Elf - crew, film crew
The entire team, the film crew of the film "Elf"
Elf (2003)
Timing:
1:37 (97 min)
6.667/10
4501
4501
6.327/10
19743
19743
7.1/10
346000
346000
Film crew
Director
Producer
Shauna Robertson
Producer
Todd Komarnicki
Producer
Jon Berg
Producer
Executive Producer
Jimmy Miller
Executive Producer
Julie Darmody
Executive Producer
Writer
David Berenbaum
Writer
Editor
Dan Lebental
Editor
Art Direction
Kelvin Humenny
Art Direction
Charles E. McCarry
Art Direction
Costume Design
Laura Jean Shannon
Costume Design
Stunts
David Mylrea
Stunts
Production Design
Rusty Smith
Production Design
Stunt Coordinator
Scott J. Ateah
Stunt Coordinator
G. A. Aguilar
Stunt Coordinator
Second Unit Director
Mickey Gilbert
Second Unit Director
Christopher Woods
Second Unit Director
Set Decoration
Johanne Hubert
Set Decoration
Key Makeup Artist
Victoria Down
Key Makeup Artist
James Sarzotti
Key Makeup Artist
Sound Re-Recording Mixer
Jon Taylor
Sound Re-Recording Mixer
Brad Sherman
Sound Re-Recording Mixer
Original Music Composer
Unit Production Manager
Penny Gibbs
Unit Production Manager
Set Dresser
Todd Lawley
Set Dresser
Kelly Canfield
Set Dresser
Second Assistant Director
Andrew M. Robinson
Second Assistant Director
Director of Photography
Greg Gardiner
Director of Photography
Camera Operator
William Waring
Camera Operator
Carey Toner
Camera Operator
Steadicam Operator
Carey Toner
Steadicam Operator
Costume Supervisor
Nancy Duggan
Costume Supervisor
Sound Effects Editor
Anthony Milch
Sound Effects Editor
Steve Mann
Sound Effects Editor
Stephen P. Robinson
Sound Effects Editor
Assistant Art Director
Barbara Wilson
Assistant Art Director
Property Master
James Mazzola
Property Master
Bryan Korenberg
Property Master
Visual Effects Supervisor
Lauren Ritchie
Visual Effects Supervisor
Joe Bauer
Visual Effects Supervisor
Bill Westenhofer
Visual Effects Supervisor
Supervising Sound Editor
John Leveque
Supervising Sound Editor
Script Supervisor
Jessica Clothier
Script Supervisor
Supervising ADR Editor
Kimberly Lowe Voigt
Supervising ADR Editor
Special Effects Coordinator
Tony Lazarowich
Special Effects Coordinator
Still Photographer
Alan Markfield
Still Photographer
Digital Effects Supervisor
Mark Rodahl
Digital Effects Supervisor
Animation Supervisor
Stephen Chiodo
Animation Supervisor
Erik De Boer
Animation Supervisor
Sound Mixer
Visual Effects Producer
Joseph B. Conmy IV
Visual Effects Producer
Dan Foster
Visual Effects Producer
First Assistant Director
Jim Brebner
First Assistant Director
Animation
Musa Brooker
Animation
Jeremy Oddo
Animation
Justin Mitchell
Animation
Teresa Drilling
Animation
Brian Dowrick
Animation
Hunter Athey
Animation
Steve Baker
Animation
Rob Meyers
Animation
Boom Operator
Kelly Zombor
Boom Operator
Screenplay
David Berenbaum
Screenplay
Set Designer
Geoff Wallace
Set Designer
Jay Mitchell
Set Designer
Allan Galajda
Set Designer
Amrit Laura Gunhouse
Set Designer
Sound Designer
Wade Wilson
Sound Designer
Art Department Coordinator
Victoria Balharry
Art Department Coordinator
Dialogue Editor
Kimberly Lowe Voigt
Dialogue Editor
Compositing Supervisor
Craig Seitz
Compositing Supervisor
Key Hair Stylist
Angel De Angelis
Key Hair Stylist
Sherry Linder-Gygli
Key Hair Stylist
Assistant Set Decoration
Jennifer Silvertand
Assistant Set Decoration
Special Effects Makeup Artist
Gitte Axen
Special Effects Makeup Artist
Rebeccah Delchambre
Special Effects Makeup Artist
Music Editor
Tanya Noel Hill
Music Editor
First Assistant Camera
David E. Baron
First Assistant Camera
Doug Lavender
First Assistant Camera
Patrick Stepien
First Assistant Camera
Post Production Supervisor
Jay Vinitsky
Post Production Supervisor
Casting Director
Susie Farris
Casting Director
Visual Effects
Douglas Bloom
Visual Effects
Antoine Durr
Visual Effects
Arthur Jeppe
Visual Effects
Production Office Assistant
Troy W. Carrington
