If you’re a movie fan, Cast Away is undoubtedly no stranger. This blockbuster has become a monument in the industry and acts as the premise for other survival films. One essential contribution to its success is the beautiful film sites where the story takes place. Thus, if you’re questioning, “Where was Castaway filmed?” today’s post is for you.
We will also cover interesting facts regarding the filmmaking process!
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Cast Away: What Is It About?
Cast Away is an American survival fiction movie directed and filmed by Robert Zemeckis (Back To The Future director) in the 2000s.
The movie had soon become a blockbuster due to the top-notch acting of celebrities like Tom Hanks (as Chuck Noland, the protagonist), Helen Hunt (Kelly Frears, Chuck’s fiance), and Nick Searcy (Stan, Chuck’s friend).
Cast Away was a huge name back in the 2000s. – tsadler85
In Cast Away, Hanks portrays a FedEx technician trapped on an isolated island when his plane goes down in the South Pacific, and the narrative revolves around his frantic efforts to live and come back home. The filming began in January 1999 and continued until May 2000.
On December 22, 2000, Cast Away was introduced by 20th Century Fox in the Northern US and DreamWorks Pictures in the overseas territories. Back then, the movie was a huge success.
Indeed, it grossed $429,000,000 at the box office and helped Hanks get to the nominating list for Best Actor in a Leading Character at the 73rd Academy Awards.
Where Was Castaway Filmed?
Although the movie mainly features the life of Chuck Noland on a deserted island in the South Pacific, there are a few scenes that the crew filmed at different locations.
Red Square, Moscow
In the intro, a rigorous systems engineer named Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks) gives lectures to the local workers in Russia. The crew had gone to Russia for the scene and filmed in a neighborhood not far from the Red Square, Moscow.
The intro of Cast Away was filmed near Red Square. – Palisades Hudson Financial Group
Fijian Islands, South Pacific Ocean
Noland’s traveling is cut short once the airplane he is on board crashes into the South Pacific Ocean, where the main story begins. Now, there wouldn’t be any better ideas than the Fijian Islands when it comes to a deserted island in the South Pacific for the protagonist to stay in years.
Indeed, the Pacific Ocean has been quite a name in the movie industry as many films were shot there. In fact, it’s where South Pacific was filmed, and it’s also the movie site for lots of blockbusters like the Godzilla series, Pacific Rim, Kong: Skull Island, and so on.
In Castaway, Noland survives 4 years living on the Monu-Riki island. This picturesque area is unpopulated, yet you may explore it by boat from Denarau Island. Meanwhile, the failed float getaway was filmed on the island of Namotu, a secluded six-acre island with a luxury resort.
View the Fijian Islands here:
ABOVE THE FIJI ISLANDS 2 (2020) 4K Drone Film + Music for Stress Relief | Nature Relaxation Ambient
Route 60, Texas Panhandle, the US
The long-overdue parcel has finally arrived in the small Texas Panhandle hamlet of Canadian River on Route 60, where the movie crew discovered an endless road.
Route 60, Texas Panhandle, is another place where the crew use. – Texas Highways Magazine
Universal Studios
Cast Away also had a few shots on Universal Studios’ Brownstone Street movie set, in which they had previously filmed the blockbuster of Bruce Almighty and Home Alone 2: Lost In New York.
Brownstone Street studio lot is also a film site of Cast Away. – Universal Studios Lot
6 Fun Facts About Castaway You Should Know
A Post On Fed-Ex Sparked The Inspiration For Cast Away.
Do you know that Tom Hanks was the first person to come up with the idea for Cast Away? Indeed, Hanks revealed the movie’s origin in a THR discussion in which he participated.
According to the actor, he was going through a story on FedEx when he noticed that 747s carrying tons of parcels travel over the Pacific 3 times each day. And the question, ‘What if this plane crashes down?’ popped up in his mind.
A Fed-ex article helped spark the ideas of Cast Away. – Air Cargo News
Tom Hanks then brought the idea to screenwriter William Broyles Jr. and director Robert Zemeckis, and the narrative for Cast Away was developed over 6 years.
