Editing Vanilla Sky (section)

==Production==
===Development===
{{quote box|quote=In the days after completing ''[[Almost Famous]]'', the opportunity to keep our film-making team together was too attractive to pass up. I'd always written my own original screenplays, but ''[[Open Your Eyes (1997 film)|Open Your Eyes]]'', with its open-ended and impressionistic themes, felt like a great song for our 'band' to [[Cover version|cover]].|source=—[[Cameron Crowe]], explaining his reason for directing ''Vanilla Sky''.<ref name="theguardian">{{cite web |last1=Crowe |first1=Cameron |title=So lonely I could cry |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2002/jan/11/artsfeatures2 |website=the Guardian |access-date=August 17, 2013 |date=January 11, 2002 |archive-date=June 13, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140613003933/http://www.theguardian.com/film/2002/jan/11/artsfeatures2 |url-status=live }}</ref>|width=35%|align=right}}

After the American debut of [[Alejandro Amenábar]]'s 1997 Spanish film [[Open Your Eyes (1997 film)|''Abre los ojos'' (''Open Your Eyes'')]] at the 1998 [[Sundance Film Festival]], [[Tom Cruise]] and his producing partner [[Paula Wagner]] optioned the remake rights. Hoping to entice director [[Cameron Crowe]], who collaborated with Cruise on ''[[Jerry Maguire]]'', Cruise invited Crowe over to his house to view the film.<ref>{{cite web|last=Rodriquez|first=Rene|title='Jerry Maguire' Director, Star Reteam|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1346&dat=20011219&id=y1FIAAAAIBAJ&sjid=7P0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6364,7352841|work=[[The Miami Herald]]|publisher=[[The Ledger|Lakeland Ledger]]|access-date=August 17, 2013|page=D6|date=December 19, 2001|archive-date=May 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507165534/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1346&dat=20011219&id=y1FIAAAAIBAJ&sjid=7P0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6364,7352841|url-status=live}}</ref> Cruise has stated:

<blockquote>I've been offered a lot of films to buy and remake, and I never have because I felt it was too connected with the culture of that place, whatever country it was from. But this was a universal story that was still open-ended, that still felt like it needed another chapter to be told.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Majumdar |first1=Devdoot |title=Interview: Vanilla Skies Ahead |journal=[[The Tech (newspaper)|The Tech]] |date=December 11, 2001 |issue=66 |url=http://tech.mit.edu/V121/N66/Vanilla_Sky.66a.html |access-date=August 17, 2013 |archive-date=February 22, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222200402/http://tech.mit.edu/V121/N66/Vanilla_Sky.66a.html |url-status=dead }}</ref></blockquote>

[[File:Claude Monet - The Seine at Argenteuil 1873.jpg|thumb|right|The title ''Vanilla Sky'' refers to the sky as painted by [[Claude Monet]], specifically as in ''[[The Seine at Argenteuil]]'' (1873) which is featured in the film.]]
The title of the film is a reference to depictions of skies in certain paintings by [[Claude Monet]].<ref name="dvdcommentary">Mentioned by the director in the [[Audio commentary (DVD)|commentary track]] for the DVD release.</ref> In addition to Monet's [[impressionistic]] artwork, the film's tone was derived from the acoustic ballad "By Way of Sorrow" by [[Julie Miller]] and a line from an early interview of [[Elvis Presley]] in which he said, "I feel lonely, even in a crowded room."<ref name="theguardian"/>

