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[volitive]

I read on imdb.com that it won't be released until March 2010. Bummer!!! I was supposed to be out this month!

[gkfi]

Well, it's not an article about the film itself, but rather some casual fashion piece about this Opening Ceremony Fete which Kirsten attended couple of days ago. Still, there was some information about Upside Down in it. Thought I would share it.

"I hate going to fashion shows. You have to get your hair and makeup done and, like, sometimes wear an outfit that maybe I’m not that stoked on because it’s by the designer and that’s so not my style to begin with," said Dunst, who's headed to Montreal next week to start shooting the sci-fi-indie-romance "Upside Down" with Jim Sturgess ("the most expensive independent movie I've ever made").

Source: http://www.wwd.com/lifestyle-news/eye/big-love-at-opening-ceremony-fete-2470113?justin=2470113

[gkfi]

While attended the Rodarte Party on Thursday (February 18) in New York City, Kirsten shared her upcoming schedule with JustJared.com, said she has been busy preparing for her new movie called Upside Down with co-star Jim Sturgess. “I’ve been training really hard for this dance sequence, I can’t tell you what kind of dancing just yet.”

Source: http://justjared.buzznet.com/2010/02/20/natalie-portman-kirsten-dunst-rodarte/

[gkfi]

Upside Down sightings

Kirsten Dunst is still in Montreal  filming Upside Down this week with Jim Sturgess.

But, it hasn’t been all work and no play for Kirsten. She’s been spotted out on the town twice already this week!

Over the weekend, Kirsten hit the Beach House show at La Sala Rossa. One of our tipsters told us she there with a guy (no idea if it was Jake or her co-star Jake Sturgess though) and that no one seemed to recognize her. He added that when he introduced himself, “she was quite nice!”

Then, yesterday, she was spotted filming in downtown Montreal before heading to the Bar Bily Kun last night. Another tipster told us, “She walked in with a bunch of people at around 11:30pm and went to sit in the back.”

We’re glad to hear Kirsten is making the most of her time while filming on location in Montreal!

[gkfi]

The production designer of Upside Down, Alex McDowell, was recently interviewed by denofgeek.com for his work in this film.

Can I ask how Upside Down is going, because that looks fascinating?

It's a really interesting project. It's a French/Canadian co-production, not a big budget, by any means, a very ambitious film.

It's imagining a sort of magical realism fairy tale of a love affair between a boy from one planet and a girl from another. And the two planets are adjacent so that you can literally climb from one to the other, so they retain their own gravity. All of the objects from one world remain in the gravity of that world.

So it's a metaphor for the complications of love, and then it's got a whole other politic layer of apartheid with the two worlds. One is kind of Third World, and the other is exploitive-based upscale world.

How heavily have you fused those themes into your designs?

It's very much in line with the themes that I'm interested in. It's not that far away in that socio-political sense from Fight Club or Minority Report. They're all kind of involved in that social space that I'm interested in.

This is very much a fairy tale simplistic version of that, and in a way, it's a really strong metaphor. It's very interesting.

It's been great to work on something that is independent and has a different set of challenges that come from how do you get a vision this complex onto the screen with a limited budget.

Presumably it's digital technologies that have been the liberator, that have allowed you to do that?

These kinds of films are very hard to do unless you're using a kind of non-linear, immersive design process. I've been pitched here since Minority Report, really, because it's so much closer to how our minds think, it's so much closer to creative collaboration because you have this additive workspace that starts off digital but is always giving you back real data.

In the case of Upside Down, you come out of a building in one world, and you look up and the sky is full of the planet of the other. In the most mundane environments, Montreal industrial sites where I'm standing now, you're always in this kind-of-fantastical, hybrid animated extension of CGI and reality space. And you have to conceive of that world globally and think of the entire world at all times and not necessarily be making the decision of what falls into the camera and what falls into post.

It's not really a design decision, that's a production and a practical decision. But you need to conceive of these worlds holistically, and the digital design space allows you to do that in a real way. You're really building the film space from the beginning.

So, when we're looking in some regular locations at the horizon, we know where all the virtual locations are at any time, and we can tell the actors which way to look. It's not Avatar, we're about a tenth or less of the budget, but essentially the whole design and production ethos ... your capability is similar in a way within the constraints of budgets.

It sounds like a terrific project...

I've been on it now for six or seven months, and every day we still have to turn pictures upside down and puzzle over which way is up, and where gravity is!

[Adriano]

Upside Down teaser poster with Kirsten and Jim Sturgess



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

[gkfi]

Thanks to Arnaud from the chatbox, we got some stills of Upside Down.
You can view them at:
http://intothescreen.blogspot.com/2010/12/upside-down-de-juan-solanas.html

[John.]

Just read your last message gkfi . "Upside Down" indeed. 

I'm not sure if you noticed but both pics have some 'green screen' in them too.   

[gkfi]

I was oblivious of those green screens until you pointed out actually. 

Here're some interesting bits Jim Sturgess said about Upside Down whe he was interviewed by about.com for Peter Weir's The Way Back. He sounds quite excited and passionate about the film which is always a good thing.

“It was a bizarre sort of fantasy story about gravity. Something that was just completely opposite to The Way Back but equally as creative and hopefully as beautiful."

"What I was pleased was that it plays like one of these sort of fantasy films, but it's totally original, totally uniquely, and totally written by someone [with] a creative backbone with a story to tell that touches on fairly sort of serious issues... So then I thought hopefully it will give some of those other films a run for their money and be totally original too.”

"They drew me all these amazing artwork ideas of how they want it to look, and I trusted the people around it that they were creative people that really wanted to find it. It's just got a good sort of feel. It's got a European feel to it because it's all French filmmakers and money, so there's that side to it. It's almost like Amelie meets Blade Runner. [Laughing] Don't say that!"

"There's a guy called Alex McDowell who did Watchmen, he did production design for Watchmen and for Minority Report and Fight Club, and so he was involved in building these [sets]. And in my mind I thought, 'Oh, it's going to be a real green screen affair.' I thought, 'That's cool. I've never done a green screen film before.' But they didn't do that. They built these f--king sets that were just incredible! So it was just like doing a Peter Weir film but just in a... The detail that they had of creating a different world, a new world, was pretty incredible. So I hope it does well. I really do."

When asked about  how far along is Upside Down, he said, "They're working on the visual effects of it at the moment. I think they're hoping to get it for the summer. I have no idea. I really don't know. Fingers crossed for it."

[gkfi]

Seems like Upside Down has been showcased by the company at the European Film Market at the Berlinale (February 10-20, 2011). There are talks that it was negotiated to be delivered at the end of 2011.

[John.]

Thanks for the info gkfi. I was half expecting a late autumn/early winter release so that roughly fits.

Given the unique look & special effects that this film will have I wonder if the projected release date might at least partially be aimed at getting major award nominations in the design & effects categories.

[gkfi]

It still amazes me how much money/special effects they put into this indie-esque film. They must truly believe it might have wide appeal.

[John.]

Yes it's amazing to think that the film has a budget that's double that of On The Road & about eight times the budget that Melancholia has . It must be one of the most expensive 'Indie' films ever made.

I don't for a moment doubt that this film is going to look amazing (even the scenes Kirsten isn't in    ) but it still seems a very big gamble financially.

[gkfi]

According to a French website Upside Down now has distribution in Canada, France, and Germany.  Alliance Films will distribute the film in Canada, Warner Bros.. Entertainment in France and Tele Munchen Group in Germany.

[John.]

Thanks for the info gkfi. Hopefully we'll get some details regarding when the film is likely to be released in the near future.