Production
One of the DeLorean vehicles used in the film
The origins of the western theme for
Back to the Future Part III lie in the production of the original film. During filming for the original, director Zemeckis asked Michael J. Fox what time period he would like to see. Fox replied that he wanted to visit the
Old West and meet
cowboys. Zemeckis and writer/producer
Bob Gale were intrigued by the idea, but held it off until
Part III.
[5] Rather than use existing sets, the filmmakers built the 1885 Hill Valley from scratch.
[5] The western scenes were filmed on location in
Monument Valley.
[6] Some of the location shooting for the 1885 Hill Valley was done in
Jamestown, California, and on a purpose-built set at the Red Hills Ranch near
Sonora, California.
[6] Some of the train scenes were filmed at
Railtown 1897 State Historic Park,
[7] a
heritage line in Jamestown. Whereas the original film played to a more materialistic idea of success, Zemeckis considered
Part III more of a "human journey" with spiritual overtones.
[8]
The shooting of the
Back to the Future sequels, which were shot
back-to-back throughout 1989, reunited much of the crew of the original.
[8]The films were shot over the course of 11 months, save for a three-week hiatus between filming of
Parts II and
III. The most grueling part was editing
Part II while filming
Part III, and Zemeckis bore the brunt of the process over a three-week period. While Zemeckis was shooting most of the train sequences in Sonora, Gale was in Los Angeles supervising the final dub of
Part II.
[8] Zemeckis would wrap photography and board a private plane to
Burbank, where Gale and engineers would greet him on the dubbing stage with dinner. He would oversee the reels completed that day, and make changes where needed.
[8] Afterwards, he would retire to the
Sheraton Universal Hotel for the night. The following morning, Zemeckis would drive to the
Burbank Airport, board a flight back to the set in Northern California, and continue to shoot the film.
[8]
Although the schedule for most of the personnel involved was grueling, the actors found the remote location for
Part III relaxing, compared to shooting its predecessor.
[8]
The role of Clara Clayton was written with Mary Steenburgen in mind. When she received the script, however, she was reluctant to commit to the film until her kids, who loved the original, 'hounded' her.
[8] Lloyd shared his first on-screen kiss with Steenburgen in
Part III.
[8] The Hill Valley Festival Dance scene proved to be the most dangerous for Lloyd and Steenburgen; overzealous dancing left Steenburgen with a torn ligament in her foot.
[5]
The film also starred veteran
western film actors
Pat Buttram,
Harry Carey, Jr., and
Dub Taylor, as three "saloon old timers".
[9] Buttram was also known to younger audiences for his extensive voice work, particularly as the
Sheriff of Nottingham in the Disney version of
Robin Hood.
[10] The inclusion of these noticeable Western actors was promoted in several documentaries about the film as well as the behind-the-scenes documentary of the DVD and in the obituary of one of the actors.
[11] The musicians of the Old West–style band in the film were played by
ZZ Top.
Shooting a film set in the Old West was appealing to the
stuntmen, who were all experienced horse riders. "We had every great stuntman in Hollywood wanting to work on
Part III," recalled Gale in 2002.
[8] Thomas F. Wilson, who played Buford Tannen, chose to perform his own stunts and spent a great deal of time learning to ride a horse and throw his
lariat. Filming was halted when Michael J. Fox's father died and when his son was born.
[5]
Alan Silvestri, through his longtime collaboration with Zemeckis, returned to compose the
score for
Back to the Future Part III. Rather than dictate how the music should sound, Zemeckis directed Silvestri as he would an actor, seeking to evoke emotion and treating every piece of music like a character.
[8]
The photography in
Part III was a "dream" for cinematographer
Dean Cundey, who agreed with much of the crew in his excitement to shoot a western. The filmmakers sought a bright, colorful picture for each scene, with a hint of sepia tone in certain shots.
[8] Zemeckis wished to create a spectacular climax to the film. He coordinated the actors, a live 4-6-0 ten wheeler
steam locomotive,
pyrotechnics, and special effects, and countless technicians all at once.
[8] As they had done with the previous two films in the trilogy, the visual effects for
Part III were managed by effects company
Industrial Light & Magic; the head of its animation department,
Wes Takahashi, returned to once again animate the DeLorean's time travel sequences.
