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The who, what, where, how, and why of "The Net's" production process.

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Biographical information for the cast and crew of "The Net."

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Photos and anecdotes from backstage.

Production Notes

Over two years ago, director Irwin Winkler read a story about a Japanese
businessman who had a detective investigate his past to see what a
prospective employer might discover. As he contemplated the possibilities
for computer manipulation of personal data, the idea for "The Net" began to
take shape in his mind. "You start to realize that your whole life is
recorded electronically," he says, "which then begs the question, 'how can
you really protect your privacy? How can you protect your identity?'"

"We really take for granted our place in everyday life," adds Sandra
Bullock, who stars in the film. Because she is so isolated from the real
world, Angela is especially vulnerable. What I liked most about the project,
and what hopefully makes for a good story, is that Angela is forced to find
the resources within herself to overcome the deadly obstacles put in her
path."

[Image] In shaping the story, Winkler and producer Rob Cowan wanted to
        maintain a human focus. "To me, the technology is only part of the
very personal story we hope to create," the director notes. "What does this
shy and reclusive young woman do when the powerful technology she commands
is suddenly manipulating her and she has to face life at full throttle?"

Bullock, an avid Internet user herself, was immediately attracted to the
project and sought a meeting with the director when she learned that he was
at the helm. "I understand the process of isolation," she says. "Every once
in awhile I find myself quite content to be holed-up with the shades down
and the computer on. Thank God I have good friends who yank me out of the
house."

[Image] "The Net" began shooting January 5th, 1995, on location in San
        Francisco at the MACWORLD trade exposition, based at the Moscone
Convention Center. Filming a portion of the story's breakneck finale was
designed to coincide with one of America's most popular computer gatherings,
where an estimated 70,000 attendees got an early glimpse of the latest Apple
and Macintosh-related software.

Some unsuspecting visitors to the winter bi-annual gathering literally
stumbled into the midst of filming, while many others wondered about the
Cathedral Systems demonstration booth set up with displays of their latest
products. Their quizzical expression turned to smiles when they soon
realized the boxes on display were empty -- the fictitious designs of the
production's art department.

Remarkably, throughout one of the rainiest winters on record in Southern
California, the weather did not slow down the production which came in under
schedule by the end of filming. One of the many chase sequences was shot in
a driving rainstorm on a patch of highway north of Los Angeles called the
Templin Highway. As the story called for inclement weather, the rain
actually saved the production time and money.

Overseeing the unique computer graphics created specifically for the film is
computer graphics supervisor and technical consultant Todd Marks ("Species,"
"Drop Zone," "Point of No Return"). Marks worked with Alex and Harold Mann,
of Mann Consulting in San Francisco, who together wrote computer code for
the film.

[Image] Marks' team was asked to create numerous custom screens specifically
        designed to tell story points in the film. Their basic mandate was
to give the computers life and clarity. They relied heavily on a program
called Macro Media Director, a Macintosh program. "The nice thing about the
Macintosh equipment for us is that we're able to grab many different sources
of graphics together and put them into a cohesive animation sequence," Mann
explains.

Acknowledging the sophistication of movie audiences in this age of
computers,

The filmmakers were able to also take advantage of the Internet, not only in
terms of the story, but practically in the development and execution of
filming the various computer elements. If changes were called upon during
production, the filmmakers could exchange various computer looks and
programs from the Mann brothers' base of operations in San Francisco simply
by going on-line and downloading the various elements needed in Los Angeles.
"It gave us a lot of flexibility to instantly meet the needs of the director
and make those last minute changes that invariably come up," Marks explains.

If there is a message to be derived from his cautionary tale it might be
"don't lose human contact," states Winkler "I think computers really have
helped us a lot. We're editing this film on the Avid, a digital machine
that's very fast and helpful. But you know, sometimes you like to touch the
film; somehow the old feeling of doing it that way helps. Today, we're
moving so fast you don't have a chance to think.

"To some extent that is what 'The Net' is about: that we could all become so
enamored by the technology that we lose human contact and end up alone and
afraid."

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