Cirque du Soleil: Journey of Man The Movie in Douglasville, GA

• Info
• Cast & Crew

• Genre: Fantasy
  
  Synopsis:
  Lavishly costumed performers interpret the six stages of man's life, from birth through old age. Narrated by Ian McKellen.
  
  Release Date: 05/05/2000
  Running Time: 39
  
  Rating: G - General Audiences
  
  http://www.cirquedusoleiljourney.com/
  
• Cast:
  Young Man: Nicky Dewhurst,Old Man: Brian Dewhurst,Vagabond Girl: Anait Karagyezyan,Cube Act: Mikhail Matorin,Youth: Chris Van Wagenen,Man: Kenny Raskin,Infant/Child: Cully Smoller,Statue Act: Yves Decoste,Statue Act: Marie-Laure Mesnage,Floune: Josette Dechene,Floune: Paul Vachon
  
  Crew:
  Director: Keith Melton,Writer: Steve Roberts,Writer: Peter Wagg,Co-Producer: Antoine Compin,Co-Producer: Charis Horton,Producer: André Picard,Producer: Peter Wagg,Original Music: Benoît Jutras,Cinematographer: Reed Smoot,Film Editor: Harry Miller B.
  
  Production Companies:
  Cirque du Soleil,Motion International Production
  
  Distributors:
  Imagica,Sony Pictures Classics
  
  Notes:
  Production Notes -Notes provided by Sony Pictures Classics- Synopsis Cirque du Soleil journey of Man is a celebration of the human spirit that combines the unique artistry and music of Cirque du Soleil with the power of large format film. Filmed on location at various natural and historical landmarks around the world, Cirque du Soleil Journey of Man follows the stages of human development from birth to maturity, with each stage introduced by a Cirque du Soleil act. The magical odyssey begins with a resounding "Big Bang" as an explosion of light and sound sends shock waves rippling throughout the universe. As the cosmic dust clears, the Taiko Drummers appear as prehistoric cave dwellers. Within a womb-like cave, an embryonic child appears and the pulsating tribal rhythms of the Taiko Drummers signal the initial heartbeats of life. Graceful Synchronized Swimmers interpret the miracle of birth in a breathtaking underwater performance. As water is a necessary element for all living things, the bubbling deep blue water serves as a harbor to bring forth life. The young life begins in a place filled with incredible sights and sounds; childhood is seen as a fantastic fantasy world where everything is larger than life. It is here where the Universal Child meets his instincts, the Flounes, who take him by the hand and guide him on his way. These two clowns introduce Child to his emotions. The male Floune is the risk-taker, always sure of himself. For him, everything is possible. Willing to try anything, he is full of wild energy. The female Floune is bright but cautious. She is balanced and respects both sides of every choice. They are each other's counterpart. In the company of his instinctual guides, the Flounes, Child experiences wonder, fear and courage. Unexpectedly, the Bungees-extraordinary yellow bird-like creatures dive from the treetops. At first, Child runs and hides, fearing the unfamiliar enormous bird that appears before him. His courage building, Child moves closer, startled yet amazed at the free-flying creatures. In awe of their graceful acrobatic movements, Child stretches out his arms, anxious to experience the wild freedom of their aerial ballet. The Bungees fantastic performance is only a hint of what is to come for Child. Just as childhood can pass quickly, the Bungees suddenly grab hold and hurl the Universal Child into adolescence, in a dramatic rite of passage. Unlike the confined world of childhood, the adolescent Youth's newfound surroundings are wide open. His choices for the direction he decides to take on the next stage of his journey are limitless. However, Youth is drawn down the path to manhood by the Cube Man. The Cube Man's skillful command of gyrating a giant metallic cube exhibits great strength, and inspires Youth to become more strong and daring. His new found sense of confidence gives him the courage to race along to the next stage in his life. As Youth begins the journey to manhood, he discovers the bond between a man and a woman. In a 17th century-style garden, two statues seemingly come to life. Exercising great stamina, the Statue Act performers join together in a harmonious balancing act that illustrates the reciprocity of love between a man and a woman. Ultimately, greed proves a more powerful force than love when Man finds himself tempted with an offer of wealth by the demon-like Stiltman.. Man believes that wealth will give him the ability to possess anything he so desires. With this power, he can acquire love, like any other possession. Man eventually realizes that despite his wealth and power there is something missing from his life. Enter the Banquine. These performers put on a