- Title: USA: AMERICAN PREMIERE OF GARY ROSS' NEW FILM "PLEASANTVILLE"
- Date: 20th September 1998
- Summary: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (SEPTEMBER 20) (RTV-LA) GARY ROSS SAYING (SOUNDBITE ENGLISH) "YOU KNOW, IT'S A VERY, OBVIOUSLY, TECHNICAL MOVIE, BUT WE TOOK SOME TIME, WE FIGURED IT OUT. WE SHOOT IN COLOUR, WE REMOVE THE COLOUR FROM THE AREAS OF THE FRAME THAT REMAIN IN BLACK AND WHITE, WE DE-SATURATE THE COLOUR PORTIONS SLIGHTLY SO THAT THEY WILL FIT ORGANICALL
- Embargoed: 5th October 1998 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK AND LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES AND FILM LOCATIONS
- Country: USA
- Reuters ID: LVA1N3BL2EQRTCO1KK3U9BN9EEHH
- Story Text: After writing Oscar-nominated screenplays for the films "Big" with Tom Hanks and "Dave" with Kevin Kline, filmmaker Gary Ross added a new title to his job resume on Monday (October 19) when he attended the American premiere of his directorial debut, "Pleasantville."
"Pleasantville" stars young actors Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon as siblings from a typical, broken 90's family who suddenly find themselves trapped inside a vintage 1950's-style television series called "Pleasantville."
In this alternate reality, the temperature is always set at a perfect 72 degrees (farenheit) basketball shots always hit their mark, the bathrooms have no toilets and sex just doesn't exist.Of course, on the downside, there is absolutely no such thing as real humanity or individuality.
At first, the new teenagers take their rightful place in the family of George and Betty Parker, played by recent Oscar nominees William H.Macy and Joan Allen.But soon, their presence and the thoroughly modern sensibilities they bring with them starts to affect the whole town.This sense of possibility and of new life spreads like wildfire throughout the town.
As it does, the town goes through an astonishing transformation, slowly turning from black-and-white to brilliant Technicolor.First, it is a red rose, a blade of green grass, a shiny new car.Confused at first, the residents of Pleasantville are downright shocked and angered when faces start turning flesh tones for the first time.
The film also stars Jeff Daniels as the simple soda jerk Mr.Johnson who is most affected by the colourful revolution and the late J.T.Walsh as the town's leader Big Bob, who is most resistant to the changes sweeping Pleasantville.
Television veteran Don Knotts has a cameo role as a mysterious television repairman who zaps the kids into TV land.
Besides Ross, who wrote and directed the film, the behind the scenes team includes producer Steven Soderbergh, who's best known for his directorial efforts "Sex, Lies and Videotape" and, most recently "Out Of Sight," with George Clooney.
But the real stars of the film are the computer technicians and special effects artists who designed and created the mixed black and white and color effects throughout the film.
Not since "The Wizard of Oz" has colour been used to define two different worlds and to express emotional shifts inside the story's characters.
To achieve these effects, the crew shot the entire movie with colour film and then, frame by frame, altered every image to either leave it in its original colour, or render it black and white, according to the script.The team used more than 17 hundred digital visual effects shots, making it the largest digital effects movie ever produced.
To put this in perspective, an average Hollywood film might use 40 or 50 digital shots at most, while a big special-effects blockbuster like "Independence Day" would employ 300 to 400.
In most cases, these special effects didn't affect the actors.But two scenes required some unusual elements for Joan Allen.In one, Tobey Maguire's character puts makeup on her face in order to cover up the fact that she has turned flesh tones, and in the other, Jeff Daniel's character removes the makeup to reveal her flesh tone face once again.
In both scenes, Allen had to wear bright green makeup over her face to give the computer directions as to where her face should appear in black and white, and where it should stay in colour.As a result, Allen found herself conducting a touching and emotional love scene opposite Jeff Daniels while wearing what she calls, "Martian-green makeup."
Joan Allen received her two Oscar nominations for her work in Oliver Stone's "Nixon" and "The Crucible," while William H.
Macy's came for playing the befuddled car salesman in the Coen Brothers' "Fargo." Tobey Maguire gained fame in the past year with roles in the Ang Lee's acclaimed "The Ice Storm" and Woody Allen's "Deconstructing Harry." Reese Witherspoon recently starred with Paul Newman and Susan Sarandon in "Twilight" and also played opposite Mark Wahlberg in the thriller "Fear."
Perhaps the most veteran film actor in the cast, Jeff Daniels' credits include Woody Allen's "The Purple Rose of Cairo," the Jim Carrey comedy "Dumb and Dumber" and the Oscar-winning "Terms of Endearment."
"Pleasantville" opens in theatres throughout the United States on Friday, October 23. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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