Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight movie adaptation from the brilliant mind of Catherine Hardwicke is arguably the most aesthetically pleasing film our eyes have ever seen. From the ripped werewolves to the sparkly vampires, I purchased the Twilight Director’s notebook to give you reasons as to why Twilight is a film masterpiece.
- I’m Blue Bada Bee
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Sadly, as directors changed so did the blue filter we all know and love. But how did the idea to do it in the first place come up? Hardwicke thought that it attributed to Forks vibe and gave the vampires a more pale complexion. The New Moon director, Chris Weitz, changed the blue tint to a more orange tone because it was the focus of Bella and Jacob’s — who is a shape-shifting wolf — relationship. Still miss that blue filter though.
- America’s Favorite Pastime
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The baseball scene with Bella and the Cullens is out of this world, literally. According to the Director’s notebook, almost every sky had to be replaced in CGI to get the storm clouds to seem consistent. A scene that deserves all awards.
- How long have you been 17….
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The — not so big — reveal of when Bella put the pieces together and declared Edward was, indeed, a vampire. In the director’s notebook, Catherine and her crew worked tirelessly to ensure a great location. Lucky for us, it’s also where we got the greatest ‘the lion and the lamb’ quote. Not so lucky for them since snow was still stuck to the ground even in April! They even shot the famous meadow scene in Los Angeles, not Forks.
- Hold On Tight Spider Monkey
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It’s thanks to Twilight that we get so many iconic phrases. Fun fact: There were actual stunt doubles in the trees to do the aerial shots and were on flying rigs to jump from tree to tree!
- La push baby, la push
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While we may remember Twilight for its bad acting, let’s remember the comedic value as well. Remember when Bella invited Edward to La Push, which he declined because it’s “too crowded” only for the next scene to reveal a nearly vacant beach? The location was extremely cold, so crew members asked some surfers if they could borrow their van for some shots and so that the actors could warm up. That is where they’re seen talking and sitting down at the beach in the movie!
- 7 years of bad luck
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The ballet studio scene was the climax of the whole movie. From the mirrors to the lighting, everything was set up meticulously by Catherine and the crew. The scene where James and Edward broke the floorboards was done by stuntmen, as well as crashing into all those windows! Props to them, the physical labor was tasking during filming.
- soundtrack gold
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How can I talk about Twilight if I don’t mention the soundtrack? It gave us hits such as “Decode” by Paramore, “Flightless Bird, American Mouth” by Iron & Wine, “Bella’s Lullaby” by Carter Burwell, and even Robert Pattinson’s “Never think”. Those are just a few of the songs Twilight has gifted us.
So I’ll leave you with this, from the words of Jacob Black, “Bella, where the hell have you been, loca?”
Sources: Catherine Hardwicke “Twilight Director’s Notebook”