rousing display of phenomenal acrobatic feats. Their spectacular performance reveals the child within every adult and Man recaptures the joy of his youth. They help him remember the important things of life and he realizes that wealth does not matter as much to him. The final stop on Man's journey, the Brandenberg Gate in Berlin, Germany, signifies the hope for the future of mankind. In hindsight, Mature Man has realized that Dreams, Faith and Love, are the necessary keys to life to become a complete human being. These three keys can open doors to endless possibilities. Signaling the dawn of a new beginning, Mature Man hands over the knowledge of his generation to the next. In his wisdom, Mature Man advises that although this adventure may have been his own unique journey, it is truly the destination of all mankind. Cirque du Soleil Act Information Act/Character Show and Current Location Taiko Drummers Mystere Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.A. Universal Child Saltimbanco Asia-Pacific Tour Synchronized Swimmers "O" Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.A. Flounes Nouvelle Experience (1990-1991) Palmiers Mystere Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.A. Giant Stork Mystere Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.A. Double Face Mystere Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.A. Bungees Mystere Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.A. Saltimbanco Asia-Pacific Tour Cube Man Mystere Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.A. Statue Act Quidam European Tour Stiltman Mystere Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.A. Banquine Quidam European Tour The Film Journey Stage One (The Beginnings of Life and Birth) Man's journey originates by unraveling and understanding the mystery of life itself. Beginning with the resounding boom of a massive bass drum, the "Big Bang" sends pulsating light throughout the universe. Within the womb of a cave, pulsating rhythms from the drums of the Taiko Drummers echo the initial heartbeats of life and the embryonic Universal Child appears. The primitive appearance of the Taiko Drummers symbolizes not only the early stages of life but also the early stages of humankind. A Cirque du Soleil drummer went to Japan to gain first-hand knowledge of the history and methods of Taiko, and then taught the Cirque du Soleil performers. First used in Saltimbanco in 1992, the Taiko drums were all made in Japan. It is fitting that Taiko is an ancient style of drum playing. Originating from Japan, the art form combines music, dance and athleticism. Dating back to the 8`" century, the traditional court music of Japan consisted of an orchestra of woodwinds, string and percussion instruments. Consisting of a gong, a two-headed drum (Kakko), and a large hanging drum (Taiko), the percussion instruments were used to sound off each phrase of music. The embryonic child marvels at his surroundings and the bold sights and sounds of the Taiko Drummers. The tribal drums beat louder and louder, to announce that the Child is ready to begin his journey. As the drums reach a crescendo, the child plunges through a brilliant portal of light and into the welcoming currents of a deep blue world. Just as all living creatures evolved from the seas, the infant prepares for his journey within the very essence of life, water. It is only appropriate that infant's underwater experience is assisted by artists from "O", the first Cirque du Soleil venture into aquatic theater. "O" is phonetic for "eau", the French word for water. Symbolizing the wonder of birth, several Synchronized Swimmers perform an awe-inspiring aquatic ballet. Moving together as a single entity, the swimmers make impressive underwater acrobatic formations. These extraordinarily artistic configurations move fluidly until the embryonic child is born. Just as man emerged from the oceans, the infant emerges from the waters. Journey Stage Two (Childhood) Upon birth, the journey has begun. The infant is propelled from the effervescent waters of the womb into the dense foliage of a redwood forest. This marvelous new world, childhood, is filled with brilliant light, bold color, and incredible sounds. From Child's pint-size point of view, everything and everyone is bigger than life itself in childhood. Child meets the Flounes who will help guide him on his journey. The Flounes see every newborn as a new adventure. Part clown and part Shaman, they will serve as his instincts throughout his life. The male Floune is full of wild energy. Extremely sure of himself, he is a risk-taker, willing to try anything. On the other hand, the female Floune is bright but cautious. Completely balanced, she understands both sides of every