Filming back-to-back is the practice of filming two or more movies as one production, reducing costs and time.
Trilogies
A trilogy is a set of three works of art that are connected and can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, and video games, and are less common in other art forms. Three-part wor ...
are common in the film industry, particularly in
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
,
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...
,
action
Action may refer to:
* Action (narrative), a literary mode
* Action fiction, a type of genre fiction
* Action game, a genre of video game
Film
* Action film, a genre of film
* ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford
* ''Action'' (1980 fil ...
,
horror,
thriller, and adventure genres. Production companies may choose, if the first film is a financial success, to
green-light
To green-light is to give permission to proceed with a project. The term is a reference to the green traffic signal, indicating "go ahead".
Film industry
In the context of the film and television industries, to green-light something is to ...
a second and a third film at the same time and film them back-to-back. In a case where a lengthy novel is split into multiple installments for its film adaptation, those installments will usually be filmed back-to-back.
Rationale
In modern
filmmaking
Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, casti ...
, employment is now project-based, transitory, and "based on a film not a firm."
Almost all participants in the industry are
freelancer
''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance w ...
s, who move easily from one project to the next and do not have much loyalty to any particular studio, as long as they get paid.
This differs from the old
studio system
A studio system is a method of filmmaking wherein the production and distribution of films is dominated by a small number of large movie studios. It is most often used in reference to Hollywood motion picture studios during the Golden Age of Hol ...
, a form of
mass production
Mass production, also known as flow production or continuous production, is the production of substantial amounts of standardized products in a constant flow, including and especially on assembly lines. Together with job production and batch ...
in which a studio owned all the means of production (that is, reusable physical assets like sound stages, costumes, sets, and props)
and carried large numbers of cast and crew on its payroll under long-term contracts. Under the old system, "a producer had a commitment to make six to eight films per year with a fairly identifiable staff."
Under the new system which replaced it after 1955, filmmaking became a "short-term film-by-film arrangement" in which a producer is expected to assemble an entirely new cast and crew for each project, and rent the means of production from contractors only as needed.
The advantage of the current system is that film studios no longer have to bother either with paying people who are not involved in a current film production, or with green-lighting films very frequently so as to efficiently exploit
sunk costs
In economics and business decision-making, a sunk cost (also known as retrospective cost) is a cost that has already been incurred and cannot be recovered. Sunk costs are contrasted with '' prospective costs'', which are future costs that may be ...
in their human resources. Studios shifted from a emphasis on "speed in production" to "more cooperative pre-shooting planning."
But now, when they want a particular person for a film, that person may be unavailable because they are already committed to another film for another production company for that particular time slot. In turn, for every single film, studios (and ultimately their investors, shareholders, or backers) end up bearing massive
transaction cost
In economics and related disciplines, a transaction cost is a cost in making any economic trade when participating in a market. Oliver E. Williamson defines transaction costs as the costs of running an economic system of companies, and unlike produ ...
s because they not only have to get the right person at the right price, but at the right time, and if they cannot get that person, they have to scramble to locate a satisfactory substitute. All successful directors and producers have certain favorite cast and crew members whom they prefer to work with, but that is of no help to the studio if that perfect character actor, costume designer, or music composer is already fully booked. Compared to the previous system, directors and stars spend a much "larger part of their time negotiating each new film deal."
Therefore, if a film does well at the box office and appears to have established a winning formula with a particular cast, crew and storyline, one way to minimize these transaction costs on sequels is to reassemble as much of the team as soon as possible (before anyone dies, retires, or commits to other possible scheduling conflicts) and sign them to a single production that will be edited, released, and promoted as multiple films. This also minimizes the problem of stars visibly aging between sequels that do not have significant time gaps written in between them.
The pioneer of modern back-to-back filmmaking was producer
Alexander Salkind
Alexander Salkind (; 2 June 1921 – 8 March 1997) was a European film producer, the second of three generations of successful international producers.
Life and career
Salkind was born in the Free City of Danzig to Russian-born Jewish parents, ...
