On Day 3 of filming on location in the cloud forest surrounding the Arenal volcano, celebrated Hollywood director M. Night Shyamalan was taking a morning stroll towards a quiet spot to think about the set up of the day’s shots when he was stopped by a Tico crew member wearing a miner’s head lamp around his forehead. The crew member was holding a menacing-looking venomous snake in his hands.

“It spits, be careful”

“What’s the name again?”

“Jumping Pit Viper, or Atropoides Mexicanus, scientific name”

“Oh my goodness”

“What a beauty. Aarrgh!”

“Did it try jumping?  This is where we’re shooting”

M. Night Shyamalan filmed the ophidian encounter and promptly shared it with his thousands of Twitter followers, many of them film buffs, who critiqued his smartphone filming technique. “You should turn your phone sideways for landscape recording.” Tough crowd. Never mind that the day before the director had notified his followers that the weather was unpredictable, and that laying down tracks for dolly cam shots was difficult since it required bee and snake wranglers to clear the path ahead.

With blockbusters like The Sixth Sense, Signs, The Village, and others, M. Night Shyamalan has a lot to worry about other than jumping pit vipers and Twitter followers who are tough to please. He is directing a film with lots of star power and Hollywood moxie on it. The stars of After Earth are no less than American mega-star actor Will Smith and his son Jaden, who is playing a part as the son of Will’s character.  Since the film is currently in-production, only a few details have emerged about it.  The screenplay writers are Stephen Gagan (of Traffic and Syriana fame) and Gary Whitta (The Book of Eli).  It is interesting to note that Will Smith has already played in the post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller I Am Legend, and that Whitta’s Book of Eli is also set in a dystopian future. Movie fans are excited that After Earth is in the creative hands of M. Night Shyamalan, a filmmaker known for cerebral and atmospheric work.  Shyamalan’s The Happening had a near-apocalyptic subtext, and it was well-received.

Star Power

For our few readers who are not familiar with Will Smith’s stellar trajectory, consider the following: he got his showbiz start in hip hop and sitcom, and in fact he is the first rapper to receive a Grammy Music award (as the Fresh Prince).  This accomplishment underscores his ability to appeal to many audiences. The Smith family has really known how to parlay hip hop culture into success.  Will Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett dated the late rapper Tupac Shakur; Will and Jada’s daughter Willow had a hit single (“Whip My Hair“), and son Jaden performed “Never Say Never” on the soundtrack of The Karate Kid -in which he also starred.

Ever since his days as the Fresh Prince, Will Smith has garnered significant Hollywood power. The films Six Degrees of Separation and Bad Boys were just the beginning. Starring in sci-fi blockbusters like Independence Day, I Am Legend, and iRobot cemented his career. After Earth is guaranteed to be one of his biggest accomplishments to date.

The Impact in our Economy

With such Hollywood royalty filming in San Carlos, the locals are excited and a few observers are paying attention to what is sure to become the biggest film production that uses Costa Rica as a filming location since Jurassic Park.  Michael Rowland, a reader of The Costa Rica Star gave a man-on-the-ground assessment of the situation upon the arrival of the film crew:

The hotel where Smith is staying is about 5 kilometers (3 1/2 miles) north of the volcano. We actually live about 12km (7 1/2 miles) SE of the mountain.

The film production is providing a significant boost to the local economy. Three local hotels are providing 250 rooms to the cast & crew. 200 Ticos (+ 100 foreigners) have been hired as extras or for work on the sets, and some of our neighbors have been asked to rent their vehicles, especially 4 X 4’s, to the set.

The Producer Speaks Up

What is known about After Earth is that it will be an epic film, set in a future when Earth has become unfit for humans to live in. The plot calls for a father and son team of space travelers -played by Will and Jaden Smith- who crash land on Earth. A rehabilitated Earth provides a tense background as the son must help his father survive.

After Earth is definitely a family affair: not only are Will and Jaden Smith involved, but also Caleeb Pinkett, brother of Jada Pinkett-Smith.  Jada is famous for her movie roles in the Matrix Trilogy and for being Jaden’s mom and Will’s better half. Jada is also in Costa Rica now. Her brother is a member of the Overbrook Entertainment production team, and in an interview with La Nacion, he only had nice things to say about working in our country:

• Costa Rica is a very beautiful place. We loved the Arenal; it has a deep earthy connection that’s very different from Hawaii or other locations. The volcano’s eruption in 1968 left one of its sides charred, which is perfect for filming the character walking uphill. The ocean’s not as close as in Hawaii, which is good.

• [In the film] Costa Rica represents Earth after it has regenerated itself. She has all the components we were looking for.

Caleeb could not disclose production budgets, but they are sure to be in the millions. He has been here before on a location scouting mission, and he told La Nacion that he understands Pura Vida. He lauded the work of the Tico film crews, and added:  “I think you have taken such good care of this country that more people will want to come here and film the Earth in her most beautiful state. It looks almost virginal, the way God intended it to be.”

The Hollywood of Central America?

In the past, The Costa Rica Star has reported on the wave of Hollywood celebrities snapping up luxury real estate in our country. Depending on the success of After Earth and the shots that M. Night Shyamalan and his crew accomplish over their two-week production schedule, the future of Costa Rica as a favorite filming location could improve significantly.

Aside from Jurassic Park, other Hollywood blockbusters like 1492, Basic, Congo, and Spy Kids II have scenes filmed here.  Classic surfing documentaries Step Into Liquid and Endless Summer II are also notable. Reality television fare like Temptation Island and Amazing Race have also stopped here; as well as lesser-known movies like Funny Money and Death to the Supermodels.

As Tico film productions like El Regreso, El Fin and Gestacion continue to please critics and audiences at international film festivals, a small film industry could develop; perhaps not on the level of Hollywood, but maybe closer to Vancouver, B.C. Professional local companies like Pura Vida Films report that each year over 100 film and video projects take place in Costa Rica.

Technical Details

Soon after his arrival in Costa Rica, director M. Night Shyamalan shared the following succinct message on his Twitter feed: Directing should reveal detail. So far After Earth has been filled with technical details. Not much is yet known about special effects, but knowing Shyamalan’s previous work, they are guaranteed to be both solid and spectacular.

To capture our country’s natural beauty and the right visual tones for After Earth, Shyamalan  is using a Sony F65. This is the first time the acclaimed director is going digital. The Sony F65 is a super high-end camera that costs more than a brand new Toyota Prado even after the Ministerio de Hacienda imposes the requisite taxes. M. Night Shyamalan is also the first filmmaker that will use the Sony F65 for a full-feature motion picture.

We asked our resident photography expert Solson Scherman to elaborate on what makes the Sony F65 such a big deal, and he pointed out that image resolution has a lot to do with it. The F65 is able to film at a 4K resolution – that’s four times higher than the standard resolution achieved by digital film cameras currently on the market. Mr. Scherman added that Peter Jackson, acclaimed director of Lord of the Rings and King Kong, is currently using 5K resolution on the Hobbit film with a Red One camera system. Pura Vida Films uses Red One equipment as well, but Peter Jackson wants to outdo both Tico film crews and M. Night Shyamalan with no less than 48 Red Epic cameras at the highest digital resolution possible.

Whether After Earth will find greater critical and box office than The Hobbit remains to be seen. We’ll have to wait until the summer of 2013 to see how the beautiful San Carlos scenery looks when filmed by a master director.

If you really wanted to see the song and music video that got Will Smith the first rap grammy, here you go! Summertime!