by David Blackwell

BUDGET- $35 Million (22.1 million Euros)

COUNTRY- FRANCE

DETAILS: IMMORTEL was made the same way CAPTAIN SKY AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW was made- by the use of filming the actors almost or totally against blue screen and have the CGI elements created later. The movie was completely previsualized in 3D, making it the first movie ever to do it, before a frame was shot. Previs allowed Enki Bilal to do the movie in a precise way for principal photography from programmed camera moves, what lens had to be selected, and what angles had to be chosen. Also the sets were designed on computer. Previs allowed IMMORTEL to complete principal photography on budget and on schedule. Enki completely cut the movie using previs. Only four sets were built for principal photography: Jill's bedroom, a bathroom, a bar, and a section of a subway station. However it was discovered, it would have been easier to film just against green screen due to the added difficulty of matching virtual sets to real sets. Over 1,400 digital effects were created for the movie, but only 1,160 made it into the final cut.

The language during Principal photography was English, then the actors redubbed their lines in French during post-production. Oddly enough the movie seems to be dubbed back into English without using the original English track from principal photography. Alliance Atlantis plans to release the movie in theaters in Canada after the response it got during a film festival in Toronto in the summer of 2004.

IMMORTEL is based on a series of graphic novels by Enki Bilal called The Nikopol Trilogy. The three graphic novels take place in Paris of 2023. Enk Bilal was born in Yugoslavia in 1951. He is a prolific comic book/ graphic novel artist that is well respected in France. He has directed the movies Tykho Moon, Bunker Palace Hotel, and Immortel.

For more info on the movie:

Special Effects article: http://vfxworld.com/?sa=adv&code=319b255d&atype=articles&id=2182&page=1

Official site (in French):

http://www.immortel-lefilm.com/

Fan Site (in French): http://membres.lycos.fr/immorteladvitam/

CAST AND CREW:

Director:
Enki Bilal (Tykho Moon, Bunker Palace Hotel)

Screenwriter(s):
Serge Lehman
Enki Bilal