Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
How did we end up here?
Country
Production
Budget
$18 000 000
Box office
$103 215 094
Director
Actors
Scenario
Producer
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Arnon Milchan, James W. Skotchdopole, John Lesher, Molly Conners, Christopher Woodrow, Sarah E. Johnson
Camera operator
Composer
Antonio Sánchez
Artist
Kevin Thompson, Raphael Letertre, Soal Givord
Audition
Editing
Short description
A fading actor best known for his portrayal of a popular superhero attempts to mount a comeback by appearing in a Broadway play. As opening night approaches, his attempts to become more altruistic, rebuild his career, and reconnect with friends and family prove more difficult than expected.
What's left behind the scenes
- According to Alejandro González Iñárritu, he had lunch with director Mike Nichols in New York two weeks before filming started. Iñárritu told Nichols about his plan to shoot the film in one long take. Nichols predicted it would be a disaster because the lack of various takes to use during editing would hinder the creation of a comedy. Iñárritu said that the meeting did not deter him from his intention; on the contrary, it helped him understand the complexity of what he was about to do.
- The film's musical score by composer Antonio Sánchez, performed almost entirely on percussion instruments, was disqualified from Oscar nomination.
- The scene where Riggan walks through Times Square in his underwear was shot in four takes, beginning at 8:30 PM. Earlier was poorly lit, and later the crowd would have begun to disperse. The crew was kept minimal to avoid attracting attention. Keaton's movement was accompanied only by four people: cinematographer Lubezki, the focus puller, the boom operator, and a digital imaging technician. Eight production assistants worked on crowd control. Iñárritu was nearby; for the first two takes, he filmed Keaton on his smartphone. The footage he captured was used in the following scene, when Emma Stone watches the incident on a smartphone via YouTube. To divert attention from the camera, Iñárritu hired a group of street drummers who danced and played, attracting the attention of tourists in the square.
- The film was shot in less than a month.
- In the scene where Michael Keaton's character stands on the roof, a poster for Zack Snyder's 'Man of Steel' (2013) can be seen in the distance.
- At 00:20:16 of the film, when Riggan says “great” and smiles, Jake says “stop grinning, you’re scaring me” – this is a reference to the film “Beetlejuice” (1988), which starred Michael Keaton.
- The film's score by composer Antonio Sánchez, performed almost entirely on percussion instruments, was disqualified from Oscar consideration.
- Emma Stone filmed 'Birdman' (2014) during a break in the production of 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2' (2014), which was also filming in New York.
- At the 00:20:16 mark of the film, when Riggan says "great" and smiles, Jake says "stop grinning, you're creeping me out" — this is a reference to the movie "Beetlejuice" (1988), which starred Michael Keaton.
- Michael Keaton stated that Riggan's personality is the most dissimilar to his own compared to all his other roles.
- During an interview in Riggan's (Michael Keaton) dressing room, he states that he hasn't played Birdman since 1992. The same year saw the release of "Batman Returns" (1992) – the last Batman film in which Michael Keaton starred.
- Before filming began, Alejandro González Iñárritu sent the actors a photo of Philippe Petit walking a tightrope between the Twin Towers. He told them, “Guys, this is the movie we’re making. If we fall, we’re finished.”
- In the first scene on the roof, Mike Shiner is smoking an endless cigarette: throughout the entire scene, the ember doesn't advance even a millimeter.
- Before filming began, Alejandro González Iñárritu sent the actors a photo of Philippe Petit walking a tightrope between the Twin Towers. He told them, 'Guys, this is the movie we are making. If we fall, we're done.'
- In the scene where Michael Keaton's character stands on the roof, a poster for Zack Snyder's “Man of Steel” (2013) can be seen in the distance.
- The book Mike Shiner (Edward Norton) is reading in the tanning salon when he encounters Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) is a collection of stories, "Labyrinths," by Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges.
- The book that Mike Shiner (Edward Norton) reads in the solarium when he encounters Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) is the short story collection 'Labyrinths' by Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges.
- Due to the unusual filming style featuring long takes, Edward Norton and Michael Keaton decided to keep track of the number of mistakes made by the actors. Emma Stone made the most mistakes, while Zach Galifianakis made the fewest.
- The scene where Riggan walks through Times Square in only his underwear was filmed in four takes, starting at 8:30 PM. Earlier, the lighting was unsuitable, and later, the crowds would have begun to disperse. The crew was kept to a minimum to avoid drawing unnecessary attention. Keaton was accompanied by only four people: cinematographer Lubezki, a focus puller, a boom operator, and a digital imaging technician. Eight production assistants worked on crowd control. Iñárritu was nearby; he filmed the first two takes of Keaton on a smartphone. The video he recorded is used in the following scene, when Emma Stone watches the incident on a smartphone via YouTube. To distract attention from the camera, Iñárritu hired a group of street drummers who danced and played, drawing the tourists' attention in the square.
- During an interview in Riggan's (Michael Keaton) dressing room, he mentions that he hasn't played Birdman since 1992. This is the same year 'Batman Returns' (1992) was released—the last Batman film in which Michael Keaton played the lead role.
- The same girl appears multiple times in the shot before the premiere: the first time she is walking with her friend, and the second time - with a guy.
- Most of the filming took place in the St. James Theatre on Broadway – Michael Keaton and the other actors had to adapt to Alejandro González Iñárritu's strict filming style, as they were required to memorize up to 15 pages of dialogue for scenes that were shot in one take.
- Most of the filming took place at the St. James Theatre on Broadway—Michael Keaton and the other actors had to adapt to Alejandro González Iñárritu's rigorous filming style, as they were required to memorize up to 15 pages of dialogue for scenes shot in a single take.
- Emma Stone filmed "Birdman" (2014) during a break from filming "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" (2014), which was also taking place in New York.
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Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
