Behind-the-Scenes  -  Making Of  -  On Set

The creative Makers of 'Wyatt Earp' tried everything to lend realism and authenticity to the epic project.
From Director Lawrence Kasdan ('Silverado'), Cinematographer Owen Roizman ('The French Connection'), 
Production Designer Ida Random ('Rain Man'), Set Decorator Cheryl Carasik ('Men in Black'), 
to Costume Designer Colleen Atwood ('The Silence of the Lambs'), everyone gave everything to ensure 
that 'Wyatt Earp' exploited every corner of its anamorphic frame in the best possible way.
Doc: What do you want to do?
Wyatt: Kill'em all.
We should take a closer look.
The Making of 'Wyatt Earp'.

Director Lawrence Kasdan (middle) uses storyboard drawings to visualize every scene of the movie.
Here we see him discussing the next scene with DOP Owen Roizman (right).
Wyatt runs into the corn ...and Cinematographer Owen Roizman and Director Lawrence Kasdan (blue shirt) 
try to find him.
The landscape shots of Roizman are first-class photographed.
Dusty plains, rugged mountains and endless corn fields.
Shooting a dusty day exterior.
The Sp/Fx crew tries to blow the dust in shape and size as impressively as possible in front of the camera.
Steadicam operator Rusty Geller is ready for a close-up of Wyatt Earp (Kevin Costner).
The guy behind the Steadicam crew conjures up a little extra dust into the scene.
The Camera equipment and the lungs of the crew are a bit sensitive to too much dust.
Burt Dalton and his special effects crew try to control the smoke and dust effects needed for the movie,
which often is an adventure in the Santa Fe area, the main location of 'Wyatt Earp'.
Everyone protects themselves as well as he can against the bright dust from outer space.
What are they blowing into the air? Any fine powder?
Apparently it is delivered in bags, a few are lying there on the ground.
Rusty 'Steadicam' Geller filming some close-ups.
He does not sit on a horse, as you might expect, but on a truck pulling the wagon.
Filming the chase scene.
Wyatt transports goods that have attracted a gang of bandits.
The crew found an ideal place to film the tricky scene. The freight wagon should go at full speed down a canyon road.
Stunt coordinator Norman Howell prepared that scene 3 weeks with his crew.
For the special Roizman 'wide-screen' close-ups of Kevin Costner you need another set-up.
One pickup is pulling the wagon and a second one, with the long camera boom, is driving parallel.
What a wild ride.
Wow. This locomotive seems a bit overloaded.
Look how many people are on the truck ...and all the heavy camera equipment.
At least 3 camera crews.
To get more dust they have hung sacks on the truck, filled with Fuller's Earth?
But on that dusty path it's probably enough to pull a sack with some stones in to get a nice effect.
Filming the boxing match scene, with Wyatt as Referee.
The noticeably Story and character-driven movie has a nice epic sweep.
Director Lawrence Kasdan is talking with Tom Sizemore (Bat Masterson).
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Realistic night scenes are not easy in lighting and composition.
The versatile Owen Roizman conceived some really terrific-looking scenes. 
Dennis Quaid (Doc) orders himself a big family pizza.
That's no wonder, as the man has lost a lot of weight for his role as tuberculosis ill dentist Doc Holliday.
All the effort was worth it Dennis, you are the best Doc ever!
The inevitable inclusion of the bullet-fest at the O.K.Corral is an important action setting, 
but the brilliantly filmed stride of the Earps gang toward their legendary appointment is a highlight in itself.
Owen Roizman covered the sequence from every possible angle.
A great visual experience! A wonderful sequence.
The memorable sequence required a considerable effort.
It took about 5 days to shoot the O.K.Corral sequence including the walk of the Earps toward the Corral.
The choreography and composition took up most of the time.
I love the scene where Roizman only shows the legs of the men in black.
Focused, stylish, great Cinema!
Screenshot of the scene. Marching in lockstep.
Filming close-ups of the faces of the boys. 
The lighting concept that Cinematographer Owen Roizman devised provided beautifully illuminated images.
The color scheme of the whole film (lighting, Sets,...) is terrific!
The numerous saloon scenes required a special illumination.
Warm lights to simulate petroleum lamps or candles.
Kevin Costner rehearsing the death scene of Morgan Earp. Morgan (Linden Ashby) was shot dead through the window.
There is a white strip (sticky tape) on the billiard table.
On this position makeup supervisor Michael Mills will apply the artificial blood.
There is something to see in every corner, a great set of Cheryl Carasik (Set Decoration).
In every scene you will discover well chosen details...!
The crew is preparing a close-up of the shot dead Morgan Earp.
The blood should gently flow around the billiard ball.
Screenshot of the finished Scene in the movie.
Wyatt Earp pursues his enemies mercilessly.
He is on a blood rampage.
Close-up shot of Wyatt killing Indian Charlie (Scotty Augare). Behind him you can see Doc Holliday on his horse.
Screenshot of the finished Scene in the movie. Great camera setting.
35mm Kodachrome of an interesting scene that didn't made it into the final cut.
Initially planned as at least 3-hour plus X epic, the film has undergone some cuts and changes.
Filming at Plaza Blanca, New Mexico. 
A brilliant location to shoot a Western movie.
Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp track down Johnny Ringo at Plaza Blanca.
Plaza Blanca, New Mexico.
Director Lawrence Kasdan (white cap), DOP Owen Roizman (pointing) and Kevin Costner
devise a shoot-out sequence.
On the stones in front of the guys you can see a 'striker-board' used by the Special Effects Crew 
to get a nice and fast series of bullet impacts (squibs).
Filming of a shoot-out at Plaza Blanca. 
The chap on the right provides a little extra smoke.
Johnny Ringo (Norman Howell) is fatally hit by bullets.
A high fall stunt of Stunt Coordinator Norman Howell edited and composited with a simple fall on the back
for the close-up of Johnny Ringo (photo). 
Nice gunshot wounds of the makeup crew of Michael Mills.
The cardboard boxes are for the high fall ('airbag'). Nothing special for Stunt Coordinator Norman Howell.
But it is quite unusual, that most actors on the show did their own stunts whenever possible.
Norman Howell in the book 'Wyatt Earp - The Film and the Filmmakers':
'I like to use actors, because I think the audience wants to see the actor.
They're not paying to see the stunt guys. They're paying to see the actors.
Norman trained them and the actors put in the time to learn and do it right.
Bang! Bang! - Rehearsing of the end of Johnny Ringo!
A fine edited stunt scene.
All Kodachrome slides are official Warner Brothers promotion slides, released 1994 in small amounts.
Photos by Still photographer Ben Glass.
For Wyatt and Doc fans I recommend the Frank Perry movie 'DOC'. 
Available on a nice blu-ray, the movie offers a different view and interpretation of the Western legends.

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