Editing Big Fish (section)

==Production==

=== Development ===
About six months before it was published, the screenwriter [[John August]] read a manuscript of the 1998 novel ''[[Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions]]'' by [[Daniel Wallace (author)|Daniel Wallace]].<ref>August, John (2004). ''The Author's Journey'' commentary track on ''Big Fish'' (DVD). Columbia Pictures. Event occurs at 1:23.</ref> In September 1998, August convinced [[Columbia Pictures]] to acquire the [[film rights]] on his behalf.<ref>{{cite news |last=Fleming |first=Michael |date=1998-09-21 |title=Col reels in Wallace's 'Big Fish' |url=https://variety.com/1998/film/news/col-reels-in-wallace-s-big-fish-1117480600/ |access-date=2009-06-20 |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref><ref name="Empire">{{cite news|last=Salisbury|first=Mark|title=Of Myth & Men|work=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]|date=February 2004}}</ref> He worked hard to turn the episodic book into a cohesive screenplay, which he decided needed multiple narrators.<ref name="Faber">Cohen, Bruce; Burton, Tim (2004). ''A Fairytale World'' commentary track on ''Big Fish'' (DVD). Columbia Pictures.</ref> In August 2000, the producers [[Bruce Cohen]] and [[Dan Jinks]] began discussions for [[Steven Spielberg]] to direct the film. Spielberg planned to have [[DreamWorks Pictures|DreamWorks]] co-finance and distribute ''Big Fish'' with Columbia, and intended to start filming in late 2001, after completing ''[[Minority Report (film)|Minority Report]]'' (2002).<ref name="Yahoo!">{{cite news |author=Schmitz |first=Greg Dean |author-link=Greg Dean Schmitz |title=Big Fish: Greg's Preview |url=https://movies.yahoo.com/movie/preview/1808403164 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060527022419/http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/preview/1808403164 |archive-date=2006-05-27 |access-date=2009-07-12 |work=[[Yahoo! Movies]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Fleming|first=Michael|author2=Claude Brodesser|url=https://variety.com/2000/film/news/col-fish-may-hook-spielberg-1117784868/|title=Col 'Fish' may hook Spielberg|work=Variety|date=2000-08-10|access-date=2009-06-20}}</ref>

Spielberg courted [[Jack Nicholson]] for the role of the older Edward Bloom. He felt that the script did not give Nicholson enough to do, so he asked August to write new sequences.<ref name="Empire"/> Spielberg eventually left ''Big Fish'' when he became involved with ''[[Catch Me If You Can]]'' (2002), and DreamWorks also backed out of the project.<ref name="Yahoo!"/><ref name="Catch">{{cite news|last=Harmon|first=Rick|title=Movie's director spotted|work=[[Montgomery Advertiser]]|date=2002-09-14}}</ref> With Spielberg no longer involved, August and the producers restored the script to its previous version. Spielberg later admitted that he made a mistake by asking August to alter the screenplay. August took his favorite elements from the previous drafts and came up with what he called "a best-of ''Big Fish'' script". August, Jinks and Cohen considered [[Stephen Daldry]] as a potential director before deciding to approach [[Tim Burton]].<ref name="Empire" /><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Tyrangiel|first=Josh|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1006335,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090825104430/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1006335,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 25, 2009|title=Big Fish In His Own Pond|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=2003-12-01|access-date=2009-06-21}}</ref> At this point, August felt the script was the best it had ever been.<ref name="Empire" />

Burton had just finished directing the big-budget film ''[[Planet of the Apes (2001 film)|Planet of the Apes]]'' (2001), and was ready for a smaller-scale project. He liked the ''Big Fish'' screenplay, feeling that it was the first unique story he had been offered since ''[[Beetlejuice]]'' (1988). The script's combination of an emotional drama with exaggerated tall tales allowed him to tell multiple stories of different genres, which he enjoyed.<ref name="Faber"/> Burton's father had died recently, and he found that he could process emotions related to his father's death by making the film. He signed on to direct in April 2002, which prompted [[Richard D. Zanuck]], who worked with Burton on ''Planet of the Apes'', to join ''Big Fish'' as a producer.<ref>{{cite news |last=Dunkley |first=Cathy |date=2002-04-29 |title=Helmer reels in 'Big Fish' for Columbia |url=https://variety.com/2002/film/markets-festivals/helmer-reels-in-big-fish-for-columbia-1117866199/ |access-date=2009-06-20 |work=Variety}}</ref><ref name="Empire" />

