Although thriller openings themselves are greatly beneficial for me and my group to analyze as that’s what we’ll be making ourselves, taking an in-depth look into the entirety of a movie’s process will also give my group a good idea as of how to approach our title sequence. After all, looking at a movie’s inner workings may give my group a better idea as of how to go about filming our project.
Get Out (2017) seemed as good a film to study as any, having been regarded as one of the top 10 films of 2017 and nominated for four awards at the 90th Academy Awards. This film was directed, produced and written by Jordan Peele. It was also produced by Blumhouse Productions, QC Entertainment and Monkeypaw Productions.
History/Early Stages:
Prior to the development of this film, Jordan Peele had worked primarily on comedy, including the sketch show Key & Peele. He believed that these two genres were actually very connected as “so much of its pacing… [hinges on] reveals.” Peele was actually introduced to producer Sean McKittrick by his comedy partner Keegan-Michael Key, through which Peele pitched his idea and formed the script in only two months.
Get Out’s lead actors, Daniel Kaluuya and Allison Williams were cast in November 2015 – Kaluuya for his strong performances in previous films and Williams for her innocent portrayals in previous roles, which would surprise audiences once she was revealed as an antagonist. These choices were intentional and very well thought out.
Production:
Get Out had a budget of $4.5 million, which is technically not considered a low-budget film at that point but is by no means a studio film. With this, Peel filmed at several locations in Alabama: Fairhope, Alabama; Mobile, Alabama; Barton Academy and the Ashland Place Historic District. The scene containing Rod William’s first appearance, played by Lil Rel Howery, was shot in Los Angeles, a different area entirely from the rest of the movie. Additionally, the shooting time in Alabama was only given a 23 day period to be completed.
Many of Peele’s cinematographic shots and use of props and setting all have great intention and are mainly used to advance the symbolism of the theme of racism and foreshadow the future conflict.
Distribution:
Get Out first premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2017 before being theatrically released in the United States on February 24, 2017 by Universal Pictures. This platforming method of utilizing film festivals with the hope of being picked up by a large distribution company is common of many low budget films. The film grossed $176 million in the United States and Canada and $79.4 million in other territories, adding up to a worldwide gross of $255.5 million. Get Out is the tenth most profitable film of 2017.
Sources:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Get_Out
- https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5052448/
- Multiple IMDb links are included in this post
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