Production Office Assistant
Modeling
Giovanni Dulay
Modeling
Lighting Artist
John Paszkiewicz
Lighting Artist
Color Timer
Michael Hatzer
Color Timer
Compositors
Brian Fisher
Compositors
Greg Groenekamp
Compositors
Joe Salazar
Compositors
First Assistant Hairstylist
Ian C. Ballard
First Assistant Hairstylist
Donna Bis
First Assistant Hairstylist
Vocal Coach
Dal McKennon
Vocal Coach
What's left behind the scenes
- While Will Ferrell (playing Buddy) was walking through the Lincoln Tunnel (connecting Manhattan and New Jersey) in an elf costume, several traffic accidents occurred, as drivers instinctively stared at him and were distracted from the road.
- Director Jon Favreau used remote control to show the reaction of the toys to the sight of Will Ferrell.
- On the last day of filming in New York, director Jon Favreau, Will Ferrell, and cinematographer Greg Gardiner drove around the city, choosing locations. They got out of the car and asked passersby if they would agree to appear in a small cameo role on screen, and sometimes Ferrell himself would go out in Buddy's costume. Many of Buddy's first appearance scenes in New York were filmed then (such as the scene where his shoes are being shined, or the scene where he runs across the street, maneuvering between cars).
- During filming, Will Ferrell suffered from headaches and insomnia because he had to eat a lot of sweets on camera.
- Many of the sets had to be built in two sizes – larger (for the actors playing elves) and smaller (for actors of normal height). In the scene where Edward Asner, playing Santa, addresses the elves, he stands on a platform among the reduced sets. The elves stand on another platform located behind him.
- The management of “New Line Cinema” insisted that Katie Holmes be cast as Jovie, but she turned down the offer. As a result, Zooey Deschanel was chosen because she can sing. According to John Favreau, music was added to the film precisely after he learned about the actress’s singing ability.
- Zooey Deschanel dyed her hair blonde for a project that never materialized, and around that time auditioned for the role of an elf. Studio executives told her not to re-dye it, because she was cast in the role thanks to auditions where she was already blonde.
- A significant portion of the scenes with Will Ferrell, Bob Newhart, and Edward Asner were filmed using forced perspective (a technique that uses optical illusion to make an object appear farther, closer, larger, or smaller than it actually is) to recreate the special spirit and atmosphere of classic Christmas films. (The same technique was used in the work on Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy.) In the scene where Ferrell and Newhart ride a bicycle, Ferrell rode in the foreground, while Newhart stood on a platform some distance away to appear smaller than he actually is. His hands on Ferrell’s shoulders were actually the hands of a young actor standing behind Ferrell off-camera. The scene where Ferrell’s character sits on the lap of Newhart’s character was filmed in a similar manner.
- The script was written in 1993, and for about a year it was considered by an independent company called “Motion Picture Corporation of America.” They planned to cast Chris Farley as Buddy. According to screenwriter David Berenbaum, with Farley in the lead role it would have been “a completely different film.” Over time, however, another film studio showed interest in the project. The script landed on the desk of Jon Berg, a producer and one of the executives at “New Line Cinema,” who convinced the company to take on the project. Later, producer Todd Komarnicki suggested Will Ferrell for the role of Buddy. Neither Berenbaum, Berg, nor Komarnicki had produced films before, and “New Line Cinema” was initially skeptical of the project, but the film’s budget was eventually approved for $30 million.