===Casting===
[[File:Ewan McGregor Cannes 2012.jpg|thumb|upright|Ewan McGregor in 2012]]
For the role of Edward Bloom, Burton spoke with [[Jack Nicholson]], Spielberg's initial choice for the role. Burton had previously worked with Nicholson on ''[[Batman (1989 film)|Batman]]'' (1989) and ''[[Mars Attacks!]]'' (1996). In order to depict Nicholson as the young Edward, Burton intended to use a combination of [[computer-generated imagery]] and [[prosthetic makeup]]. Jinks and Cohen, who were working with [[Ewan McGregor]] on ''[[Down with Love]]'' (2003) at the time, suggested that Burton cast both McGregor and [[Albert Finney]] for Edward.<ref name="Faber"/> After viewing Finney's performance in ''[[Tom Jones (1963 film)|Tom Jones]]'' (1963), Burton observed similarities between him and McGregor, and coincidentally found a [[People (magazine)|''People'' magazine]] article comparing the two.<ref name="Empire"/> The Scottish McGregor found it easier to perform Edward's [[Southern American English|Southern American]] accent than a standard American accent. He said of the Southern accent: "[Y]ou can really hear it. You can get your teeth into it. Standard American is much harder."<ref>{{cite news|last=Murray|first=Rebecca|url=http://movies.about.com/cs/bigfish/a/bgfhem120903.htm|title=Ewan McGregor and Alison Lohman Pair Up on Screen in "Big Fish"|work=[[About.com]]|date=2003-12-09|access-date=2009-07-12|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090201030308/http://movies.about.com/cs/bigfish/a/bgfhem120903.htm|archive-date=February 1, 2009|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

The same dual casting applied to the role of Edward's wife, Sandra, who would be played by [[Jessica Lange]] and [[Alison Lohman]].<ref name="Faber" /> Both Burton and Zanuck had been impressed with Lohman's performance in ''[[White Oleander (film)|White Oleander]]'' (2002), and felt she was the ideal candidate for the role.<ref>{{cite news|last=Maynard|first=Kevin|url=https://variety.com/2003/legit/news/fish-tale-brings-burton-to-fantasyland-1117881568/|title='Fish' tale brings Burton to fantasyland|work=Variety|date=2003-03-03|access-date=2009-06-20}}</ref> Burton's girlfriend, [[Helena Bonham Carter]], was cast in two roles: Jenny and the Witch. Her prosthetic makeup for the Witch took five hours to apply. She was pregnant during filming and experienced [[morning sickness]], which was exacerbated by the fumes from the make-up.<ref>{{cite news|last=Murray|first=Rebecca|url=http://movies.about.com/cs/bigfish/a/bgfhhb120903.htm|title="Big Fish" Makes a Big Impression on Its Cast|work=About.com|date=2003-12-09|access-date=2009-07-12|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090222215442/http://movies.about.com/cs/bigfish/a/bgfhhb120903.htm|archive-date=February 22, 2009|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

Burton personalized the film with several cameos. While filming in [[Alabama]], the crew tracked down [[Billy Redden]], one of the banjo players from ''[[Deliverance]]'' (1972). Redden was a co-owner of a restaurant in Clayton, Georgia, and he agreed to appear in the Spectre sequence. As Edward first enters the town, Redden can be seen on a porch plucking a few notes from "[[Dueling Banjos]]".<ref>{{cite video |title=Big Fish |date=2004 |medium=DVD commentary track |publisher=Columbia Pictures |time=30:47 |people=Burton, Tim}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Buncombe |first=Andrew |date=2003-11-16 |title=Deliverance: Billy's back with his banjo |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/deliverance-billys-back-with-his-banjo-735871.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080424021236/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/deliverance-billys-back-with-his-banjo-735871.html |archive-date=April 24, 2008 |newspaper=[[The Independent]]}}</ref> [[Daniel Wallace (author)|Daniel Wallace]] makes a brief appearance as Sandra's economics teacher.<ref>{{cite video|people=Burton, Tim|date=2004|title=Big Fish|medium=DVD commentary track|publisher=Columbia Pictures}}</ref>