choice. With only his instincts to guide Child on this great adventure called life, his future is full of promise and endless possibilities. The Flounes fuss over Child, determining how and where to begin his journey. The female Floune has trouble making up her mind. Ultimately, she decides to give him a teddy bear. Pretending disapproval, the male Floune wanting a little adventure for Child, heads deeper into the enchanted forest. The female Floune tries to hold Child back but he courageously follows his instinct, the more adventurous Floune. In the forest, Child meets several fantastic and uniquely costumed characters that represent a child's interpretation of the world, a combination of imagination and reality. Whether real or imagined, from Child's point of view the world is literally filled with larger than life characters such as playful Palmiers, a half-human Giant Stork, and a creeping Double Face. Child's encounters with these colorful characters cause him to react with several new sensations such as the emotions of Joy, Fear, Courage, and Wonder. Child is amused by the Palmiers yet is startled by a flying creature that lunges toward him from high above. Frightened of the unknown creature, Child hides and discovers that joy has a friend called fear. However, with the Flounes by his side, Child's natural inquisitiveness gives him courage to move forward. In wonderment, Child watches the Bungees, extraordinary yellow bird-like creatures, perform a graceful aerial ballet in an earthy, lush green arena. A Cirque du Soleil fan-favorite, the Bungees act is a combination of strength and beauty. Cirque du Soleil first turned the popular stunt of Bungee into an art form .in the production, Saltimbanco created in 1992. The Bungee performers rely on great upper-body strength and pinpoint precision to synchronize this "ballet without gravity." The Bungees suddenly dive from the treetops, inches from Child's face. At first, Child runs and hides, fearing the unknown. His courage building, Child moves closer to these four enormous birds that soar and dive from the treetops with such poise and ease. He is startled yet amazed at these free flying creatures. In awe of their graceful acrobatic movements, Child stretches out his arms, anxious to experience the wild freedom of their aerial ballet. The Bungees fantastic performance is only a hint of what is to come for Child. Unaware of the consequences, Child becomes anxious to play along with the Bungees. In the innocence of his childhood, Child appreciates only the pure joy and freedom of the Bungees in flight. With his arms outstretched, Child looks toward the sky as the Bungees grab hold of his hand to satisfy his desire to take part in the frivolity. In a climactic rite of passage, the Bungees whisk Child up into the air and unbeknownst to him, away from his childhood. Journey Stage Three (Youth) Having left the protective environment of the forest and the watchful eyes of the Flounes behind him, Youth finds himself in uncharted territory and he discovers the adventure of youth. The newfound freedom of adolescence offers many opportunities to explore for Youth, as his new surroundings are open and full of choices. Youth is drawn to all things wild and exciting. In the distance, he sees a powerful man high on a canyon wall spinning a giant metallic cube around his body. Drawn to the power of his idol, Youth aspires to be as strong and brave as the man he sees and runs toward his goal. Exhibiting incredible dexterity, Cube Man effortlessly performs dazzling maneuvers with the cube. Twisting and turning, the beautifully illuminated cube rapidly revolves around and above the man. Youth watches in awe, trying to understand who is in control. Is the cube manipulating the man or is the man manipulating the cube? Cube Man's performance is like a puzzle that Youth must solve. However, there is so much more hidden knowledge, life's secrets and mysteries that Youth has not learned yet. Hovering in mid-air, Cube Man conquers the challenge of the cube as the cube bursts unexpectedly into flames. Having mastered the cube, he escapes into the night. Through the dark desert sky, Cube Man sails away with a fiery red cape, the knowledge he gained through his brilliant mastery of the cube. Youth is now ready to go wherever his mind and body take him. Having conquered his own fears, Youth feels as strong and daring as the man he looked up to. Fueled by his own hopes and dreams, Youth soars above the canyon to race along to his next great adventure. Journey Stage Four (Adulthood) His next stage begins beside a reflecting pond within a beautiful lush garden. He is captivated by two statues, one male one female. These two statues seemingly come alive and