Director Jon M. Chu says WICKED’s color grading is meant to “immerse people in Oz, to make it a real place”

85 years have passed since the film The Wizard of Oz was released in theaters, and as I raised my own children and re-watched the film countless times, it’s still amazing to me how well it held up.

The makeup, the costumes and especially the transformation from the black and white beginning to the color-filled world of Oz, the film has a magic that transcends its time and place and continues to captivate its viewers.

Despite the enormous order to carry out, director Jon M. Chu hopes to recreate some of that magic and develop it in his film, Evilwhich is a prequel to The Wizard of Oz.

The film had a stellar opening weekend and is sure to have a very successful first week and second weekend leading up to Thanksgiving. Early reviews from both fans and critics were enthusiastic, but one criticism from some viewers concerned Eviland its comparison with Technicolor in The Wizard of Oz.

The director spoke about the intention behind the film’s aesthetic in a recent interview with The Globe and Mail after the interviewer commented that the film is “a little desaturated.” Chu explained:

“I mean, there’s color everywhere. I think what we wanted to do was immerse people in Oz, make it a real place. Because if it was a fake place, if it was a dream in someone’s mind, then the real relationships and the stakes that these two girls are facing wouldn’t feel real.”

Chu emphasized that he wanted to present the Land of Oz “in a way that we’ve never experienced Oz before.”

“It was a matte painting. It was a digital world of video games. But for us, I want to feel the earth. I want to feel the wear and tear. And that means it’s not plastic.”

Chu continued: “We have the environment. The sun is the main source of light. See the vast landscapes. See the air. You see, creatures exist here.

“For these two characters who will span two films, their relationship with the land is important; their relationship with the nature of this land that the magician has imposed on himself. THE [color] the contrast increases over time because this is what Elphaba brings to this world.

The color grading of “Wicked” has been a popular topic on social media ever since the first-look images were released. In an interview with VarietyChu shared his response to criticism that those images were too dark.

“I chose those images specifically. It was so early and we had just started shooting. I wanted evocative and provocative images to show that this is not a bright and colorful story. We hadn’t even done the effects. The background was blue.

“I had to put visual effects in the sky. I was coloring it on my iPhone. We’re not doing it through a real process. I love playing in the shadows, but my iPhone’s brightness was very high. When I posted the photos, literally from my iPhone, I realized, “Oh, not everyone turns the brightness that high.” I felt bad because I did it. There was no need to go through the studio.”

I’ve loved the photos and footage I’ve seen of the film so far and can’t wait to see it this week with my family! Evil is now playing in cinemas around the world.