The Comedy That Tried to Save Rock and Roll

It's been 15 years since School of Rock became an instant classic. Here is a brief documentary explaining how the film was made, its meaning, its impact, and its legacy. Produced and written by Matt Beat. All images and video used under fair use guidelines. Music credits: "March On" by Ethan Meixsell Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_... http://www.jimdero.com/News2003/Sept2... https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2... https://www.buzzfeed.com/staceygrant/... https://ew.com/article/2003/10/03/why... https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0332379/ http://www.movie-locations.com/movies... https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/scho... https://products.kitsapsun.com/archiv... https://www.nj.com/business/index.ssf... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_...) Photo credits: Mike White Masterclass jblackburn Giacomo Carena Tracey Nolan Few films have had as much cultural impact, and few films have done so well at capturing the passion and spirit of rock and roll. Here’s everything you need to know about School of Rock. Behind the scenes Screenwriter Mike White became inspired by the Langley Schools Music Project, a series of recordings of children choruses singing Beach Boys and David Bowie songs, recorded in the 1970s. Those recordings ended up becoming a cult classic. White was also waiting to write a film for his friend, Jack Black. Sure, he had already written a film that starred Black called Orange County, but White later revealed that the part really didn’t fit him that well. So based on both the Langley Schools Music Project and Jack Black, White wrote a screenplay about a substitute teacher who secretly starts a band with his students. Producer Scott Rudin and director Richard Linklater decided to take the film on. Linklater originally turned it down but changed his mind. Rudin and Linklater wanted the film to be as authentic as possible, and they spent a considerable amount of time casting. Jack Black was obviously playing the lead role, since White wrote the script for him, but it was a challenge finding a cast of mostly kids. Oh, and kids who could actually play instruments. Ultimately, finding kids who could play instruments and sing proved to be more important. White even ended up getting a role as the Jack Black character’s roommate. According to multiple accounts, Jack Black ended up becoming a MVP on set. His charisma and energy were contagious, and he helped the young actors-several acting for the first time in their lives-feel comfortable on set, even playing games with them between scenes. That said, some of their parents were a bit nervous that Black might be a negative influence on their children. Many of the songs you hear in the film that Black and the kids came up with, yeah they came up with them on set. Filming took place in late 2002, in various locations throughout the New York City metropolitan area. The school itself was filmed at both Wagner College and the Buckley Country Day School, both on Staten Island. The film got a PG-13 rating due to literally one reference to drugs. Paramount made what became known as School of Rock for less than $35 million. Opening on October 3, 2003, the film went on to make over $131 million at the box office. It was one of the most critically acclaimed films of 2003, which is pretty impressive for a comedy. Most comedies don’t get critic love. It currently is certified 91% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, and was notably nominated for a Golden Globe. I’d call that a success.