Editing City of Angels (film) (section)

==Production==
===Development===
Director [[Brad Silberling]] praised [[Wim Wenders]]' 1987 Franco-German film ''[[Wings of Desire]]'', calling it "truly the most incredible cinematic experience of observation of human detail".<ref name="Kenny">{{cite AV media |last1=Kenny |first1=J.M. |last2=Silberling |first2=Brad |date=2009 |title=The Angels Among Us |medium=Blu-ray |work=[[Wings of Desire]] |publisher=[[The Criterion Collection]]}}</ref> Silberling, while acknowledging Wenders' film was meant as a tribute to [[West Berlin]], remarked that it became "a larger human discussion".<ref name="Kenny"/> In 1989, at the initiative of producer [[Dawn Steel]],<ref name="Albers"/> her company reached out to Wenders to purchase the rights for an adaptation.<ref>{{cite AV media |last1=Kenny |first1=J.M. |last2=Wenders |first2=Wim |date=2009 |title=The Angels Among Us |medium=Blu-ray |work=[[Wings of Desire]] |publisher=[[The Criterion Collection]]}}</ref> However, production was delayed, as Steel took the project to [[The Walt Disney Company]] and [[Turner Entertainment]] before finally settling at [[Warner Bros.]]<ref name="Mermelstein">{{cite news |last=Mermelstein |first=David |date=April 5, 1998 |title=The remake as a risky take on a classic |volume=147 |page=17 |work=[[The New York Times]] |issue=51118 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/04/05/movies/film-the-remake-as-a-risky-take-on-a-classic.html |url-status=live |access-date=August 13, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814063655/http://www.nytimes.com/1998/04/05/movies/film-the-remake-as-a-risky-take-on-a-classic.html |archive-date=August 14, 2017}}</ref> Silberling secured the position of director after his success with the 1995 film adaptation of ''[[Casper (film)|Casper]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2003/feb/16/features.review |title=The family that grieves together... |last=Ojumu |first=Akin |access-date=July 16, 2017 |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=February 16, 2003 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170402210008/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2003/feb/16/features.review |archive-date=April 2, 2017 }}</ref>

While Steel's husband [[Charles Roven]] said she "felt that there was another movie in the idea for ''Wings of Desire''", screenplay drafts by various authors dissatisfied her.<ref name="Mermelstein"/> She subsequently selected [[Dana Stevens (screenwriter)|Dana Stevens]] as screenwriter.<ref name="Wilmington">{{cite web |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1998/04/10/caught-in-the-middle/ |title=Caught in the Middle |last=Wilmington |first=Michael |access-date=August 9, 2017 |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=April 10, 1998 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170809202514/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1998-04-10/entertainment/9804100018_1_angels-solveig-dommartin-wings |archive-date=August 9, 2017 }}</ref> Stevens professed admiration for Wenders' original and believed she could "capture its essence", while reconsidering its [[nonlinear narrative]]. She also defended the California setting, saying "Los Angeles is metaphorically more representative of America than any other city ... It has every personality, and I like the idea of angels being among all these different ethnic cultures".<ref name="Mermelstein"/>

[[File:US-CA-SanFrancisco-PublicLibrary-Atrium-2012-06-27T120042.jpg|250px|thumb|[[San Francisco Public Library]] was a filming location.{{sfn|Marcus|2015|p=206}}]]
Star [[Nicolas Cage]] said that moving the setting from Berlin in the time of the [[Berlin Wall|Wall]] to Los Angeles demanded story changes, with heavier focus on romance.<ref name="Mooney"/> Silberling and Cage noted the project followed other angel-themed films, such as ''[[Michael (1996 film)|Michael]]'' and ''[[The Preacher's Wife]]'', both released in 1996. They were unimpressed with these earlier films, and drew angel wings in the ''City of Angels'' screenplay to identify parts they felt needed improvement.<ref>{{cite magazine |editor-last=Cagle |editor-first=Jess |title=City of Angels |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |date=February 20–27, 1998 |issue=419–420 |page=64 }}</ref>

