Perfect Storm

Just posting paragraph about the movie. Rest of article at link

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A conversation with cinematographer John Seale
Wednesday, 14 September 2011

“I’ve got to say that the toughest ones are the most technical ones. The first big technical film was The Perfect Storm [2000],” revealed John Seale who teamed with German filmmaker Wolfgang Petersen to cinematically adapt the seafaring tale. “They gave me three months prep and I used every single second of it. Every night I had to know exactly where every piece of machinery was going to go on that tank. There were four 100 mile an hour wind machines, a 45 foot-high dump tank that couldn’t move, a yacht, two floating camera platforms and 100 people involved.” The task was made easier by the director. “Wolfgang knew exactly what he wanted and that helped me. He edited the animatics, and once he was happy he’d say, ‘That’s exactly what we’re going to do.’ That’s what I started on.” Seale, who likes to ask himself and the director “What if?” when it comes to positioning the cameras, restrained himself. “We could change the camera coverage within those parameters to get what he felt was a moment that was better than anticipated during pre-production.” The camera crew, unlike the cast, was warmly sheltered in the “monitor village,” drinking coffee and eating doughnuts. “George Clooney [Michael Clayton] would stop every morning as he went out of wardrobe and makeup,” chuckles Seale. “He’d look up and say, ‘You guys have a nice day won’t you.’ We’d say, ‘Yes, George. You too. Get on the set.’ He’d laugh, go out there and get wet and cold. They were a great bunch of guys.” The director and the cinematographer reteamed on a remake that was also set out at sea, using multiple cameras. “We had six running on Poseidon [2006]. We were doing complete scenes in one hit.” Unlike traditional close-ups which are shot three feet away from the performers, a different method was deployed. “We were doing anamorphic close-ups from across the room. What we did was compress the atmosphere that was between the camera and the actors; it could be dripping water or the water could be jump floating in the air. The close-up had so much energy.”

I can't remember if it was George or Mark (probably both) that said it was so miserable being wet all the time and moving around on those fake waves. I still thought it was a great film!

It was a great film, the acting was great, effects wonderful. I don't like watching it because of the ending. Really don't do sad endings much and to me watching George die is beyond sad. Hated ending of TA for the same reason. Didn't expect it because ending different in book.

Actually with him fading back into the darkness under water was much more intense (and beautifully done) that actually watching the crash or any other kind of "gruesome" death.

I loved a perfect storm, loved the chemistry between George and Mary *** mastro.... (the other female captain I cannot spell or remember her full name!!!!)

It was an incredible movie on all fronts. so many wonderful performances

thanks for posting that article on the technical aspects

the ends
hate me2 both


great films anyway
love them

i loooove this movie , really one of the best performances he ever did , i loved that scene when he was holding his children's picture and was staring at it , and the ending , i hate it when George dies

melbert wrote:I can't remember if it was George or Mark (probably both) that said it was so miserable being wet all the time and moving around on those fake waves.

On the DVD Mark admitted he got sick in the wheelhouse with G during one of the storms. He said he could barely got out a one line between vomiting.

I remember something...
ohmy!

I had forgotten the puking Cindi. There were times while I was watching it that I almost felt seasick!!

Just moving this to The Perfect Storm thread.

Loved this movie toooooo!!! Let's see, which George movie have I not liked/loved???

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On the Set of "The Perfect Storm"
Thu, 06/01/2000 - 00:00

Posted in June 2000 Drama Local Industry Massachusetts Reports
Gloucester resident Beth Tucker takes us
behind-the-scenes of a local mega-movie.
By Beth Tucker of InsideGloucester.com

Gloucester, Mass., was in the grips of "The Perfect Storm" for nearly six weeks during the summer of 1999. The film, shot on location in Gloucester and adapted from the book by Sebastian Junger, is due to hit theaters on June 30. Starring George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Diane Lane and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, "The Perfect Storm" is a true account of the brave Gloucester men and women who fish for a living, and specifically the story of the crew from the doomed "Andrea Gail." The ship was lost at sea in the fall of 1991 during one of the greatest storms in modern history.

In August 1999, about 1,300 people answered an open casting call for the film, turning out on a cool and rainy Saturday to wait in line for up to four hours to have a chance to be a part of "The Perfect Storm." By the end of the day, 900 were chosen for a scene to be filmed at St. Anne's Church in late September. And, for a paycheck of $85.64, this writer was one of the 900.

