The Sixth Sense  -  Close Encounters of the Sixth Kind

HOLLYWOOD PICTURES/SPYGLASS ENTERTAINMENT

"THE SIXTH SENSE"

Production Information

In this chilling, psychological thriller, 8-year-old Cole Sear (HALEY JOEL OSMENT) is haunted by a dark secret: he is visited by ghosts. A reluctant channel, Cole is frightened by visitations from those with unresolved problems who appear from the shadows. Confused by his paranormal powers, Cole is too young to understand his purpose and too afraid to tell anyone about his anguish, except child psychologist Dr. Malcolm Crowe (BRUCE WILLIS). As Dr. Crowe tries to uncover the ominous truth about Cole’s supernatural abilities, the consequences for client and therapist are a jolt that awakens them both to something harrowing—and unexplainable.

Hollywood Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment present A Kennedy/Marshall/Barry Mendel Production, an M. Night Shyamalan Film, "The Sixth Sense." Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, produced by Frank Marshall, Kathleen Kennedy and Barry Mendel, the executive producer is Sam Mercer. The film is distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution.

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

Three years ago when Philadelphia-based writer-director M. Night Shyamalan (pronounced SHA-mah-lahn) was editing his second film, "Wide Awake," he had a premonition about his next project. He said to his editor, "You know, I’m going to write a screenplay called ‘The Sixth Sense.’ Bruce Willis is going to star in it." The editor’s response was a simple "Yeah, sure."

Flash forward to September 1997. Shyamalan recalls, "I was in Los Angeles when my wife and I received the call that Hollywood Pictures was interested in ‘The Sixth Sense.’ It was a very special time for us.

"I called my ‘Wide Awake’ editor and told him the news of the sale and the signing of Bruce Willis as the star," Shyamalan says. "He remembered my mention of the script. His response this time was an enthusiastic ‘Get outa here.’ It was all too eerie that my premonition actually came true."

Thus, the tone of Shyamalan’s latest film, Hollywood Pictures’/Spyglass Entertainment’s "The Sixth Sense," had been set. Eerie, haunting, spine-tingling. It was a tone too irresistible for Hollywood to ignore. The sale of the script transpired in just a single day, a rarity in Hollywood, according to producer Barry Mendel.

"Having known Night [Shyamalan] for many years, I was in the unique position of being able to read the script before anyone else in town," says Mendel, whose debut film was the critically acclaimed "Rushmore." "My reaction to the story was one of enthusiasm and hope. Enthusiasm because of the strength of the story and hope because I really wanted to be part of getting this film made. It’s a smart and stylish script."

Mendel personally took the screenplay to David Vogel, then-president of Buena Vista Motion Picture Group. "David dropped everything he was doing that Monday morning," says Mendel. "He canceled meetings in order to read the script and, upon finishing it, he was on board. I take my hat off to him for recognizing the potential of this script and for the courage of his convictions in greenlighting the project."

Veteran producers Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy were the next production entity to respond with interest in the script. "It’s unusual to get a spec script that is so well written," says Marshall. "It has elements of horror and drama and a spiritual nature that comes alive in very distinct and well-drawn characters. Night refers to it as ‘Ordinary People’ meets ‘The Exorcist’ and I think that’s an appropriate description. It’s a story with vulnerable characters to which an audience can relate ... an audience that will not only enjoy it but will be surprised by its unique tale of terror.

"Kathy and I like to make movies that we ourselves would like to see," Marshall continues. "Our body of work includes a variety of films, from ‘The Color Purple’ to ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit.’ That’s a pretty wide swing as far as subject matter goes. We like all different kinds of movies and ‘The Sixth Sense’ is a script we enthusiastically responded to and that’s why we jumped at the chance to produce it."

"‘The Sixth Sense’ is frightening, disturbing and horrific in the tradition of films like ‘Rosemary’s Baby,’ ‘Repulsion’ and ‘The Omen,’" adds writer/director Shyamalan. "It’s reality-based fright. It comes from the fears of real people, real children and real adults; fears of loss, the unknown, of having a sixth sense about what lies beyond and fears of not understanding those intuitions.

"Ultimately, it’s about learning how to communicate those fears," says Shyamalan, "whether it’s communication between a doctor and a patient, a husband and a wife, a mother and a son or between ourselves and loved ones who have passed on. As we have all seen, not communicating with, or keeping secrets from the people we love can destroy marriages, careers, families and even lives. That in itself is horrifying."

Resembling his initial hunch about the "Wide Awake" editing process, Shyamalan’s own intuitions guided the entire "The Sixth Sense" project. He directed the project from start to finish with an empirical wisdom not found in many 28-year-olds; an instinct which inspired the Studio, his producers, his design team and his cast and crew to bring to life this disturbing tale of a doctor and patient—a man and a boy—who together, confront the things they can and cannot see.