become intertwined with each other. The Statue Act artists gracefully move as one, supporting each other with great stamina. Balancing together on a single lily pad, the performers move together in a marriage of complete harmony and strength. With unfaltering concentration and breathtaking choreography, they push their bodies to the limits of human endurance. Developed through many years of intense training, the Statue Act demands impeccable precision and alignment as well as strength. The delicate lily pad serves as a visual metaphor for the weight that marriage can sustain. With complete harmony and strength, the man and woman are able to support each other in the most precarious of situations. Without these things, the union will break and drown. Stepping out onto the lily pond, Youth is overcome by a strange and powerful sensation and he realizes that this balancing act between man and woman signifies love. With this knowledge, Youth has now become a full-grown Man. Having found the meaning of love, he seeks to possess it. Thinking he will obtain love with money, Man is soon seduced by another powerful force, greed. A devilish creature, the Stiltman, walks across the waters of the pond as the skies darken. Meanwhile, a strong wind blows, causing Man to lose the black bowler hat that he has had since he was a boy. Although he has lost a piece of his childhood, the demon offers Man a new hat. This one is bright and shiny with the color of gold! The beauty of the statues also becomes lost in the darkness. Acquiring the gold bowler gives Man the wealth and powers to possess anything he so desires. Believing that money can buy all the love he needs, Man encompasses himself in luxury. Journey Stage Five (Mature Adult) As a mature adult, Man has forsaken wonderment for wealth. Surrounded by luxurious gold and marble, Man's journey has been a successful one. With his childhood years far behind him, man has lost touch with his innocence and himself. No longer looking at the world with a wide-eyed point-of-view, Man has a narrow and closed-minded outlook on life. He assesses the value of his life by a golden book filled with figures, calculations, and money. A young vagabond girl appears and holds out her hand offering the old black bowler hat. Annoyed, Man shrugs her away. Little did he know that she was attempting to offer him a reminder of his youth. In a bolder gesture, several vagabond men and women enter to make another attempt to revive the spirit of childhood to the old man. Against a rich background of gold and marble, the shabbily dressed Banquine put on a show of fantastic acrobatic feats. Despite their apparent lack of material wealth, the Banquine have something much more valuable to offer Man. Each of the artists offers an escape route, pointing the way to freedom that lies within us. It is their energetic performance that successfully rekindles a spirit within Man that had been lost since childhood. For the Banquine, the stage is their playground. Beginning their performance with a flourish, they are eccentric, eclectic and electric. They light up the world with their infectious energy and they celebrate life with their every movement. They are catapulted up to almost 40 feet in the air where they perform complex aerial acrobatics before landing on their feet, on the shoulders of others or high atop human pyramids. Lost in the fury of the Banquine, the vagabond girl enjoys the performance. Man is embarrassed and ashamed at what he has become. Feeling empty and sad, he reassesses his life and realizes that he has gained the world but lost himself. Having achieved his goals, life has been quite an accomplishment for Man. However, the acrobats dazzled Man in ways that money and power could not. Even as we succumb to excess, the innocence demonstrated by the vagabond girl could reconstitute beauty. Feeling young again himself, Man tosses his gold hat aside, shattering the book of gold and the significance of wealth in the process. Mature Man is now eager to regain his familiar old black hat and the memories of his childhood. The spirit of his youth fully restored, Mature Man's childhood friends, the Flounes, reappear to guide him to his next destination. Although it appears as though the Flounes have just rejoined him, they never left his side. His instincts where with him all along, throughout his entire lifelong journey. Journey Stage Six (Maturity) By the time Man has realized the keys to life, he has become a Mature Man. With his conscience awakened by a child, Mature Man sees the child within every man and woman around him; the adults magically revert back to children. Reflecting upon his past, Mature Man remembers that as a child he was full of dreams, full of