raiders of the Lost Ark.

14.   Did you have any new projects in mind? Are there any circumstances for which you could return to Star Wars or Indiana Jones (perhaps write a novel)? I think Finite Arts has great potential…

HAL REPLIES >>> I think so too! These days I’m working on my 7th novel — science-fiction, a follow-on to another sci-fi book I wrote a few years back, Glitterbush. Hal says, check out my stuff on my website, finitearts.com.

15.   To finish the interview, here’s the question of another Indy fan who loves Fate of Atlantis. He’s making props about the artifacts seen in Fate and he wants to ask you what material did you imagine the Horned Statue, Sophia’s Necklace and the Orichalcum – Beads to be made, like gold, copper, bronze, etc. He wonders if Orichalcum looks like a mixture of copper and gold, perhaps?

HAL REPLIES >>> Well, sure, a gold and copper alloy, or maybe gold and copper and zinc and tin. For Fate we thought it was made out of magic!

Hal, we’re very grateful that you allowed us to interview you. You’re such a good filmmaker, video game designer and writer and I’m sure you are a great novelist too. We can’t wait to see what your next projects will be! Good luck!

HAL REPLIES >>> Thank you for the kind remarks, and best wishes in your own projects!

Cómo verán, entrevistar al señor Barwood fue una experiencia muy placentera y marca la primera entrevista que hacemos en El Recoveco del Geek. Ya estamos por hacer un review de Érase Una Vez en Hollywood, pero no se preocupen. ¡Pronto habrán más entrevistas!