Though Silberling did not use the black-and-white the angels see in the original ''Wings of Desire'' and ''[[Faraway, So Close!]]'', the remake does borrow the idea of angels inhabiting libraries.{{sfn|Tate|2011|p=23}} Wenders and his crew also developed the costume design of overcoats for angels, with Wenders telling Silberling they experimented with costumes during production before deciding on this look.<ref name="Kenny"/> The ending of the story was altered, so Maggie is killed, a less happy conclusion than the original. Silberling equated this to a scene in ''Wings of Desire'' where the angel protagonist goes to the side of a motorcyclist near death.<ref name="Albers">{{cite web |url=http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/kulturspiegel/d-7927749.html |title=Hat Hollywood ein Herz für Engel? |last=Albers |first=Markus |access-date=July 16, 2017 |work=[[Der Spiegel]] |date=June 29, 1998 |language=de |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171029183759/http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/kulturspiegel/d-7927749.html |archive-date=October 29, 2017 }}</ref>

Silberling claimed there was minimal supervision from Warner Bros. throughout writing and filming, due to priority given to the [[Batman in film|''Batman'' film franchise]].<ref name="Albers"/> ''City of Angels'' was the last film produced by Steel and Roven before her death, and it is dedicated to her.<ref name="Ehrman">{{cite web |last=Ehrman |first=Mark |title=Stars Are Out for 'Angels,' Dawn Steel |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-apr-10-ls-37786-story.html |access-date=July 10, 2017 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=April 10, 1998 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816230931/http://articles.latimes.com/1998/apr/10/news/ls-37786 |archive-date=August 16, 2016 }}</ref>

===Casting===
Originally, Silberling envisioned employing novice actors in the lead roles, but acknowledged performers with the level of recognition of Cage and [[Meg Ryan]] would attract support for the production.<ref name="Albers"/> After having completed [[action film|action-oriented]] roles in ''[[The Rock (film)|The Rock]],'' ''[[Con Air]]'' and ''[[Face/Off]]'', Cage was eager to star in a more profound film when he received Stevens' screenplay. He agreed to accept the role, noting the spiritual issues in the story and the impact it had on him, but not elaborating on his own beliefs.<ref name="Mermelstein"/> Ryan also agreed to accept the role of Maggie, remarking "I don't know if angels are floating around, but the idea that there's a guiding force is something I embrace".<ref name="Mermelstein"/>

[[Andre Braugher]], an actor on the television series ''[[Homicide: Life on the Street]]'', was able to work on the project while ''Homicide'' was on break before the beginning of its [[Homicide: Life on the Street (season 6)|sixth season]].{{sfn|Kalat|2011}} His new co-star [[Dennis Franz]] was also starring on a police procedural series, ''[[NYPD Blue]]''.{{sfn|Kalat|2011}}

===Filming===
[[File:BofA.jpg|150px|thumb|The [[Bank of America Plaza (Los Angeles)|Los Angeles Bank of America]] was used for the falling scene.]]
Cage said that with this role, he had to switch from his regular methods of constant movements to trying to be "effective" while often still.<ref name="Mooney">{{cite news |first=Joshua |last=Mooney |title=City of Angels |newspaper=The Hour |date=April 10, 1998 |location=[[Norwalk, Connecticut]] |page=C1}}</ref> He remarked on having to adopt the mindset of a child, and act impressed by commonplace experiences such as feeling rain or sunlight.{{sfn|Malone|2010|p=162}} A rig for the camera was built for the scene where the angelic Seth sees Maggie look in the mirror, and the crew shot the mirror without the actors for one take so Cage's reflection could be edited out from the take with both.<ref name="Nelson"/>

