Resident Evil: Afterlife

Summary	Plot	Production	Marketing	Distribution	Reception	Credits	Gallery	Further notes

Resident Evil: Afterlife is the fourth film in Constantin's franchise. Originally titled Resident Evil 4, it was filmed in 2009 and was the first in the series to use 3D camerawork.

Pre-production

"I always envisioned Resident Evil as a trilogy of films and we've been very lucky where it's a trilogy where the audience has built and built. I wanted to kick off a brand new trilogy. I'm really excited we're doing it [in 3-D] and we're using the same camera system Cameron used for Avatar. There are a lot of exciting things about this one. I don't regard it as Resident Evil 4, I regard it as a re-tooling and rebirth of the entire franchise."" — Paul W.S. Anderson on the Afterlife film announcement.

Constantin first expressed interest of doing a fourth film in mid-2005, and the idea of a Tokyo setting was mentioned by producer Martin Moszkowicz during the 2005 Cannes Film Festival. These plans were not set in stone, however, and Resident Evil: Extinction was referred to repeatedly in marketing material as the final entry in the series and by its producers. This unexpected shift in position may relate to concerns on Sony's end over long-running film series, and it was not until after Extinction's release that Sony began talking with Constantin, Davis Film and Impact Pictures. Talks began between the companies in mid-2008 with Anderson slated as the writer, though at the time no story had been pitched. By July 2009 plans were emerging of Resident Evil 4 being the first in a new trilogy, and it was confirmed they would be using 3D cameras. Ahead of filming, Constantin took out a loan from DZ Bank to cover their part of the production budget.

Script

Writing began in mid-2008 after a pitch by Anderson was agreed by Constantin, Sony and Capcom, and it was still in draft stages in December 2008 when interviewed by IGN. One of the main themes in the story was as the reversal of Extinction by quickly removing Alice's psionic abilities that kept her alive in the previous film and make the Undead a realistic threat to her once more. The Jill Valentine ending was not originally envisioned (or the appearance of dogs). Anderson added the Umbrella attack in at the end when he received complaints for not ending on a cliffhanger like the earlier films. The re-introduction of Sienna as Jill was decided because of fan criticism of her lack of appearance in Extinction.

Casting

At the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con, Milla Jovovich confirmed that she would return for the lead role of Alice, and noted that the clones from Extinction would also be returning. On September 22, 2009 it was announced that Ali Larter would indeed reprise her role as Claire Redfield, and on September 30, 2009, it was announced that Shawn Roberts would join the cast as Albert Wesker, with Wentworth Miller joining as Chris Redfield, and Spencer Locke returning as K-Mart. Kim Coates and Boris Kodjoe have also been cast. Kacey Barnfield, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, and Norman Yeung also made an appearance in the film. Owing to fan criticism of the removal of Jill Valentine from the previous film, actress Sienna Guillory was cast late and given a newly-added cliffhanger scene. For the scenes set in Japan, Japanese actors were flown over to Toronto; this was owing to Japanese audiences frequently complaining about the poor use of the language in foreign films.

Design and effects

Costumes

Costumes for Afterlife were designed by Jovovich, who had a similar role in Resident Evil: Extinction. She drew inspiration from clothing used by stunt performers, and modelled her costume using a corset and a butt-lifter. Alice's appearance in the Alaska scenes was to give her the appearance of being a cyberpunk Amelia Earhart, including the haircut. Her uniform however was picked as a Russian design as a callback to the Fuji T-7 plane itself, which was a Russian model used by the Japanese.

Set and prop design

The Citadel Correction Facility was filmed with a mix of real buildings and studio sets. Though the real-life Twin Towers Correctional Facility was studied for ideas on set-design, the University of Toronto was instead dressed-up for scenes, with the library serving as the prison exterior and the cafeteria as the prison canteen. The prison roof was filmed on a green-screen due to the scripted plane crash, which was shot on a rail. Another set was the prison yard and front gate, which Anderson had coted with signs referencing films, such as "SIT DOWN WHEN SHOTS ARE FIRED", referencing Death Race 2000. One of the themes in the prison design was to serve as a Mediaeval castle under siege; the use of fire torches around Chris Redfield's scenes was to reflect this. The prison cell designed for Chris was also inspired by Hannibal Lector's cell in Silence of the Lambs, which is replaced with a cube mid-way through the film.

Due to the busy nature of Shibuya, the famous Shibuya Scramble could not be used for filming and a set in Toronto was used instead. Water was sprayed on the cast to give the appearance of being outside in the rain; this rain could not be heated to keep realism, forcing people to wear warm clothes between takes. Umbrella's communication's room was shot using the Toronto University's coffee bar.

The LA harbor was created using a combination of sets digitally integrated with real world locations. Lake Ontario comprised the main visuals for the sequences, using its natural mist to mask how Arcadia and the cast were being digitally inserted. The cast were to be filmed in a pool designed exclusively for the shoot. A similar example of composing was in the Alaska scenes. While Alaska was filmed from above to provide an accurate establishing shot when Alice flies above, the Fuji T-7 Alice flies was not designed for the cold conditions and had to be added in later.

The Journal Alice finds in the Umbrella helicopter was the same prop used in Extinction. It was sold to a collector in the US after that movie came out, so Anderson had to buy it back. Alice's revolver used in the shower scene was a newly produced weapon model. The revolvers and sawn-off shotguns were used for a Western look.

Special effects

The Undead dogs were redesigned to reference the Adjule.

Attention to detail in Los Angeles' exteriors included accurate skyline shots, with some ten thousand Undead models rendered into shots.

In designing enemies, the recently released Resident Evil 5 was heavily used as inspiration, but with no justification for the Plaga parasites the monster designs were instead conceived of as T-virus mutations. As with Extinction, the Undead were reimagined to make them an imposing threat once more, this time mutated to possess a second mouth similar to a Plaga. The Undead Dogs were not intended to appear in the film, but made their reprisal in a new form echoing the Adjule enemy. The Axe Man enemy also appeared as a major antagonist in the film, though no backstory was envisioned for him. Albert Wesker was heavily inspired by his character in the game, and was at one point to have worm-like things wriggling under his skin. This effect was not used in the final cut, however, as Shawn Roberts' twitching gave them an opportunity to save money.

Principal photography

Afterlife was filmed using Phantom cameras, 3D cameras originally designed by NASA for recording shuttle launches. Principal photography began on 29 September 2009 in Toronto.

The opening sequence at the Tokyo Scramble was filmed outdoors in Toronto, with singer Mika Nakashima flown to Canada to appear in the intro. The aerial shots of Tokyo are of the actual city, filmed by a helicopter. Due to plane crashes being deemed a cliché, it was decided that an internal, freeze-frame view should be used for Wesker's Osprey escaping Tokyo. This was recorded by holding up the actors by wires.

The Alaska sequences were split between aerial shots and location filming at Sandbanks National Park near Toronto. For Alice and Claire's Fuji plane, flying shoots were delayed due to bad weather. At Sandbanks, only seven airplanes could be assembled for the Airplane Graveyard set, but were repeatedly moved around and composited together to appear as though there were dozens.

Some scenes were delayed due to Jovovich falling ill during underwater shooting for the LA habor scene. The pool used for this scene was filmed before its waterproof paint could dry, making it hard to see the actors. Scenes at the university were filmed with students watching, as Boris Kodjoe had a local fandom.

Release date delays

In August 2009, it was announced that the film would be released on August 27, 2010. Though, in December, it was set back to January 14, 2011. In January 2010 it was announced that the release date was moved again, this time to September 10, 2010.