faith and full of love. With an understanding of his life, he realizes that his journey is complete. Filmed on location at the historic Brandenberg Gate in Germany, it is here where one journey ends and another begins, not only for Mature Man, but also for the city of Berlin. Located within the center of Berlin, the Brandenberg Gate was built between 1788 and 1791. Historically, the gateway was the site of many celebrations and conflicts. However, after the construction of the Berlin Wall, in 1961 the gate was sealed off in area between East and West Berlin. Access to the Brandenberg Gate was terminated until November 1989. Following the collapse of the communist regime, the Berlin Wall was torn down and the heart of the city was restored. Just as the collapse of the Berlin Wall signaled a new beginning for Berlin, the youth of society represent a new beginning for the human race. So it is with the next generation in tow that Mature Man walks with confidence towards the gates to begin his final destiny. He passes on the knowledge to these children that everyone is born with three essential keys to life: dreams, faith, and love. In his wisdom, he has learned the secret of these keys is that dreams make the impossible possible, faith tells you to believe in youth, and love is the instinct to respect one another. The wise Mature Man advises the youths that by using these three keys to life, one can open doors to endless possibilities. Where these doors lead is everyone's individual journey but collectively, it is the destination of humankind. About the Production The producers of Cirque du Soleil Journey of Man saw the film as a unique opportunity to take the Cirque du Soleil performers out from under the "big top" or permanent theater and place them in a bold cinematic experience. Cirque du Soleil Journey of Man was filmed over a four month period using an IMAX® Solido (rhymes with Toledo) twin camera. An Iwerks 8-perf / 70mm 3D rig was also used for certain scenes to create a specific effect. Expanding beyond the "big top," the Cirque du Soleil artists were filmed on location. These locations served as dramatic backdrops against which the artists would perform. Shot at various natural and historical landmarks around the world, each location was chosen carefully to meet the requirements of the story, the producers, the performers, and Cirque du Soleil. Filming Cirque du Soleil Journey of Man around the world was a logistical challenge mainly due to the incredible schedules of the performers. Unlike a typical feature film in which the actors' sole job is to act, the Cirque du Soleil artists had to play dual roles. Working seven days a week, they performed on stage throughout the week and then acted in the film on their days off. Since the artists were on tour in a variety of shows, in different countries on different continents, the entire production of the film had to be coordinated in conjunction with the location and availability of the artists. Filming Journey Stage One (The Beginnings of Life and Birth) The opening sequence of Cirque du Soleil Journey of Man featuring the ancient Japanese art form of Taiko, is actually the only scene shot on a set. Constructed out of sculpted Styrofoam, the Taiko Drummers' cave was not shot inside a remote mountain range but inside a warehouse in Las Vegas.. According to Co-Producers, Antoine Compin and Charis Horton, the 30 by 40foot cave was made in different sections and the various pieces were placed on a raised stage with eight turntables underneath to maneuver the set. "We shot on a set because we could not move the Taiko drums out into the elements, they are fragile and tuned very finely," says Horton. The Taiko Drummers play at Mystere in Las Vegas. The filmmakers had only two days to rehearse and shoot the scenes since the performers and equipment were only available on two days of the week. "Since we could only film the Taiko performers the two days out of the week that there are no shows scheduled, we could not take time out to move the performers and equipment to a remote shoot. So instead, we shot the scenes in a warehouse in Las Vegas and we put the drums on a flatbed trailer and moved them to the warehouse at night," says Compin. However, throughout most of the film, the performers were faced with the challenge of performing their acts out of the protective setting of the big top or fixed theater and in the unpredictable environment of the great outdoors. The filmmakers shot in just about every type of location imaginable, from underwater, in the desert, to being suspended in mid-air. It was necessary to find a body of water that was 85 degrees for the Synchronized Swimmers to perform. "For the underwater scenes, we originally