Taglines: People dance because dance can change things.
In the third installment, a tight-knit group of street dancers, including Luke (Malambri) and Natalie (Vinson), team up with NYU freshman Moose (Sevani), and find themselves pitted against the world’s best breakdancers in a high-stakes showdown that will change their lives forever.
New York’s intense street dancing underground comes alive in eye-popping Digital 3D in the third installment of the “Step Up” franchise as the raw, passion-fueled culture goes global. A tight-knit group of street dancers, including Luke (Rick Malambri) and Natalie (Sharni Vinson), team up with NYU freshman Moose (Adam Sevani), and find themselves pitted against the world’s best breakdancers in a high-stakes showdown that will change their lives forever.
Filmmakers realized they would need to up the ante on every level to top “Step Up 2 The Streets” and “Step Up.” “‘Step Up 2 The Streets’ had this storybook element to it and I really envisioned the next chapter to be more of a twisted fairy tale,” says director Jon M. Chu. “‘Step Up 3D’ features darker characters who come out of the shadows to play into this underground playground where anything goes.”
“Step Up 3D” will go down in history as the first film of its kind to be shot in digital 3D. “We were looking for exciting ways to take the franchise to the next level and 3D proved the perfect next way to literally step up,” says producer Patrick Wachsberger. “This franchise has always made audiences feel like they were seeing the best dance party ever, but now with 3D, it’s as if they’re in the best dance party ever.”
Chu discovered endless potential with the new medium. “In the old classic musicals, the frame itself twists and slides with the dancer and is a part of the dance. With 3D we are able to take the frame to a whole new level, where the audience doesn’t just watch the dance, but they are part of the experience,” he says. “It feels like a duet between our audience and the dancers.”
“We choreographed moments in the dance numbers specifically for 3D,” adds Gibgot. “My favorite comment from a recent screening was one teenager saying ‘I felt like I was being attacked by dance, but in a good way.’”
“Shooting dance in 3D creates a ton of opportunities to experience dance in totally new ways,” adds Chu. “Dancers are leaping into your laps and spinning right towards your face.”
A standout at USC film school, Chu wowed the entertainment industry with his award-winning student films (“Silent Beats,” “When the Kids Are Away”) and upon graduating was subsequently courted by a who’s who of Hollywood producers with promising projects. However, it was Offspring Entertainment’s Adam Shankman and Jennifer Gibgot and Summit Entertainment’s Patrick Wachsberger and Erik Feig who presented Chu with an irresistible opportunity to helm the second installment to the surprise hit “Step Up.”
Chu, a former dancer, was thrilled to combine his two passions on the big screen for his directorial debut. The fairy tale theme of the series remained but Chu made “Step Up 2 The Streets” his own by injecting the energetic sequel with new characters and raw, inspired choreography that melded seamlessly with the lively storytelling that audiences responded to with “Step Up.” Chu’s was an unrivaled approach that resonated with audiences with tremendous results. “Step Up 2 The Streets” opened number one at the box office, solidifying the series as a juggernaut of dance and music while simultaneously amassing a following of die-hard fans who still clamor for more of the street-savvy dance moves and compelling story.
And this time, they’ll get it in 3D. Says Shankman, “Dance really lends itself to 3D technology. It’s very exciting to marry the two and be the first to use this kind of technology to highlight this art form.”
Taking 3D to the streets of New York City proved both an opportunity and a challenge. “It is like using a different paintbrush, and your method has to change to use that paintbrush,” says Chu.
To ensure that the delicate camera equipment could withstand the vigorous pace of filming, the filmmakers turned to camera impresario Vince Pace, whose company oversaw the design of revolutionary technology used for recent big box-office hits to craft their 3D camera systems. The equipment, normally bulky and highly sensitive, would repeatedly be put to the test as Chu’s elaborate dance concepts evolved. Pace modified the camera systems to a more streamlined version that allowed the fast-moving action to be shot more fluidly for stunning 3D vistas.
The filmmakers looked to director of photography Ken Seng, who previously worked on the thriller “Obsessed,” to integrate the film’s look from both a 2D and 3D perspective. The locale turned out to be as inspirational for Seng as it was to Chu and his cast of dancers. “It’s just amazing to work in these iconic places,” says Seng, “to be able to translate it all in 3D really lets you be there. My goal was to capture the feeling of when I moved here in my 20s. It was total wonderment as I walked around the city for the first time. Jon and I wanted the audience to feel that. We wanted to use 3D not as a novelty, but as a tool to submerge the viewer into New York City through crane shots and a dynamic camera work.”
Filmmakers utilized strategic choreography, lighting and production design to achieve added depth and multiple layers—maximizing the 3D imagery. Seng was looking forward to working with the emerging technology and decided early on to “go big” when it came to his ambitious lighting plans. This approach meshed perfectly with Chu’s philosophy. “‘Step Up 3D’ is essentially an action film,” says the cinematographer.
“There’s so much incredible dance happening and you want to be able to move the cameras around quickly and low to the ground to capture all that movement.” One of the more immediate, if not awe-inspiring, benefits to filming in 3D is the ability to view scenes as they play out in real time, courtesy of a giant television monitor on set. It was a common sight on any given day to see cast and crew circled around the video monitor wearing hip, black plastic 3D glasses. The visible enthusiasm was a good sign, say filmmakers.
“Ultimately,” says Chu, “our movie creates a whole new experience in 3D, so it was worth all the hard work. And I think the audience will see that as well. They’ll fall in love with the characters and they’ll see some of the best dancers in the world.”
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Step Up 3D (2010)
Directed by: Jon Chu
Starring: Harry Shum Jr. Adam G. Sevani, Sharni Vinson, Kylie Goldstein, Rick Malambri, Alyson Stoner, Kendra Andrews, Stephen Boss, Straphanio ‘Shonnie’ Solomon, Terence Dickson
Screenplay by: Amy Andelson, Emily Meyer, Duane Adler
Production Design by: Devorah Herbert
Cinematography by: Ken Seng
Film Editing by: Andrew Marcus
Costume Design by: Annie Bloom, Kurt and Bart
Set Decoration by: Regina Graves
Art Direction by: Page Buckner, Mario Ventenilla
Music by: Bear McCreary
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for brief strong language.
Distributed by: Buena Vista Pictures
Release Date: August 6, 2010