- Filming took place over three weeks in New York. Sets for some locations were built on the grounds of an abandoned mental hospital in Canadian Vancouver, the very same one where the horror film "Freddy vs. Jason" (Ronny Yu, 2003) was once filmed. Some members of the film crew later admitted they had never worked in such a nightmarish building before.
- Will Ferrell and John Favreau often argued about the overall tone of the film. Ferrell and Adam McKay (both of whom helped with the script, though their names are not listed among the other writers in the credits) insisted on making a PG-13 comedy (children under 13 are not advised to watch, as the film lacks scenes of violence and nudity, but may contain episodes involving drugs and sexual references). Favreau insisted on something lighter and more suitable for family viewing. The film gained great popularity, but the much-talked-about sequel never materialized due to Ferrell's conviction that he and Favreau didn't work well together.
- Filming with forced perspective (which was necessary) took so much time that the film began to fall behind schedule. To end this delay and stay within budget, Joe Bauer, in charge of special effects, and his team worked nights building sets for the next day’s shoot. The North Pole sets were so huge that they had to be built on the hockey rink of a stadium in Vancouver, as they wouldn't fit in a regular pavilion.
- Will Ferrell frequently annoyed James Caan by prolonging shoots and insisting on another take, and Caan’s irritation became increasingly visible and pronounced.
- John Favreau included filming at numerous locations in New York (such as the Empire State Building or the Lincoln Tunnel) in the script, even without being sure he would have time to shoot there. His subordinates, however, secured all the permits, and all outdoor filming took place in New York, which Favreau was immensely proud of. Filming was often conducted in such a way that bystanders remained completely unaware, so Will Ferrell had to maneuver between cars on the street and be close to trucks speeding through the tunnel without any safety precautions.
- The most memorable scene, in which Buddy calls Santa a fraud at Macy's, was nearly cut from the script even before filming began. Macy's management did not like the idea of their company being associated with a "fraudulent" Santa, so if the filmmakers were going to shoot in the flagship store on Manhattan, the scene had to be removed from the script. In the end, they filmed the scene in a cafeteria in an abandoned mental hospital in Vancouver.
- The scene where the store Santa chases Buddy had to be filmed in one take because recreating the set would have been very problematic.
- The fight scene between Buddy and the store Santa was filmed against a green screen, and the children were filmed separately and added to the scene using computer technology.
- The filmmakers planned to pay tribute to the main character from the 1964 Rankin/Bass Productions animated film "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and even began including references to it, believing that all copyright nuances had been successfully settled. However, it soon became clear that permission from the copyright holders had not been obtained. Then, lawyers from "New Line Cinema" suggested making Buddy’s costume, as worn by Will Ferrell, blue instead of green, but this would have required reshoots of already filmed material or recoloring the costumes using digital technology. Subsequently, it turned out that the copyright for the 1964 animated film had been registered in violation of current legislation, so all references to it were lawful.
- A significant portion of the scenes with Will Ferrell, Bob Newhart, and Edward Asner were filmed using forced perspective (a technique that uses optical illusion to make an object appear farther, closer, larger, or smaller than it actually is) to recreate the special spirit and atmosphere of classic Christmas films. (This technique was also used in the work on Peter Jackson’s "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy.) In the scene where Ferrell and Newhart are riding a bicycle, Ferrell was riding in the foreground, while Newhart stood on a platform some distance away to appear smaller than he actually is. His hands on Ferrell’s shoulders were actually the hands of a young actor standing behind Ferrell off-camera. A similar technique was used to film the scene in which Ferrell’s character is sitting on Newhart’s character’s lap.
- Jon Favreau included in the script filming at numerous locations in New York (for example, the Empire State Building or the Lincoln Tunnel), even without being sure he would have time to film there. However, his subordinates obtained all the necessary permits, and all outdoor filming took place in New York, which Favreau was immensely proud of. Filming was often conducted in such a way that bystanders remained completely unaware, so Will Ferrell had to maneuver between cars on the street and be close to trucks speeding through the tunnel without any safety precautions.
Did you like the film?
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
