Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1468810
31 S P R I N G Q 2 I S S U E F E A T U R E By Rob Feld H i g h b row o r l ow, t h e re i s a re a - son why some movies capture an audience and others don't. That "Jackass" has sustained a 20-year fran- chise of guys finding new and laborious ways to hit each other in the crotch—when audiences could easily find online clips to satisfy such a craving without looking up from their phones—must indicate that its creators discovered … something. Editors Matt Kosinski, Matt Probst, and Sascha Stanton-Craven are the caretakers of that strange potion in the fourth install- ment of the series, "Jackass Forever." What began as an MTV series has since fostered assorted spinoffs and four movies directed by Jeff Tremaine and produced by Spike Jonze and Johnny Knoxville. In the show born of skateboard culture's couldn't-care-less attitude, a merry band of outcasts crack each other up by per- forming an endless string of transgressive, scatological, and self-damaging stunts. The more elaborate a silly gag can be, the better. For 20 years, audiences have followed the Jackass personalities Johnny Knoxville, Steve - O, Wee Man, Chris Pontius, and others, onscreen and off. "Jackass Forever" introduces a new and younger bunch, who join in the antics along with the legacy cast. The challenge for Kosinski, Probst, and Stanton-Craven was to capture the same chemistry between the familiar cast that brought audience back time and again, while establishing and blending in the new members. Lose the chemistry, and the fran- chise dies and an audience might as well get its crotch-shot fix on YouTube. CineMontage: Despite the success of the "Jackass" franchise, you guys were involved in cutting test shoots efore anyone would greenlight the movie, correct? Sascha Stanton-Craven: Coming back after 10 years, I think a fear was, "Will it still be funny to see a 50-year-old man get wrecked, or just sort of sad?" Fortunately, the answer is "yes," it is still funny to see that. Matt Kosinski: They also wanted to make sure that the chemistry between the cast was still there, and to test out the new cast. It turned out great, everything was clicking, everyone was having a good time. A lot of those bits ended up in the movie. CineMontage: It's interesting to re- member how important their chemistry is—it's not just about the gags. What is there to learn about investing an audience in characters from the "Jackass" series? Matt Probst: Sometimes you can have a 30-second bit, but I think what really works for "Jackass" is to show the care and love that they have for each other; that it's not just about hurting each other, it's about the experience as a whole. The key is to include that as well as the pain. I think you see the bond that they have on screen, which has carried it from the series all the way through this fourth film. THE EDITORS FOR 'JACKASS FOREVER' EXPLAIN ITS OUCH! APPEAL. IT'S NOT ALL ABOUT THE KICK TO THE CROTCH. BUNCH OF BULL: The stunts are "primal and we're tapping into that." Opposite: Sascha Stanton-Craven, left, Matt Probst and Matt Kosinski. P H OT O : PA R A M O U N T