On Tuesday, 24 hours before one of SCAD Savannah Film Festival’s most anticipated panels, “Wicked: A First Look,” someone approached to inform that they would be in line at least an hour before. The anticipation was palpable. When “Wicked” cinematographer Alice Brooks, editor Myron Kerstein and costume designer and Variety’s 10 artisans to watch honoree Paul Tazewell stepped onto the stage Wednesday, they were welcomed like rock stars, with fans screaming at a deafening decibel. Based on the crowd’s enthusiasm, Kerstein wanted to see who was Team Glinda and who was Team Elphaba. Applause wasn’t enough to distinguish the two, but a show of hands suggested the audience skewed towards Glinda.
The artisans didn’t pick sides (they love them both equally), but that friction-turned-friendship between the two young witches was the filmmaker’s north star while developing the movie.