SHARK NIGHT 3D Production Notes - Visual Hollywood

SHARK NIGHT 3D (2011)
PRODUCTION NOTES
found the script’s understanding of the nature of each species compelling. “You hear the title of
this film and you have a certain impression,” says Conti, who received an Oscar nomination for
his visual effects work on The Perfect Storm. “But one of the great things the writers did was
capture what the different kinds of sharks would actually do. We've done a lot of shark films, but
it was the variety that was really cool in this movie.
“They’re all used in an utterly realistic way and each one is different,” he adds. “The writers
obviously read and understood a lot about sharks. The mako is a particularly fast swimmer. The
hammerhead’s more of a wily hunter. The behavior of the great whites is exactly accurate.”
Paxton hopes that the film’s unique combination of hair-raising action, relatable characters and
irreverent humor will appeal to a wide audience. “I hope people have a good time watching this
movie,” she says. “And that they're scared. I think they will be.”
SHARK BAIT: THE CAST OF SHARK NIGHT 3-D
Director David R. Ellis assembled a gorgeous and talented ensemble of up-and-coming actors to
play the friends who find themselves trapped in a nightmare on what seemed to be the perfect
weekend holiday. “They were all really passionate about doing the movie and excited to be in it,”
says Ellis. “I’ve had a lot of luck in the past casting young actors and I think these guys are all
going to be huge stars. Sara Paxton, who plays Sara in the movie, was awesome in The House on
the Left. She’s a good actress and obviously really pretty. She was our first choice. We were very
lucky to get her and the rest of the cast.”
A pert blonde who rocks a bikini for most of the film, Sara has a dark secret that sets the action
in motion. “ My character is kind of a mystery at the beginning of the movie,” says Paxton. “We
know that everyone is going to her house for a really fun party, but as the story unfolds, a lot
more information comes to light.”
The actress, who had previously faced down a vicious gang in Last House on the Left and
explored a haunted hotel in The Innkeepers, thought she was prepared for the rigors of Shark
Night 3-D, but soon found her professional dedication tested. “The very first time we were on
set, we were already doing underwater scenes in the tank,” she says. “It was one of the most
difficult things I've ever done physically. We had a mini dive-training course for the underwater
action. We had to learn to breathe through regulators, and there was someone with us underwater
all the time to make sure we were okay.”
Even those precautions didn’t completely prepare her for the reality of what was in store for her
and the rest of the cast. “When you’re underwater for that long, you can’t see anything clearly,”
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