As a seasoned cinephile with over three decades of movie-watching under my belt, I must say that the behind-the-scenes tales from “Wicked” have been nothing short of fascinating. Director Jon M. Chu‘s anecdotes about Elphaba’s iconic black hat and the challenges it presented are a testament to the intricate dance between art and technicality that filmmaking often entails.
While “Wicked” is causing quite a stir in theaters during the holiday season, if you ask director Jon M. Chu about the film, he’d probably share that Elphaba’s signature black hat was quite challenging to film. Featuring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, “Wicked” has become the highest-grossing Broadway musical adaptation in North America, surpassing $366 million in earnings, breaking the record previously held by “Grease.” If its momentum continues, it could potentially dethrone 2012’s “Les Misérables,” which grossed $442 million globally, from the top spot at the worldwide box office.
During a recent appearance on the ReelBlend podcast, Chu spoke about the iconic black hat made famous in The Wizard of Oz, which Wicked expanded upon by giving it a backstory. It’s revealed that Glinda (Grande) was the one to give it to Elphaba (Erivo), noting that it’s not something a Good Witch would be caught dead wearing. No wonder many consider Glinda the real villain, right? “Oh, this is too ugly for me, but you can have it!” Then everyone laughs at her for wearing it! Who does that? Sorry, we have strong opinions on the matter.
Despite the black hat’s towering and sharp design causing him trouble in finding the right angle for shots without looking awkward, Chu noted. Fortunately, his stars had identical heights, offering some ease, but even then, who would have thought a simple hat could be so challenging? In simpler terms, he referred to it as a “tricky hat” on the podcast.
In order to create a hat that embodied its classic shape without being the focal point itself, Paul (Tazewell) had to design it. We collaborated extensively with cinematographer Alice (Brooks) because when working with tall hats, the framing became challenging: “Wow, what do I account for now? Everything seems to be this vast empty space. Can we crop the hat? Can we crop the hat in this shot? I’m not sure! Let’s provide some breathing room.” Fortunately, Cynthia and Ariana have the same height, which at least provided a starting point for our design.
Elphaba’s Black Hat Wasn’t the Only ‘Wicked’ Obstacle for Chu
During the filming process, another tricky scene presented itself aside from the black hat issue: the Ozdust Ballroom sequence. This is where Elphaba, wearing a hat in public, becomes the target of ridicule and dances awkwardly alone while everyone around her points and laughs. Chu mentioned that they had to capture this scene in one take because Elphaba couldn’t break it down into parts; it was too emotionally taxing for her to perform piecemeal.
As a passionate film enthusiast, I opted for lengthy, uninterrupted takes, lasting about 15 minutes each, to capture these remarkable performances. We moved in close-ups, medium shots, wide angles, and trailed her every step. Consequently, we had over 700 lighting adjustments that switched as we circled around her. In essence, we performed a complete 360-degree rotation here. Alice and the team were tirelessly working to fine-tune each camera movement, while also ensuring the brim’s size was just right and her eyes remained visible throughout. Despite its simplicity, this setup required intricate technical maneuvers behind the scenes.
Without a doubt, it’s clear that a great deal of time and energy were invested in creating Wicked, resulting in truly magnificent outcomes. Frankly, we’re already eagerly anticipating Part Two, set to premiere on November 26, 2025.
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2024-12-04 20:03