Other special effects involved a "going to the light" [[afterlife]] depiction, in which Seth walks with a little girl, played by Sarah Dampf, who has died. After cinematographer [[John Seale]] shot the scene in a hallway, [[Sony Pictures Imageworks]]' [[John Nelson (visual effects artist)|John Nelson]] increased the brightness to end in white, adding splinters of light.<ref name="Nelson">{{cite AV media|last=Nelson |first=John |title=The Making of the Visual Effects for City of Angels |publisher=Sony Pictures Imageworks |date=1998 |medium=DVD }}</ref>

Some of the film was shot at [[Lake Tahoe]]'s surrounding areas and [[Kern County]].{{sfn|Medved|Akiyama|2007|p=334}} The "falling" scene was partially shot at the [[Bank of America Plaza (Los Angeles)|Los Angeles Bank of America]], while Cage was placed on a moving rig over a [[Chroma key|bluescreen]].<ref name="Nelson"/> Ryan's death scene was filmed on Old Mill Road in [[Crestline, California]].{{sfn|Medved|Akiyama|2007|p=334}} The library scenes were shot at [[San Francisco Public Library]].{{sfn|Marcus|2015|p=206}} For angel scenes shot at [[Malibu Beach]], though the characters are not physical beings, it was decided that the angels would have briefly visible footprints to avoid the perception that the sand was too hard to leave imprints. Thus, Nelson erased the footprints soon after they are first seen.<ref name="Nelson"/>
[[File:Malibu Beach - panoramio (2).jpg|250px|thumb|Scenes were shot at [[Malibu Beach]].]]

===Music===
{{Main|City of Angels (soundtrack)}}
The [[film score|score]] was composed by [[Gabriel Yared]], often using three notes to convey ascent. Pop [[synthesizer]]s, pianos and strings were used for the three-note compositions where the angels observe Los Angeles, where the child in the prologue dies and where Seth experiences Maggie's despair, respectively.{{sfn|Laing|2007|pp=35-36}} Yared also employed violins and celli, sometimes using one to accompany a line of [[voice-over]] dialogue and another for follow-up dialogue.{{sfn|Laing|2007|p=42}} Choirs and distant voices reminiscent of [[Jürgen Knieper]]'s ''Wings of Desire'' score can be heard.<ref name="Albers"/>

The soundtrack debuted at number 23 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] chart on the issue dated April 18, 1998.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=The Billboard 200 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date=August 1, 1998 |volume=110 |issue=16 |page=84 |publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mQ4EAAAAMBAJ&q=%22city+of+angels%22+billboard+200&pg=PA82 |access-date=January 28, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171029183759/https://books.google.com/books?id=mQ4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA82&dq=%22city+of+angels%22+billboard+apr+1998&hl=en&sa=X&ei=YnToUq__GIWvkAePr4H4Cg&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=%22city%20of%20angels%22%20billboard%20200&f=false |archive-date=October 29, 2017 }}</ref> Its two singles, the [[Goo Goo Dolls]]' "[[Iris (song)|Iris]]" and [[Alanis Morissette]]'s "[[Uninvited (song)|Uninvited]]", were released to U.S. radio in March and were still receiving substantial radio airplay by August.<ref name="YahooMusic">{{cite web |url=http://music.yahoo.com/read/news/12039296 |last=Rosen |first=Craig |title='City' A Set-Up For New Alanis, Goo Goo Dolls Albums |work=[[Yahoo! Music]] |date=August 27, 1998 |access-date=November 11, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070614124544/http://music.yahoo.com/read/news/12039296 |archive-date=June 14, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

While composing "Iris" for the film, songwriter [[John Rzeznik]] described feeling inspired to write the lyrics from the point of view of a character, rather than in his own voice.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Siegler |first=Dylan |title='Dizzy' Track Listing |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date=September 5, 1998 |page=123 | publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc. }}</ref> Music author [[John Braheny]] wrote that Rzeznik's composition in "Iris" follows a [[musical form|form]] where a melody, represented by A, is given [[Repetition (music)|AAA repetition]], with an added repeating chorus lyric.{{sfn|Braheny|2006|p=87}}