"Night’s insight into human behavior and the human imagination is awe inspiring," says producer Frank Marshall, "and this story is proof of that. Maybe it’s a combination of his spiritual and mystical Indian roots and his purely American upbringing that gives him the ability to strike a delicate yet provocative balance between what’s real and what isn’t real, what’s tangible and what’s not tangible.

"Cinematically speaking," adds Marshall, "he has an uncanny knack for knowing what works, whether it’s the angle of a particular shot, the look of a particular set, the creation of dramatic tension, or knowing which actors have what it takes to bring his characters to life. It was amazing and exciting to work with a young man who is so sure of himself and so confident with the material. I think Night had his own sixth sense about this project and all of us trusted it implicitly."

"I wanted Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment and Olivia Williams and Toni Collette and Donnie Wahlberg because they were simply the best actors for the roles. I wanted Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy and Barry Mendel and Sam Mercer to produce because I trusted their opinions and experience. I wanted Tak Fujimoto [director of photography] and Larry Fulton [production designer] and Joanna Johnston [costume designer] and Andrew Mondshein [editor] because they’ve contributed their talents to some of my favorite films. I wanted to shoot in Philadelphia, not just because it’s my hometown and I live there, but because there is no other American city that possesses the haunting beauty and history that Philly possesses.

"Sometimes in your life you just know what’s right," adds Shyamalan. "Therefore, you can’t compromise the situation. I got who I wanted and got what I wanted and it’s all up there on the screen. ‘The Sixth Sense’ is the best example of collaboration without compromise I’ve ever experienced."

* * *

If terror of what you can see and fear of what you can’t is the soul of "The Sixth Sense" then surely the heart of the film is the relationship—the friendship—between Dr. Malcolm Crowe and his 8-year-old patient, Cole, played by Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment, respectively. For writer/director Shyamalan, Willis and Osment were the key to opening the "magical door" for the audience.

"The friendship that develops between Malcolm and Cole is a huge factor in the success of their doctor-patient relationship," says Shyamalan, "and it is imperative that the audience understands that friendship in order to become emotionally involved with these two people and to really care about what the two of them are going through.

"You have Malcolm, a doctor who has devoted his life to children and families," explains Shyamalan, "and you have Cole, a boy who is so ultra-sensitive and hyper-compassionate that this is the perfect channel through which these forces can operate. Ultimately, through the growth of their friendship, they both come to recognize the goodness in each other and the prospect of helping each other and their respective suffering."

Shyamalan continues: "So, in casting the picture I was compelled to have two actors who were 100% believable and 100% vulnerable enough to engage each other as the characters and the audience as well."

Shyamalan goes on to explain that Willis, although primarily recognized as an international box office superstar, has an Everyman quality that was evident in his performances in such films as "Pulp Fiction," "In Country" and "Nobody’s Fool."

"Bruce’s performance is so poignant in this film," says Shyamalan. "There were times when we were shooting when I would look through the lens or at the monitor and I didn’t even recognize him. As Malcolm you can see him struggling to figure out what’s happening around him, you wonder if he’ll make it through and help this kid ... you watch and hope that he’ll be redeemed. It’s a fascinating performance, filled with subtle humor and pathos ... definitely some of his best work as an actor."

"Night is a very disturbed individual," says Willis, in his trademark wise-cracking manner. "Seriously though, he assigns a lot of meaning and mysticism to the fact that he simply wrote a really brilliant script. There have only been three scripts that I have ever read in my career that I immediately knew I wanted to do and ‘The Sixth Sense’ was one of those three. It has a real balance of dark and light moments and a great balance of normal and paranormal events in these characters lives.

"Honestly," adds Willis, "I think Night would have gotten any number of leading men to respond to this script the way I did yet I feel very fortunate that I was the one asked to be included in the cast ... a cast that not only includes two very talented actresses, Olivia Williams and Toni Collette, but also includes Haley Joel Osment, the most amazing child actor I’ve ever seen. I rank this kid up there with the best adult actors I’ve worked with over the years. He is immensely talented and smart and is completely unaffected by his talent. W.C Fields would be eating his words if he met Haley. Plus, he’s a pretty good little golfer, too."

Willis is not alone in his praise for Osment. "Talk to anyone associated with the making of this film and they will tell you the same thing; Haley Joel Osment is a one-of-a-kind find, an 11-year-old as intelligent and seasoned as any Hollywood acting veteran," Willis says.

Director M. Night Shyamalan adds, "I’ve worked with kids before. We had strong child actors in ‘Wide Awake,’ for example. The role of Cole, however, was uniquely complex. It was even more important to find the right actor. We had to find someone we could believe had all these terrifying things happening to him.

