BARBIE hits the big screen next week with the release of the eagerly-anticipated movie based on the Mattel doll.
From Oscar-nominated writer/director Greta Gerwig, Barbie stars Academy Award-nominees Margot Robbie and La La Land's Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken respectively.
As previously reported by this paper, Barbie Land in the movie was created on the stages of Warner Bros' film and TV studios at Leavesden.
As the Barbie European premiere is held at Cineworld Leicester Square, London, tonight (Wednesday), here's some fun facts about the filming of the movie.
1. When did Barbie filming start?
Cameras rolled on Barbie on March 21, 2022, at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in Hertfordshire.
This was nearly two years to the date when, at the start of the pandemic, Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach shut themselves away in their New York apartment to craft the screenplay Gerwig would later sign on to direct.
2. Where is Barbie Land?
The entirety of the Barbie Land scenes were filmed on soundstages at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden.
The Barbie DreamHouses were over 25 feet high.
During development, Greta Gerwig called acclaimed film director Peter Weir to ask about his work on 'The Truman Show' in relation to lighting and creating that authentically artificial feel that she wanted for Barbie Land.
Audiences won’t see natural sunlight in the movie until Barbie and Ken arrive in Los Angeles.
3. Where was the Barbie beach scene filmed?
The cast and crew filmed the 'sunny' Barbie Land beach scenes on Stage N at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden.
While filming in Hertfordshire, a blizzard was making life very cold for everyone outside!
4. There's a lot of pink on set
Film producers reportedly caused a shortage of pink paint whilst making the movie.
On the pink palette, writer, director and executive producer Greta Gerwig said: “First and foremost, I wanted Barbie Land to feel like a happy place - where Barbie lives in our childhood imaginations.
"One of the first days I met with [production designer] Sarah Greenwood and the art team, we looked at all the different shades of pink to determine how they would interact.
"As a little girl, I liked the brightest pinks, but Barbie Land would incorporate the full spectrum of the colour, so it was important to figure out where those bright pinks would live alongside our palest, pastel pink, and of course every tone of pink in between.”
5. Doing the splits
Kate McKinnon’s Barbie House has holes hidden across the set, designed to enable McKinnon to hide one of her actual legs during filming, with a fake leg up against the wall to give the impression she is in the splits.
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