,
who decided during the filming of ''
The Three Musketeers
''The Three Musketeers'' (french: Les Trois Mousquetaires, links=no, ) is a French historical adventure novel written in 1844 by French author Alexandre Dumas. It is in the swashbuckler genre, which has heroic, chivalrous swordsmen who fight f ...
'' (1973) to split the project in two; the second film was released as ''
The Four Musketeers'' (1974).
The cast was quite unhappy to be informed after the fact they had been working on two films, not one.
As a result, the
Screen Actors Guild
The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was an American labor union which represented over 100,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide. On March 30, 2012, the union leadership announced that the SAG membership voted to m ...
introduced the "Salkind clause," which specifies that actors will be paid for each film they make.
Salkind and his son
Ilya
Ilya, Iliya, Ilia, Ilja, or Ilija (russian: Илья́, Il'ja, , or russian: Илия́, Ilija, ; uk, Ілля́, Illia, ; be, Ілья́, Iĺja ) is the East Slavic form of the male Hebrew name Eliyahu (Eliahu), meaning "My God is Yahu/Jah." ...
went on to produce ''
Superman
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
'' and ''
Superman II
''Superman II'' is a 1980 superhero film directed by Richard Lester and written by Mario Puzo and David and Leslie Newman from a story by Puzo based on the DC Comics character Superman. It is the second installment in the ''Superman'' film seri ...
'' back to back.
Examples
*''
Superman
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
'' and ''
Superman II
''Superman II'' is a 1980 superhero film directed by Richard Lester and written by Mario Puzo and David and Leslie Newman from a story by Puzo based on the DC Comics character Superman. It is the second installment in the ''Superman'' film seri ...
'' were filmed simultaneously in 1977 to be a two-part epic. However, due to off-screen difficulties between the producers and director
Richard Donner
Richard Donner (born Richard Donald Schwartzberg; April 24, 1930 – July 5, 2021) was an American filmmaker whose notable works included some of the most financially-successful films during the New Hollywood era. According to film historian M ...
, production on the sequel was stopped in order to finish the first film for a December 1978 release. Filming on ''Superman II'' resumed in 1979 with a new director (
Richard Lester
Richard Lester Liebman (born January 19, 1932) is an American retired film director based in the United Kingdom.
He is best known for directing the Beatles' films '' A Hard Day's Night'' (1964) and ''Help!'' (1965), and the superhero films ''S ...
), and was released in Australia in December 1980 and in the UK and US in April and June 1981. A
director's cut
A director's cut is an edited version of a film (or video game, television episode, music video, or commercial) that is supposed to represent the director's own approved edit in contrast to the theatrical release. "Cut" explicitly refers to the ...
was released in 2006.
*After the success of the 1985 film ''
Back to the Future
''Back to the Future'' is a 1985 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis, and written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale. It stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, and Thomas F. Wilson. Set in 1985, ...
'', the two sequels ''
Part II Part Two, Part 2 or Part II may refer to:
Films and television
* "Part 2" (Twin Peaks), also known as "The Return, Part 2", the second episode of the third season of the TV series ''Twin Peaks''
Music
* ''Part Two'' (Throbbing Gristle album), 200 ...
'' and ''
Part III
''Part III'' is the third studio album by American R&B group 112. It was released by Bad Boy Records on March 20, 2001 in the United States. Unlike the previous releases, the album is described as having edgier, techno-flavored jams, resulting ...
'' were in production from February 1989 until January 1990 with only a three-week break in principal photography between films and some of the filming of the third film overlapping with the second. The two films were released six months apart, in November 1989 and May 1990 respectively.
*
''The Lord of the Rings'' trilogy was
filmed entirely over 438 days in
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
from October 1999 until December 2000 with
pickup shots done prior to each film's theatrical release from 2001 to 2003. Likewise,
''The Hobbit'' trilogy was filmed back-to-back in New Zealand from March 2011 until July 2012.