"I had seen kids from New York and Philadelphia and was getting tapes from all over the country. I was physically and mentally exhausted from the search but eventually I went to Los Angeles to look, although, in the back of my mind, I kept thinking that was going to be a waste of time. Then Haley came in ... wearing a little Oxford shirt ... and he struck me as a cute, sweet little kid.

"I just leaned back and Haley started the scene and it was like I had never heard the scene before," Shyamalan says. "It was as though I had never heard the dialogue, all of a sudden every word was perfect. He finished the scene and was crying, and I was crying and all I could says was, ‘Who are you? Where did you come from?’ Haley started laughing as he wiped the tears away. Then he did two more scenes for me and he performed every line, every scene just as I wrote it in my head. He completely blew me out of the water!

"I then went back to New York and told the casting director that I don’t want to make the film without Haley," the director says. "It was the weirdest thing that ever came out of my mouth but I was being honest ... I meant it. Then we brought Haley in to read for Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy who have done their share of movies with kids. By the time Haley finished the scene, everyone was crying again and we all agreed that the search was over. It’s done. Haley is Cole."

"When Haley came in he claimed the part as his own," says producer Frank Marshall. "It was the same feeling Kathy and I had on ‘E.T.’ and a couple of other movies that we’ve done. Haley went on to prove himself during production. He was always very serious about the work. He did his homework and understood the lines and the character and the relationships. He doesn’t just say the lines, he looks people in the eye and he understands everything he is saying so you believe him. You believe that he is haunted and disturbed and suffering."

"I’m very honored that I was picked to play Cole," says Osment without a trace of stereotypic child actor precocity. "It is an outstanding script and I believe it’s going to be a ground-breaker. It was a really fun movie to work on and what I liked about it is that it goes through a lot of different levels. It changes and will make you laugh and cry and it will definitely scare you, too. It’ll keep you in your seat watching it and will carry you through to the end."

Shyamalan says, "In all great movies there is some element of magic. When I say ‘magic’ I mean something that goes way beyond what’s on the page ... something you couldn’t recreate if you tried. Haley is that ‘magic’ of ‘The Sixth Sense.’"

* * *

On April 11, 1983, 12-year-old M. Night Shyamalan stayed up way past his bedtime. The envelope for Best Picture at the Academy Awards® was about to be opened. Night wished a miracle would happen and that two films would win that year. The films "Gandhi" and "E.T." pulled his heart in two directions. He was blown away by both. One for its drama and spirituality and one for its supernatural awe. That night he would not get his wish. Only one picture could win, but he would never forget how much both styles of storytelling had affected him. How much they both expressed something inside of him.

The sense of home—in every connotation be it a place on the map or a place in the heart—plays a part in each of M. Night Shyamalan’s films and "The Sixth Sense" is no exception. Both the Malcolm Crowe and Cole Sear homes are crumbling at their foundations under the strain of some unseen force. As is the city in which the characters live: Philadelphia.

Rich in history, beauty and significance, Philadelphia has become an increasingly popular backdrop for motion pictures, from "Rocky" to "Philadelphia" to last year’s "Beloved." Shyamalan, however, has been using his hometown as a backdrop ever since he began making films at the age of 10. He could think of no better place than Philadelphia in which to set "The Sixth Sense."

"I love to work at home," says Shyamalan, who resides in a nearby suburb with his wife and young daughter and relishes the idea of establishing an on and off screen talent base there. "In terms of this movie, I couldn’t think of a city better suited to play such a big part, a character unto itself. You can’t walk down a street or pass a house or school in Philly without wondering who lived there and who died there ... it’s steeped in so much history. What a great place for a child with the sixth sense to live. Think of all the things he could see."

"From a technical and logistical side, Philadelphia is a wonderful place to shoot a film," says executive producer Sam Mercer. "Besides the visual elements of the historical buildings, the architecture and the plethora of different neighborhoods, the city has terrific filmmaking resources such as experienced crews and a great support system from the city and its residents."

The production was based at Philadelphia’s old Civic Center, where production designer Larry Fulton supervised the design and construction of no less than seven individual sets on the area’s main exhibition level. On location, the production utilized unique Philadelphia locales such as the historic City Hall, the Undine Barge Club on Boat House Row, Old St. Augustine’s Church, Head House Square, Pierce College, Stoddart-Fleischer Middle School, the Presbyterian Medical Center, the Striped Bass restaurant, neighborhoods such as St. Albans Court, and residences and shops along historic streets like Pine, Walnut, Broad, Chestnut, Delancey and Mt. Vernon.

"Some of the more interesting moments of shooting this movie in Philadelphia," says Mercer, "were those times at two o’clock in the morning on those old, historic cobblestone streets when the eerie shadows of the cascading ivy made you pause and wonder what lost souls might be watching us."