What were the original meetings like with the castmembers?
Stephen Chbosky: I met them through the audition process — Emma was an offer. I knew she was Sam. That was easy. Logan auditioned and every other person including the adults, every other person auditioned. The only thing I was looking for, I was looking for a terrific cast. I was looking for great actors, but most importantly, what I was looking for was great people, because I knew with something this personal to me, I wanted the drama onscreen and I wanted a family atmosphere on set and I wanted these kids to have the summer of their lives, because first, it's good manners, and second, it's going to lead to a better movie and then ultimately, it did. So just feel, you know?

What were the first days like on set? When did you start to see the actors gel?
Chbosky: In the way movie schedules work now, there wasn't a lot of rehearsal period. The auditions become the rehearsal, and I just tried to create an atmosphere, maybe not so much on set because that was all about the work, but off set, where — for example, I'll never forget the first day I brought Emma, Logan and Ezra and myself together. We had a beautiful dinner over the city, then I took them for the first time to the tunnel, I took them through playing this song called "Happiness" by Riceboy Sleeps and that was our bonding experience. Ezra and Emma bonded by learning all the dance moves to Rocky Horror for the homecoming dance.