Setting the Scene

Director Wolfgang Peterson ("Das Boot" and "Air Force One") went to great lengths to achieve authenticity in all areas of filming. Each of the 900 extras was given several pages of typed instructions regarding wardrobe, makeup and hairstyle to ensure that we would be dressed appropriately for a memorial service that happened almost ten years ago, in 1991. We were to "think late '80s early '90s." Hairstyles should not be too contemporary, and women were to have the signature '80s shoulder pads in their clothing. Each extra was also instructed to wear a cross or bring a prayer book.

The mountain of logistics involved in moving 900 people from a holding location into the actual church for the memorial service was amazing in and of itself. Half of us were to leave our cars at Good Harbor Beach, while the other half were told to report to Stage Fort Park. From there, we were bused to the church, where each extra was seen personally by a wardrobe assistant who checked our outfits and makeup. We were sent to wardrobe or to makeup to correct any inaccuracies. Busing and "processing" took almost four hours. And that was just the beginning of a shooting day that went on for nearly 12 hours.

This day in particular was a difficult one, not only for the extras. The movie is, of course, based on a true story. The families and friends of the men who were lost at sea aboard the "Andrea Gail" still live and work in Gloucester. Although the making of "The Perfect Storm" honors the spirit of these men, it also asked a community to live through, for a second time, a terrible tragedy. .

Respecting the Community

Warner Brothers had commissioned a boat maker to outfit two fishing vessels in the exact likeness of the "Andrea Gail" and the "Hannah Boden" (the "Hannah Boden" eventually returned safely to harbor after the storm). The ships were kept under cover until the actual filming began out of respect for the community. Painful memories would undoubtedly surface for crew members' families and friends upon seeing a second "Andrea Gail" sail out of Gloucester harbor. Truth be told, seeing the unveiled "Andrea Gail" replica was like seeing a ghost.

The filming of the memorial service was itself haunting, with family members of the lost men actually seated in the church behind the stars playing them in the movie. The emotional day was at times poignant and harrowing, particularly when Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio delivered a poetic eulogy, backed by a 60-person choir singing the "Navy Hymn: Eternal Father." Peterson and Mastrantonio, who was required to cry something like 15 times in a row (first Peterson felt she wasn't crying enough; then she was crying too much), were walking a fine line, careful to respect the gathered mourners, but intent on getting the scene shot in one day. (The church wouldn't be available at any other time.)

Star Power

It was a long day of filming, with plenty of "cuts!" to rework scenes or adjust equipment. During breaks we watched professional moviemakers at work, trading stories about the stars and local sightings around town.

George Clooney stories were the most plentiful, with many firsthand accounts of "George sightings" in the downtown bars and restaurants. It seems that George was researching his role as Captain Billy Tyne and wanted firsthand knowledge of the Gloucester local scene. Ever the gracious star, one story had George paying the dinner bill for a group of women once he heard there was a birthday at the table.

During filming, George playing basketball just outside his trailer was an added bonus. He played every day around lunchtime, with crew members and even some area schoolkids. Women aged 15 to 50 turned out in droves to wait for a chance to get photos or perhaps autographs. George signed autographs whenever approached, but Mark Wahlberg really got into it. The gregarious star came to the sidelines almost every day at lunch and signed whatever was presented to him -- photos, clothing, even skin!

Behind the Scenes

Being an extra in "The Perfect Storm" was a tremendous experience, especially because of the memorial scene we were involved in. It wasn't like being an extra who has to walk a dog past a shop window. We were there all day, hearing direction being given to the featured actors and actresses and seeing the process. It's then that you realize the enormous pressure the actors were under and gave me a new found respect for the craft. We were a part of all that.

"The Perfect Storm" can be purchased at BuyIndies.com. Following the success of his book "The Perfect Storm," author Sebastian Junger established "The Perfect Storm" Foundation, to offer educational and cultural opportunities to the children of fishing families. Warner Brothers recently donated $25,000 to the foundation. To learn more about PSF, please visit the Web site at [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

It's then that you realize the enormous pressure the actors were under

A short interview on set of Perfect Storm

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"that's a hammertoe" - cracked me up!!!

The whole article can be read here

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Extract from account of the actual Storm

Deadly waves

In his book Junger wrote of the fate of one boat caught in the storm southeast of Nova Scotia: the Andrea Gail, a 72-foot steel-hulled swordfish boat.

On the evening of October 28, the Andrea Gail managed radio contact with fellow fishing boats farther from the storm. Through a scream of wind and static, the captain gave a terse report: They were doing their best to get through a storm so strong that it was ripping away equipment attached to the deck with steel bolts.

The Andrea Gail gave her position and signed off. No one reported hearing from her again. Days later, rescue and search teams found a few of the boat's fuel drums, but no trace of its six crew members.

