“This script is really smart and there's depth to it,” says Soomekh. “We've dissected it and analyzed it, and Leigh and Darren and the producers have been so receptive to the actors’ input. This story gets to the rawest of emotions. It’s really terrifying.”
Visually, SAW III will have all the quick cuts and fast-paced rhythms that characterized the first two films. “SAW has a signature style. We’re using a lot of whip-pans and flash-frames to create a dynamic feel,” says Bousman. In many of the film’s graphic torture scenes, Bousman chose the use of prosthetics over digital effects. “I really don’t like to cut away from the gore,” he says. “I’m a big fan of actually showing the audience what they want to see.”
Bousman reports that he’s kept SAW fans in mind through every step of the creative process. “We’ve littered this movie with nods to the first two films, with clues and puzzles – everything the fans love,” says the director. “More traps, more blood, more twists, more turns. So this, really, is a movie for them.” “Darren knows better than anyone what our audience wants, and his goal is to deliver that to them every time,” says Burg. “He’s always thinking three steps ahead of everybody else.”
Adds Koules, “Everyone here, in every department, feels a loyalty to the fans. We truly relish them. They’ve been so great and so supportive of us that it makes us work harder to make each SAW film bigger and better.”
With three films under its belt, the SAW team has grown closer than ever; but there is one missing member whose loss is deeply felt: SAW producer Greg Hoffman, who died unexpectedly last year, only six weeks after the release of SAW II. Hoffman, with producers Mark Burg, Oren Koules and executive producer Dan Heffner, was responsible for recognizing the potential in SAW when it was only a script, and for giving talented newcomers James Wan, Leigh Whannell and Darren Bousman their first career-making opportunities. Says Bousman, “Greg had faith in all of us even though we were all unknowns. He said, ‘Come with me,’ and we did and he made it happen. He was passionate and he cared, and that's not something you see a lot of in Hollywood.”
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