===Filming===
[[File:BigFishTwins.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Both costumes and [[Computer-generated imagery|CGI]] were used to create the effect of conjoined twins.<ref name="World">{{cite news |last=Desowtiz |first=Bill |date=2003-12-10 |title=Burton Applies Light CG Touch to Big Fish |url=https://www.awn.com/vfxworld/burton-applies-light-cg-touch-big-fish |access-date=2024-07-31 |work=VFX World}}</ref>]]
[[Principal photography]] began on January 13, 2003.<ref name="Yahoo!"/> ''Big Fish'' was shot entirely in Alabama except for one week of filming in Paris in May.<ref name="Faber" /> Most of the Alabama scenes were shot in [[Wetumpka, Alabama|Wetumpka]] and [[Montgomery, Alabama|Montgomery]].<ref name="ECO" /><ref name="Catch" /> Some filming also took place in [[Tallassee, Alabama|Tallassee]] and on the campus of [[Huntingdon College]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Harmon|first=Rick|title='Big Fish' actors here already|work=[[Montgomery Advertiser]]|date=2002-01-10}}</ref> Scenes in the town of [[Jackson Lake Island#Town of Spectre|Spectre]] were filmed on a custom-built set on [[Jackson Lake Island]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Matthews |first=Lauren |date=2016-03-22 |title=This Enchanting Southern Town Was Built for a Movie (and Never Torn Down) |url=https://www.countryliving.com/life/entertainment/a37949/big-fish-spectre/ |access-date=2019-08-01 |website=Country Living |language=en-US}}</ref> Principal photography continued until the first week of April and is estimated to have generated as much as $25 million for the local economy.{{efn|Attributed to multiple references:<br><ref name="Faber" /><ref name="ECO">{{cite news|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|title=Area sites reel in 'Big Fish'|work=Montgomery Advertiser|date=2002-08-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Harmon |first=Rick |date=2002-11-07 |title='Big Fish' will be filmed in the Montgomery area |work=Montgomery Advertiser}}</ref>}} The Spectre set can still be found at its original location.<ref name=":2" />

Burton filmed all the hospital scenes and most of Finney's scenes first, before moving on to McGregor's scenes.<ref name="Empire"/><ref name="Faber"/> Scenes with Karl the Giant were created using [[forced perspective]] filmmaking. Helena Bonham Carter's prosthetic makeup was designed by [[Stan Winston|Stan Winston Studios]], which also created [[animatronics]] for the production.<ref name="World" /><ref>{{cite news|last=Topel|first=Fred |url=http://movies.ign.com/articles/445/445198p1.html|title=An Interview with Ewan McGregor|work=IGN|date=2003-12-10|access-date=2009-06-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101125130359/http://movies.ign.com/articles/445/445198p1.html|archive-date=2010-11-25}}</ref> Flooding on the set interrupted filming of the circus scenes for several weeks, but Burton managed to deliver the film on budget and on schedule.{{efn|Attributed to multiple references:<br><ref name="Empire" /><ref>{{cite video |title=Big Fish |date=2004 |medium=DVD commentary track |publisher=Columbia Pictures |time=53:43 |people=Burton, Tim}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Topel |first=Fred |date=2003-12-09 |title=Tim Burton Reels in Big Fish |url=http://movies.ign.com/articles/442/442609p1.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090508102912/http://movies.ign.com/articles/442/442609p1.html |archive-date=May 8, 2009 |access-date=2009-06-21 |work=[[IGN]]}}</ref>}}

===Post-production===
{{See also|Big Fish (soundtrack)}}
Although Burton limited the use of digital effects in ''Big Fish'', he employed [[color grading]] to achieve a [[Southern Gothic]] aesthetic.<ref name="Faber" /> The film's musical score was composed by Burton's frequent collaborator [[Danny Elfman]], and Burton approached [[Pearl Jam]] to request an original song for the closing credits.<ref name="Faber" /> After viewing an early print of the film, the group's vocalist [[Eddie Vedder]] wrote the song "[[Man of the Hour]]". He completed a [[Demo (music)|demo]] within a day, and the band recorded the song four days later.<ref name="WDIV">{{cite news|last=Lammers|first=Tim|url=http://www.clickondetroit.com/sh/entertainment/stories/entertainment-275199620040108-180124.html|title="Man Of The Hour" Up For BFCA, Golden Globe Awards|work=[[WDIV-TV]]|date=2004-01-08|access-date=2009-07-13|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705085306/http://www.clickondetroit.com/sh/entertainment/stories/entertainment-275199620040108-180124.html|archive-date=July 5, 2008}}</ref> Pearl Jam's guitarist [[Mike McCready]] stated, "We were so blown away by the movie ... Eddie and I were standing around talking about it afterwards and were teary-eyed. We were so emotionally charged and moved by the imagination and humanity."<ref name="WDIV" />