===Filming===
Principal photography for ''Vanilla Sky'' began in late 2000 and lasted six weeks.<ref name="Uncool">{{cite web |title=Vanilla Sky Production Notes |url=http://www.theuncool.com/films/vanilla-sky/vanilla-sky-production-notes/ |website=The Uncool |publisher=[[Paramount Pictures]] |access-date=August 17, 2013 |archive-date=March 15, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315114021/http://www.theuncool.com/films/vanilla-sky/vanilla-sky-production-notes/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="guild">{{cite web |title=John Toll, ASC |url=https://www.cameraguild.com/AboutUs/memberspotlightcustom/member-spotlight-john-toll.aspx |website=Local 600: International Cinematographers Guild |access-date=August 17, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120719150553/https://www.cameraguild.com/AboutUs/memberspotlightcustom/member-spotlight-john-toll.aspx |archive-date=July 19, 2012 |date=August 11, 2001}}</ref> On November 12, 2000, shooting for the scene of the deserted [[Times Square]] in [[New York City|New York]] took place in the early hours of the day. A large section of traffic was blocked off around Times Square while the scene was shot. "There was a limit on how long the city would let us lock everything up even on an early Sunday morning when much of NYC would be slow getting up," said [[Steadicam]] operator Larry McConkey. "Several times we rehearsed with Steadicam and Crane including a mockup of an unmovable guardrail that we had to work the crane arm around. [Cruise] participated in these rehearsals as well so we shared a clear understanding of what my limitations and requirements would be."<ref>{{cite web |last1=McConkey |first1=Larry |title="Empty Times Square" |url=http://www.steadishots.org/shots_detail.cfm?shotID=189 |website=SteadiShots.org |access-date=August 17, 2013 |archive-date=May 22, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090522130710/http://www.steadishots.org/shots_detail.cfm?shotID=189 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Filming lasted for six weeks around the [[New York City]] area, which included scenes in [[Central Park]], the [[Upper West Side]], [[SoHo]], and [[Brooklyn]]. One prominent location in the area was the [[Condé Nast Building]] that served as Aames Publishing and David's office. After filming finished in New York, production moved to [[Los Angeles]], where the remaining interior shots were completed at [[Paramount Studios]].<ref name="Uncool"/> Crowe intentionally left in shots of the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]] after the [[September 11 attacks]] as a tribute.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Christopher Zara |title=One World Trade: Film And TV Producers Navigate New York's Rapidly Changing Skyline |url=https://www.ibtimes.com/one-world-trade-film-and-tv-producers-navigate-new-york%E2%80%99s-rapidly-changing-skyline-782553 |website=[[International Business Times]] |access-date=February 23, 2016 |date=September 11, 2012 |archive-date=March 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305102840/http://www.ibtimes.com/one-world-trade-film-and-tv-producers-navigate-new-york%E2%80%99s-rapidly-changing-skyline-782553 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Despite the film's distorted aspects of reality, the style of [[cinematography]] remains grounded for much of the film. "I didn't do anything that was overtly obvious, because the story revolves around the main character not knowing whether he's in a state of reality, a dream or a nightmare, so we want it to feel a little ambiguous," said cinematographer [[John Toll]]. "We want the audience to make discoveries as [Cruise]'s character does, rather than ahead of him."<ref name="guild"/> ''[[American Cinematographer]]'' magazine wrote a feature story on the lighting designer [[Lee Rose (lighting designer)|Lee Rose]]'s work on the film.<ref>{{cite news |publisher=[[American Cinematographer]] |title=The Man Behind the Mask |author=Jay Holben |date=March 2002 |pages=52–55}}</ref>

===Alternate ending===
The 2015 Blu-ray release offers the option to watch the film with an alternative ending. This ending expands on the details at the end of the film. While it all leads to the same conclusion, there are additional scenes, alternative takes, and alternative dialogue.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jun/29/blu-ray-review-vanilla-sky-alternate-ending/|title=Blu-ray review: Vanilla Sky with Alternate Ending|website=The Washington Times|last=Szadkowski|first=Joseph|date=June 29, 2015|access-date=May 4, 2021|archive-date=May 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210505014153/https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jun/29/blu-ray-review-vanilla-sky-alternate-ending/|url-status=live}}</ref>

After Rebecca describes the lucid dream, David rushes out of the room but does not immediately dash towards the elevator. He meets McCabe in the restroom who tries to convince him that this is all a hoax and a con and that his case is going to trial. David tells him that he's only in his imagination. Much like in the theatrical cut, the Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations" plays, but this version makes it clear that David hears the music and that he chose it; meanwhile, McCabe tries to convince him there is no music.

At this point, David dashes out of the restroom for the elevator the way he does in the theatrical cut, but the scene in the lobby is expanded: David shoots the police officer who is firing at him and is then surrounded by a SWAT team whom McCabe tries to talk down, but the SWAT team fires at both of them. They black out and wake up in the emptied lobby where McCabe continues to applaud what he believes is a performance while David gets into the elevator with Ventura, who tells him what happened at the end of his real life.

Once they reach the roof, McCabe reenters again and his pleas to David not to believe Ventura become more and more desperate until he collapses onto the ground in despair. David's interaction with Sofia is extended as he tells her he loves her but "can't settle for a dream". He then jumps off the building, screaming "I want to wake up!" as images from his life flash before his eyes. He wakes up in bed and a voice tells him "Open your eyes. You're going to be fine."