tried to find tanks so that we could have more controlled shooting conditions, but there are a limited number of tanks in the world and we could not find one large enough to suit our purposes. So we realized that we had to shoot outside and there are only a few places in the world where the water temperature was suitable to shoot in December, " remarks Producer Peter Wagg. Although they shot in the Bahamas, it was still not an easy task in December. "We had to create new temperatures for the swimmers because the highest temperature we could get at that time of year was 65 degrees. To keep them warm, we had to create special suits and put weights within all the costumes because of the buoyancy factor of the saltwater," adds Wagg. Before the shoot began, the swimmers rehearsed at the underwater stage at "O" at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. Never having swam in open water, the swimmers were brought in to the Bahamas early to get acclimated to swimming in the ocean where they were filmed in 30 feet of water. During the shoot, the underwater crew consisted of director Keith Melton, three camera operators, three to four gaffers and grips, seven underwater swimmers, and two to three support divers. The support divers were there to assist the swimmers, two of the support divers held large air tanks that had four umbilical regulators attached to it. There was also a support crew in boat on water that contained a generator and another that held a bank of state-of-the-art underwater lights. The underwater team developed a system of hand signals to communicate with each other. From behind the camera, Melton used a horn to alert the crew and the performers as to when filming was to begin. The IMAX® Solido camera was encased inside a huge metal bubble, suspended by a crane and then dropped from a boat into the water. A series of weights attached to the camera enables the camera to maintain a balance while it floats in the water guided by the operator and his assistant. Shooting underwater was very time-consuming. Since each film load contains only enough film to shoot for three minutes, the crew had to repeat the process of lowering the camera into the water and placing it into position, shooting the scene, taking the camera back to the crane, raise it out of the water, lift it onto the boat, remove the film, clean the camera, reload more film, close and seal the camera, drop it back into the water, and move it back into position to shoot the rest of the scene. While the film was being reloaded, the underwater crew took advantage of this time to get out of the water and warm up. Turnaround time between each shot was approximately one hour! Filming Journey Stage Two (Childhood) For the Bungee scenes, we move out of the water and into the air, suspended from the giant redwoods of Big Basin State Park, in Boulder Creek, California. "In the live show, the Bungees perform in a controlled environment on a set under a big top or theater. By taking them outdoors, we were able to take advantage of the beautiful greens and earth tones of the redwoods and contrast those colors with the bright yellows of the costumes. In the theater, the spectator does not have the opportunity to see up close the fabulous detail that goes into all the costumes," says Wagg. The Bungee scenes were the first ones shot for the film outdoors. Having good weather was extremely crucial to get the location work off to a timely start. The shoot had to coincide with the availability of the performers; they had only five days to shoot the film before beginning the Asia-Pacific Tour of the show Saltimbanco. Besides a concern for the weather, the filmmakers had to make sure that there was sufficient light for the forest shoot. Within the dense redwoods there was very little sunlight and a 3D film requires a lot of light to increase the depth of field. The filmmakers therefore had to bring in a large lighting package that was two to three times the size used for a typical feature film. "We had so many trucks, electrical generators, and cranes, along with miles of cable running along the road that cut into the forest to our shooting location, we nicknamed the passageway 'Iron Alley,'" says Wagg. With so much equipment in the confined space of the forest, the filmmakers had to exercise caution to make sure that none of it appeared in the film. "There is a rectangular rig suspended from the trees that holds a circular sky pan for lighting. We turned it off when we filmed upwards, but it was still visible. We digitally eliminated the sky pan in that scene so that when the audience looks up through the trees they will only see the sky," says Melton. The filmmakers used the redwoods to create a gigantization