The best guess is that the Andrea Gail went under within hours of last radio contact. It was most likely swamped by a wave. Although no one on board the Andrea Gail survived to tell what size the waves were, meteorologists say they know. Wind measurements show that waves in the area that night were towering, and terrifying.

Waves are generated by wind. The harder and longer the wind blows, and the larger the area over which it blows, the bigger the waves it will generate.

"Sixty mile-an-hour winds, over five hours, will raise seas from dead calm to about 19 feet," said Walt Drag, the National Weather Service's principal forecaster for the storm.


The Andrea Gail climbs an enormous wave in the movie version of "The Perfect Storm." Mid-ocean waves in the actual storm of 1991 were measured at up to 100 feet
In October 1991, winds of that speed blew from morning until night over hundreds of miles of ocean. "Near the last known position of the Andrea Gail, the winds were blowing 60 miles an hour for almost 24 straight hours," said Drag. "The peak wave height there was about 75 feet."

A 75-foot wave could easily have swamped the 72-foot ship, and done so in a matter of seconds. "Water is tremendously powerful," said Drag. "We know that a foot of water can lift a 1,500-pound vehicle. Two feet of water can float vehicles away.

"You stand on shore and try to stand up in 4- or 5-foot breakers, and you get a sense of how strong waves are near shore. Now you go and multiply that 15 or 20 times, and you realize you're dealing with something that is quite stupefying."

melbert wrote:"that's a hammertoe" - cracked me up!!!

Hammer toe is a deformity of the toe, in which the end of the toe is bent downward.

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Joanna, that article about the size of the waves made me shiver. The sea can be a cruel mistress.

i can't find the thread ?
i really love to finish the movie just to listen to this song , i hope you enjoy too and it's for all my friends , G and Stacy and every kind human being out there in the big ocean of life !
God bless us .
,you too Andrea Gail team !

Great movie but it didn't end well did it?

no
esatto

(as I randomly said not more than one hour ago... strange no?)

I believe there are no coincidences....

well
great minds think alike

(or Aly has long ears... as they say here)

Lol...

it's me wrote:well
great minds think alike

(or Aly has long ears... as they say here)

what is that ???

This is The Perfect Storm thread.
You can usually find previous threads by using the search facility on top right of page.


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phys major wrote:I believe there are no coincides....

Like when you feel like having pizza or hot, apple pie?

Mag you DEVILISH!!! (is it a pic of you?)

it's me wrote:Mag you DEVILISH!!! (is it a pic of you?)

I wish (It could ).

A Tribute to the
Andrea Gail

Oh, Jo. That vid is so sad. To think what these men went through in that storm...

the images can hunt a love one forever.

I will never watch this film or any film where Marky Mark appears.  Just read about something he did as a teenager that has completely changed my opinion of him.

From his wiki page under Assaults and Conviction:

At 16, Wahlberg approached a middle-aged Vietnamese man on the street and, using a large wooden stick, knocked him unconscious while yelling a racial epithet. That same day, he also attacked another Vietnamese man, gouging out one of his eyes with a meathook.

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 really!?!?!?!

Is he a friend of George? wow.ugh.

LornaDoone wrote:I will never watch this film or any film where Marky Mark appears.  Just read about something he did as a teenager that has completely changed my opinion of him.

From his wiki page under Assaults and Conviction:

At 16, Wahlberg approached a middle-aged Vietnamese man on the street and, using a large wooden stick, knocked him unconscious while yelling a racial epithet. That same day, he also attacked another Vietnamese man, gouging out one of his eyes with a meathook.

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LornaDoone, the story doesn't end there.  By his own admission, being incarcerated was a wake up call for Mark.. He got involved with a youth group, got help from the Catholic Church and turned his life around.  Has a foundation started in MA to help kids. Is a practicing catholic, takes his kids to church every Sunday.  He's done his penance, and is leading a productive life.

He looks sooooooooooo good in this interview. Serious and yummy 

Right now
On Italian tv
Iris channel

hathaross wrote:He looks sooooooooooo good in this interview. Serious and yummy 

Damn
I guess I never saw that

Fantastic
So sweeeeet !!!!

Interesting interview. I never saw it before either. Funny that he had to learn how to pilot the boat so he could dock it. I wonder if that skill ever comes in handy now.

Como

That's what I was thinking!

Thank you for this, he looks really good.

Have you noticed how he turned his voice down to mach the interviewer's tone?

Verrry good

Let's have a ride




Dunno maybe they were shooting something around them
Who cares
His voice was