Behind the Scenes Peek of Fifty Shades of Grey
As we anxiously await the Valentine’s Day release of Fifty Shades of Grey, the behind-the-scenes footage and Instagram pictures released by the director have had to hold us over. Even the casting of the supporting roles was kept under tight lock and key until the director and writer, E L James, were ready to drip-feed the information to us.
Although the book clearly takes place in Seattle, filming took place in Vancouver – a short three-hour jaunt from the notoriously rainy city. But the December to February filming schedule brought on frigid temperatures and plenty of off-camera shots of the cast in full-length down parkas. There were even rumors that they would need to abandon the city in Canada as temperatures bordered on unbearable.
The cast and crew was able to keep warm long enough to complete the scenes. All of the expected locations are included, from the hardware store to the Red Room of Pain, as the lead character had named it. Photos captured in Vancouver illustrated many of the scenes.
Some of the first scenes captured were in the café, where Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele were first getting to know each other. Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson, who portray the leading characters, were photographed filming with the director in front of Grey House, the high-rise office of Grey Enterprise Holdings, the telecommunications business owned by young billionaire, Christian Grey.
The rain scenes were met with complications when area residents complained of the risk to their property. One persistent resident even went as far as waving around a cowbell to disrupt filming. After some negotiations, the crew agreed to move the rain scenes to another location.
The on-location debacles weren’t the only reported snafus. There was reported tension between the book’s author, E L James, and the film’s director, Sam Taylor-Johnson. James has been persistent about keeping the film adaptation as close to the book as possible. Taylor-Johnson was reportedly annoyed with the handling of the script. An insider said, “E L James wants the movie to match the book exactly, but Sam has a different perspective. Sam is reminding E L she writes books and [Sam] makes movies. This has caused some tension between the two of them.”
While the love story is one thing, the sultry bedroom scenes portrayed in the book may be a bit much at times if the film wants to maintain a R rating. Taylor-Johnson and producer Michael De Luca have to find a happy balance that will portray the scintillating romance without limiting their release to NC-17 theaters.
It hasn’t been all drama for the cast and crew though. Marcia Gay Hayden, who will portray Christian’s adoptive mother, tweeted images of her and others in the cast out to dinner. The group was celebrating Luke Grimes’ birthday. Grimes will portray Elliot Grey alongside Rita Ora who will portray Mia Grey, Christian’s adoptive brother and sister.
Filming wrapped in February and went to editing, but Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson recently returned to Vancouver to shoot additional scenes. In October, the duo was spotted embracing for scenes at three different locations. Some reported the scenes were reshoots due to lack of chemistry while others stated it was simply for filler footage.
With the film’s release only two months away, fans are enjoying the teasers and trailers as they anxiously await February 13th. The cast has kept quite this long but they’re just as excited as we are to see the film’s success.