of the world from a child's-eye point of view and utilized the Iwerks 8/70 rig to enhance this effect in 3D. The Iwerks 8-perforation/70mm camera allowed the filmmakers to vary the interoccular setting. Interoccular is the perspective created by the distance between two lenses. Adjusting the interoccular distance between two lenses can cause an image to appear in miniature or enormous. The average distance between a human's eyes is about 2 1/2" apart. The twin 3D-camera lenses are therefore set at about the same distance to create 3D images in a normal perspective. To illustrate the effect of changing the interoccular distance, director Keith Melton says "imagine if you were a giant, your eyes would be further apart and the world would appear smaller to you, if you were a mouse your eyes would be closer together and the world would look much larger." By using this effect, Melton was able to make the redwood forest and its inhabitants, the Palmiers, Giant Stork and Double Face, appear larger than life. Filming Journey Stage Three (Youth) To film the Cube Man sequence, the production headed to Valley of Fire State Park in the Nevada desert. Shot in December and at night, the weather was a constant problem during the filming of the scene. The crew faced extreme weather conditions, from very high winds to a very low wind chill factor and even a snowstorm. Meanwhile, Mikhail, the performer, had to shoot the scene wearing very little clothing. The flame that sets the cube on fire at the climax of the Cube Man performance was enhanced in post-production to make the night scene even CIRQUE DU SOLEILTM JOURNEY OF MAN more powerful. "The scenes were shot at night because the spinning cube does not look very dramatic in full daylight against a bright blue sky. But in the dark, the scene becomes magical with the lights flickering off the metallic cube," says Wagg. "We specifically shot the Cube Man sequence in the desert because we liked the monumental bizarre shapes and the deep rich earth tones against which Mikhail, the Cube Man, flies with a red cape. It was an attempt to go with a color scheme that would complement the setting and be very theatrical by nature," adds Melton. Filming Journey Stage Four (Adulthood) The Statue Act was filmed at a Renaissance-style garden reflecting pool located at a private estate called Green Gables in San Mateo, California. "I found Green Gables in a book that I had of old gardens, so we sent the location manager up there to find the house and the people to see if they would let us shoot there," says Horton. When the filmmakers arrived at Green Gables, they drained all the water out of the pool, scrubbed it clean and then refilled it with water and black dye. The dye was added to the water to give it a more reflective and dramatic look. They built a lily pad platform in the middle and placed camera tracks under water so that the camera could easily be maneuvered around the Statue Act, while a crane was placed off to the side of the pool to use for aerial shots. The Statue Act was filmed on a delicate lily pad in a pond as a visual metaphor for the sturdiness of marriage conveying harmony, balance, strength and union. Filming Journey Stage Five (Mature Adult) Budget was not the only factor in being able to film on location; the geographical choices were dictated by the availability of the performers. Some locations proved to be more difficult to determine than others. The one filming location that became difficult to find was for the Banquine. Since the Banquine were in Washington D.C. at the time, touring with the show Quidam the production elected for a site that was on or near the East Coast. "Our location scout contacted all the film commissions across the United States. We were sent photographs from the Cleveland Film Commission of a concert hall in Cleveland. The marble lobby looked fantastic. It was not the Palace of Versailles look that I envisioned originally, but the moment I saw it I thought it was fantastic as well as being practical!" says Wagg. Compin and Horton note that Severance Hall, home to the Cleveland Orchestra, had the unique distinction of being one of the few opulent buildings in the United States and the world with an unobstructed forty-foot high ceiling. The producers needed to find a place with an extremely high ceiling for the Banquine to perform their four-high acrobatic formations. Several other notable locations were considered for the Banquine including the Marble House in Newport, Rhode Island. These locations ultimately proved unsuitable, particularly as chandeliers would have gotten in the way! Filming at Severance Hall presented itself with its own dilemma of coordinating the production of the film with perfor