*''
The Matrix Reloaded
''The Matrix Reloaded'' is a 2003 American science-fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is a sequel to ''The Matrix'' (1999) and the second installment in the ''Matrix'' film series. The film stars Keanu Reeves, Laure ...
'' and ''
The Matrix Revolutions
''The Matrix Revolutions'' is a 2003 American science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the third installment in ''The Matrix'' film series, released six months following ''The Matrix Reloaded''. The film stars ...
'' were filmed back-to-back from March 2001 until August 2002, and released six months apart, in May 2003 and November 2003 respectively.
*''
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest'' and ''
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End'' were filmed back-to-back from February 2005 until January 2007, and released ten months apart, in July 2006 and May 2007 respectively.
*''
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1
''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1'' is a 2010 fantasy film directed by David Yates from a screenplay by Steve Kloves. The film is the first of two cinematic parts based on the 2007 novel '' Harry Potter and the Deathly Hall ...
'' and ''
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2'' is a 2011 fantasy film directed by David Yates from a screenplay by Steve Kloves. The film is the second of two cinematic parts based on the 2007 novel '' Harry Potter and the Deathly Hal ...
'' were
filmed back-to-back from February 2009 until June 2010, with reshoots for the epilogue scene taking place in December 2010, and released eight months apart, in November 2010 and July 2011 respectively.
*''
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1'' and ''
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2'' were filmed back-to-back from November 2010 until April 2011, and released a year apart, in November 2011 and November 2012 respectively.
*''
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1'' and ''
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2'' were filmed back-to-back from September 2013 until June 2014, and released a year apart, in November 2014 and November 2015 respectively.
*''
Fifty Shades Darker
''Fifty Shades Darker'' is a 2012 erotic romance novel by British author E. L. James. It is the second installment in the ''Fifty Shades'' trilogy that traces the deepening relationship between a college graduate, Anastasia Steele, and a youn ...
'' and ''
Fifty Shades Freed
''Fifty Shades Freed'' is the third and final installment of the erotic romance ''Fifty Shades Trilogy'' by British author E. L. James. After accepting entrepreneur CEO Christian Grey's proposal in '' Fifty Shades Darker'', Anastasia Steele m ...
'' were filmed back-to-back from February 2016 until July 2016. The two films were released a year apart, in February 2017 and February 2018 respectively.
*''
Avengers: Infinity War'' and ''
Avengers: Endgame'' were
filmed back-to-back from January 2017 until January 2018, with reshoots for the second film concluding in October 2018, with the films released a year apart, in April 2018 and April 2019 respectively.
*''
Avatar: The Way of Water'' and ''
Avatar 3
''Avatar 3'' is an upcoming American epic science fiction film directed, written, со-produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. It is the third film in Cameron's ''Avatar'' franchise, and a sequel to '' Avatar: The Way of Water'' (2022). Cam ...
'' (titles may change) were filmed back-to-back 2017–2020. They are scheduled for release in 2022 and 2024. Back-to-back filming is also planned for ''Avatar 4'' (2026) and ''Avatar 5'' (2028).
*''
Fast X
''Fast X'' (also known as ''Fast & Furious 10'') is an upcoming American action film directed by Louis Leterrier and written by Justin Lin, Zach Dean, and Dan Mazeau. It is the sequel to '' F9'' (2021), serving as the tenth main installment ...
'' and ''Fast X: Part 2'' were filmed back-to-back from 2022-2023. They are scheduled for release in 2023 and 2024.
*''
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One'' and ''
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two'' were filmed back-to-back from 2020-2022. They are scheduled for release in 2023 and 2024.
*''
X'' and ''
Pearl
A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is composed of calcium carb ...
'' were secretly filmed back-to-back in 2021.
See also
*
List of films produced back-to-back
*
List of films split into multiple parts
Over the history of cinema, some films have been split into multiple parts. This has been done for creative, practical, and financial reasons. Originally done in the form of low-budget serial films, more recently it has often been done with big-bu ...
References
{{Reflist
Film and video terminology