Moss, twigs, vines, and briar set the scene at Warner Brothers' premiere party for Lady in the Water. Held in the American Museum of Natural History's Milstein Family Hall of Ocean Life (aka the big whale room), the event accommodated some 750 guests and echoed the film's spooky subject matter. "We wanted to bring a gloomy, eerie backyard look to the room," said Warner Brothers vice president of publicity and special events Courtney Saylor, adding that director M. Night Shyamalan handpicked the venue because, "it's a one-stop shop, where both the screening and the after-party can take place."After watching the film in the museum's LeFrak Theater, guests made their way through winding halls of glass-encased stuffed mammals before entering a party space swathed in green light and smoke—a swamplike atmosphere created by Samantha Clark of Events in Motion. Clark custom-produced roughly a dozen 12-foot-tall fake trees with swaying branches, as well as vine-encrusted highboy cocktail tables and candlelit centerpieces of hanging orchids. A 16-foot circular bar stood the in the center of the room, and Clark also covered boxes lining the walls of the venue with moss, twigs, and "anything else you'd find in your backyard." In addition to a dozen round cocktail tables covered in dark green linens, which were reserved for the film's stars, the room also had black suede benches, ottomans, and circular couches.
The focal point of the party was Scrunt—the vicious wolflike creature out to kill Lady in the Water's heroine, Story, played by Bryce Dallas Howard. Raised on a platform in front of a large screen bearing the movie's logo was the red-eyed Scrunt prop used in the movie.
While the museum proved to be a convenient venue for Saylor, she said the gigantic whale hanging from the Milstein Family Hall of Ocean Life's ceiling was a challenge. "Lady in the Water clearly deals with water; however, there is nothing in the film that has to do with whales," she said. "We basically dealt with it by not lighting the whale at all, which surprisingly works pretty well." Saylor also faced the challenge of incorporating sponsor Pepsi's 100 sweepstakes winners into the arrivals area without having them on the red carpet (which was actually blue, courtesy of the soda brand). She was able to do so by placing bleachers bedecked with Pepsi banners to the side of the carpet, where the winners had a bird's eye view of the film's stars arriving.
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The focal point of the party was Scrunt—the vicious wolflike creature out to kill Lady in the Water's heroine, Story, played by Bryce Dallas Howard. Raised on a platform in front of a large screen bearing the movie's logo was the red-eyed Scrunt prop used in the movie.
While the museum proved to be a convenient venue for Saylor, she said the gigantic whale hanging from the Milstein Family Hall of Ocean Life's ceiling was a challenge. "Lady in the Water clearly deals with water; however, there is nothing in the film that has to do with whales," she said. "We basically dealt with it by not lighting the whale at all, which surprisingly works pretty well." Saylor also faced the challenge of incorporating sponsor Pepsi's 100 sweepstakes winners into the arrivals area without having them on the red carpet (which was actually blue, courtesy of the soda brand). She was able to do so by placing bleachers bedecked with Pepsi banners to the side of the carpet, where the winners had a bird's eye view of the film's stars arriving.
Posted 07.19.06
Photos: Evan Agostini/Getty Images (venue, Scrunt)
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Green smoke and lights overtook the American Museum of Natural History's Milstein Family Hall of Ocean Life to create an eerie backyard look for the Lady in the Water premiere.
The Scrunt creature that terrorized Bryce Dallas Howard’s character in Lady in the Water was on display at the party, placed on a raised platform.
Events in Motion created five-foot tree centerpieces for the dozen round tables, which were made of twisted black iron with tendrils of smilax greens and fresh orchids. Hanging candles in wire cages lit each tree.
The vine-encrusted 16-foot circular bar was surrounded by highboy cocktail tables, also covered in vines and moss.
The floral bouquets lining the buffet tables were provided by Frank Alexander, while Restaurant Associates handled the catering.
Lady in the Water stars Paul Giamatti and Bryce Dallas Howard walked the blue carpet before screening the film inside the American Museum of Natural History's LeFrak Theater.