Fed-Ex not only sparked the inspiration for the Castaway plot, but it also had a great influence on this blockbuster’s success. Indeed, the film was allowed to use the FedEx trademark, various senior consultants’ advice, and even the appearance of the President of FedEx itself, all for free.
Cast Away Was Released With Minimum Soundtracks, And There Is A Reason Behind It.
If you haven’t realized already, Cast Away is missing a conventional Hollywood soundtrack. However, it’s not for lack of effort, as Robert Zemeckis said in his comments.
Robert claimed that when he began filming, he had already decided not to use any soundtrack. Before the production, he had already done his research and attempted to fit the music.
Indeed, before making the movie, he had had a few discussions with Alan Silvestri, a famous composer, and even tried to find a singer, but it simply was not practical. Alternatively, Zemeckis and music producer Randy Thom chose to “impress the viewers with sound effects,” using different effects appearing at specific scenes.
Ultimately, Alan Silvestri’s effects work their magic, especially in the turning points of Chuck’s adventure on the island and his homecoming.
Tom Hanks Spent A Year Losing Weight During The Production
A thing that everyone appreciates in Cast Away is how dedicated Tom Hanks was. Indeed, he did everything to best get into the character: from Tom Hanks Castaway beard to his extremely skinny figure.
And this dedication is also the reason why Cast Away actually had a pause during filming for a whole year. They took a break so that Tom Hanks could shed the 50 pounds he gained for Chuck Nolan’s pre-island physique and transform into a sunburned, skinny Fed-Ex survivor.
Tom Hanks’ dedication to the character was unbelievable. – Observer
Now, you might ask what a filmmaker should do to keep the studio’s trust in such a movie. The answer is simple: during the off period, produce another film using the same team. In the commentary for Cast Away, Robert Zemeckis has confirmed that.
The only option they could do to make the business sustainable was to shoot another film in the interim. And that’s what Robert did: he simply threw the film crew onto another project, ‘What Lies Beneath’, so that they did not have to spend extra on workers for hanging there in a year.
And this bet paid off twice.
Cast Away became the third highest-grossing blockbuster in the overseas movie market in 2000, while What Lies Beneath ranked tenth. Both films were launched that same year, with the second movie arriving in theaters around 5 months before Cast Away. All it required was Tom Hanks’ rigorous personal workout regimen and some inventive filmmaking.
The Screenwriter Of Cast Away Used Many Of His Experiences As Writing Materials.
Following their collaboration with filmmaker Ron Howard’s monumental blockbuster Apollo 13, Tom Hanks wished to partner again with William Broyles Jr. (the screenwriter of Cast Away).
According to Tom, taking the idea to Broyles was the wisest decision since they wouldn’t have set the script in motion without the crew Broyles brought together for Cast Away.
Broyles attended a survival camp to master every skill that Chuck Nolan could use to survive on a deserted island while writing the movie’s script. Broyles also learned the essentials of hunting animals and catching fishes, along with gathering coconuts, throughout his days in the wilderness.
Wilson’s Personality Was Inspired By A True Story.
Owing to Tom Hanks’ reliable bond with his Cast Away co-star, Wilson the Volleyball has been among the most favorite inanimate things in the movie industry ever.
Wilson actually was inspired by an actual conversation of Broyles and a volleyball. – Metro
Much of that credibility derived from Hanks’ Academy Award-winning acting talents onscreen. However, another crucial element was William Broyles Jr.’s actual encounter with a volleyball in his survival training experience.
Broyles spotted a lonely Wilson the volleyball on the seashore, which turned into a spontaneous talking buddy and finally made it into the finished screenplay.
The Team Has Brought Wilson To Life In A Draft Of The Screenplay.
You’re skipping out on all the fascinating details if you’ve not watched the Cast Away producer and team commentary. A crew member revealed a draft of the movie in which Wilson would come alive and speak.
Other intriguing thoughts shared by director Robert Zemeckis plus several guests included a glimpse of Kelly (Helen Hunt) in Chuck’s cave bonfire, as well as a few unexpected tidbits. But, unfortunately, they all decided not to get those ideas off the ground.
You now might question how many drafts it takes to come to the final agreement. That figure, as Zemeckis claimed, was quite large.
According to him, there had been 125 versions, resulting in millions of modifications with countless alterations – which is an inevitable part of making a great film.
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