With a budget of nearly $60 million -- $2 million of which was allotted for set construction -- 8MM is a dark thriller about a surveillance specialist on a path to discover the truth about a reel of film and, ultimately, the truth about himself. The film’s uniquely stylish look was created by the late production designer Gary Wissner working in conjunction with director Joel Schumacher and director of photography Robert Elswit.

Society’s Pornographic Underbelly in 8MM

Based on Andrew Kevin Walker’s screenplay, the film stars Nicolas Cage ( Next, Ghost Rider) as private eye Tom Welles, a man who travels across the country seeking an explanation for a bizarre trail of evidence. Welles searches for answers at missing persons archives, shelters for runaway girls and eventually in society’s pornographic underbelly.

8MM was filmed over a four-month period, beginning with an opening montage shot in Miami Beach using three locations: the airport, a nightclub, and the exterior of a posh hotel. “It was one day’s worth of shooting a title sequence in the airport where we get a sense of who Tom Welles really is,” Wissner said during a telephone interview shortly after production wrapped. “Joel and I wanted Miami to be different from the rest of the story. There’s no dialogue, but visually we get an idea who Welles is, what he’s doing and that he’s bored with his job.”

The Miami montage contrasts sharply with the rest of the story. “Miami is all about purple and pink, but once we left Miami we went to warm tones of blue to represent Pennsylvania (for which New York doubled) and then on the West Coast we had hot colors with orange, red, and yellow,” Wissner said. “Miami stood out as a pink and purple neon wonderland that wasn’t quite yet into the heart of the hell that the character delves into.”

8MM A Reality-based Movie