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Arrival (2016)
Arrival is a 2016 American science fiction drama film directed by Denis Villeneuve and written by Eric Heisserer, based on the 1998 novella "Story of Your Life" by Ted Chiang. The film stars Amy Adams as Louise Banks, a linguist engaged by the United States Army to discover how to communicate with extraterrestrials who have arrived on Earth, before tensions lead to war. Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker, and Michael…
Directed by Denis Villeneuve · Shot by Bradford Young · Cut by Joe Walker · Music by Jóhann Jóhannsson · Ratio 2.39:1 · 116 min
How it was made
- Cinematographer Bradford Young was chosen for his sensitivity to natural light; he shifted to cooler colour timing whenever Louise needed to look “worn down,” letting her skin tone go deliberately pale rather than correcting it.
- Production designer Patrice Vermette based the alien ship's “interview room” on the work of light artist James Turrell, building it around a giant white screen that echoes the windows in Louise's house and classroom.
- Visual effects house Rodeo FX completed 60 shots for the film, with the sequence of Louise and Ian first entering the alien craft the most difficult to achieve.
- Composer Jóhann Jóhannsson began writing the score as shooting started, developing a main theme in the first week from vocals and experimental piano loops.
- The look of the heptapod ships was inspired by the asteroid 15 Eunomia.
Behind the scenes
Elsewhere
More by Denis Villeneuve
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