Paramount Pictures visits UWI, talks ‘Bob Marley: One Love’
Sequel would have to be approved by Marley family
Published:Tuesday | April 9, 2024 | 12:10 AMDamian Levy/Gleaner Writer
The Faculty of Humanities and Education of The University of the West Indies recently assembled a panel of experts to discuss Bob Marley: One Love. Aspiring actors, writers, and film-makers all listened with keen ears as the panel explored topics such as the film’s production in Jamaica and its impact on the local cinema industry.
Among their teachers in the Neville Hall Lecture Theatre were Vice President of Physical Production at Paramount Pictures Matthew Ferrante; Senior Vice-President of Production at Paramount Pictures, Brian Oh; Visual Effects Coordinator, Clayton Lyons; casting professional Tricia Wood; and Managing Director for Cinecom Productions, Natalie Thompson, who also served as the film’s line producer and production manager for the filming on location in Jamaica.
As much as the location was an agreed-upon certainty, bringing the film to the shores of Marley’s homeland was easier said than done. “It is expensive to shoot here because we don’t have the infrastructure yet, but it’s coming,” said Natalie Thompson.
There was aid provided by a groundswell of support from members in the local community thanks to the film-makers’ collaborative approach. “You just have to make sure that when you move into somebody’s community you don’t move in like a bulldozer. You have to involve the community.”
The inclusion of the community led to 400 cast and crew members being from Jamaica.
The enthusiasm for the film also extended to government officials. The panel gave insight into the hoops of red tape the film-makers had to jump through to get the film made. A major film production like Bob Marley: One Love is no small feat, but the level of support and access granted was done so in part because of a collective desire to do right by the reggae legend.
As Thompson puts it: “It’s big because it was Bob. Once we heard it was Bob we knew we had to make it right. There’s always a few speed bumps because there’s always those people who don’t understand what we do for a living.”
Thompson described the journey to get approvals through the Jamaica Promotions Corporation, the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, and the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, emphasising that “getting the support of those ministers was essential”.
Filming the movie was one thing, but putting it together was a different beast altogether.
“We had some great photography from Jamaica, but sometimes you would have a telephone pole or a sign that shouldn’t be there for that period of time. It was important to research those time periods, and a lot of the concerts were important to be accurate as well,” Clayton Lyons explained.
The film-makers then showed a visual-effects reel detailing how they brought such crowds to life. In Bob Marley:One Love, reality is used as a canvas, one that serves as the foundation for a trip back in time.
The film’s emphasis on authenticity also extended to the choice of music. Producer Ziggy Marley made the decision to isolate the selection to songs specific to the time period depicted in the film. Bryan Oh said: “Ziggy made it very clear he wanted it to be period authentic. It was a challenge, but in the end, I think it was worth it.”
The hurdles that came with the production were separate from the obstacles that occurred in post-production. The entertainment industry’s several strikes in 2023 caused delays as the cast was not allowed to promote the film as members of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.
The delay led to a romance-heavy film called Bob Marley:One Love being released on Valentine’s Day and gaining a worldwide opening of US$80 million, surpassing its US$70 illion budget.
Near the end of the evening, the panellists opened up the discussion for a question-and-answer segment. Attendees could pick the brains of one of the film industry’s biggest studios. Naturally, the first question was when fans could expect a sequel to Bob Marley: One Love.
Bryan Oh very promptly responded that any further foray into the life and times of Bob Marley would not occur without the Marley family’s approval.
Matthew Ferrante then chimed in to say:“But if there is gonna be an Ant-Man and the Wasp and Bob Marley, I will be first in line”
As for the digital and home-video release of Bob Marley: One Love, the panellists were tight lipped, with Bryan Oh simply providing an ambiguous “Soon”.