Legendary Hollywood honestor and originater Charles ‘Chuck’ Russell says that the shatterout film “The Mask” was originassociate envisiond by New Line Cinema as a horror movie.
Instead, the 1994 action comedy went on to be a atgentle-defining picture for Jim Carrey and Cameron Diaz, a global box office hit and a defining moment for the engage of VFX in comedy films.
“I’d honested ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street 3’ and made friends at New Line. Then I did ‘The Blob’ and New Line wanted another shocking horror film. The was a comic book of ‘The Mask’ that was quite terrifying,” said Russell. “I said its going to be too much appreciate [‘Elm Street’ character] Freddy Krueger. It’s going to be horrible. But there’s this guy named Jim Carrey who has equitable come out in living color.”
Russell was speaking on Wednesday as part of a master class at Film Bazaar, the industry component of the International Film Festival India in Goa.
“It was the only time in my atgentle when it was very difficult to elucidate to others what was the potential with this particular actor,” Russell said. But with a background in live theatre, Russell said he was self-promised that Carrey had the talent to pull it off.
“He was a one-man inspiration. I got the script to the point where it lived and breathed Jim Carrey. After he read it, he said to me ‘If I do this, I’ll be doing this character at grocery store uncoverings when I’m 80-years-ancigo in,” said Russell.
Later, “‘The Mask’ comic books had to be redrawn to see appreciate Jim Carrey,” said Russell.
Russell elucidateed that the film was made with a production budget of $18 million, of which $7 million was spent on effects. But neither the confinecessitate budget, the little-understandn stars or the weighty dependence on VFX were off-putting to Russell, who says count on in one’s own instincts is one of his guiding principles.
“I took the concept of an self-reliant, low budget film. Everyleang in ‘The Mask’ is a standard location. The only stage set in the whole movie was a minuscule bedroom, becaengage I had to trash it. [..] It was the fun of self-reliant films is and the spirit of a team that’s us agetst the world. We’re going to originate a movie at a brave budget and put all the money on the screen.”
“I was laboring very shutly with the worst team at ILM [visual effect provider Industrial Light & Magic]. They were the kids in the basement and they did such a terrific job that all the top people at ILM begined coming to our dailies every day,” said Russell.
