The Master tells the story of a Naval veteran who returns home from war unsettled until he finds direction from the leader of a philosophical movement called "The Cause." It was written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson over 12 years, drawing from his previous works and real-life figures. Starring Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman, the film was independently financed after Universal pulled out. It received critical acclaim and award nominations for its stars' performances.

1. The Master
S

2. The Master
A Naval veteran arrives home
from war unsettled and
uncertain of his future - until he
is tantalized by The Cause and
its charismatic leader.

3. Pre-Production
The idea for The Master came from the Director, Paul
Thomas Anderson and he had been working on a script
and it had been an idea in his head for 12 years. He
created the script by combining unused scenes from
There Will Be Blood, stories from the navy and the life
stories of John Steinbeck and L. Ron Hubbard. The film
was produced by Annapurna Pictures and Ghoulardi Film
Company, it was originally set up with Universal but it fell
through due to scripts and the budget. Paul Thomas
Anderson directed, produced and wrote the film.

4. Production
The film was shot in California, USA and wasn’t shot
in any studios. Phillip Seymour Hoffman was always
considered for the lead role but he was rumored to
be acting alongside Jeremy Renner but was later
given to Joaquin Phoenix. Reese Witherspoon was
considered for the female role but Amy Adams was
cast instead. The budget for the film was
$35,000,000. After the film fell through with
Universal, Anderson did several rewrites.

5. Distribution
The main issue that Universal had with the project was
that the budget was too big at about $35 million. It was
later reported that River Road was in serious talks to fully
finance the film. In February 2011 it was reported that
Megan Ellison, daughter of billionaire Larry Ellison, would
finance The Master under her new production company
Annapurna Pictures. Harvey Weinstein later picked up the
worldwide rights to the film in May 2011. The DVD and
Blu Ray will be released in the USA on February 26th
2013, and UK, March 11th.

6. Marketing
The first teaser poster for the film
appeared in May 2011 at the Cannes
Film Festival with the title ‘Untitled Paul
Thomas Anderson Project’. A teaser
trailer featuring Joaquin Phoenix was
released online and several minutes of
footage from the film were shown at the
2012 Cannes Film Festival. A second
teaser trailer was released which
featured Phoenix as well as Philip
Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams. A
theatrical trailer was released online by
The Weinstein Company. The film was
given an R rating in the United States by
the Motion Picture Association of
America.

7. 70 mm Screenings
Over one month before its first official screening, at the Venice
Film Festival, The Master was shown as a "surprise screening"
in 70 mm. The film was shown with no opening titles (except
for the title of the movie) or closing credits. Advanced
screenings in 70 mm continued in New York, Los Angeles,
London, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Boston, Washington,
D.C., and Austin, although this was done because there was
strong consideration that The Master was unlikely to be shown.
The film was eventually displayed during its run in 70mm in
most cinemas.

8. Box Office
The Master grossed $242,127 at five theatres during its opening
day on September 14th 2012, setting a single day record for an
art house film. During its first week nationwide, the film
grossed $4.4 million in 788 theatres. The total gross income for
The Master is $16,057,745

9. Awards
The Master was nominated for Best Actor, Best Supporting
Actor and Best Supporting Actress at the Golden Globes and
the Academy Awards. The film won the Silver Lion for Best
Director (Paul Thomas Anderson) and the Volpi Cup for Best
Actor (given to both Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour
Hoffman) at the 69th Venice International Film Festival.