Where to watch Saw (2004)

Trivia & production notes

• James Wan and Leigh Whannell came up with the core concept of two men chained in a bathroom after being inspired by low-budget films like The Blair Witch Project and Pi, which motivated them to self-finance a script requiring minimal actors and locations.
• Whannell conceived the title 'Saw' in moments of inspiration after Wan pitched the bathroom premise to him over the phone, writing it in blood-red dripping font in his diary without having previously discussed a title.
• The character Jigsaw was born when Whannell, experiencing migraines and fearing he had a brain tumor while waiting for an MRI, imagined what it would be like to receive a terminal diagnosis and translated that into the character's twisted philosophy.
• The original Saw script contained only one short torture segment, with Wan conceiving it as a mystery thriller rather than torture-focused horror, a distinction that changed in later sequels.
• Cary Elwes received the script on DVD, read it in one sitting, and was cast as Dr. Lawrence Gordon, but later sued producers for breach of contract after being promised one percent of net profits but receiving only $53,275 and a salary of $2,587.20.
• Shawnee Smith initially refused the role of Amanda Young, calling the script horrific, but agreed after watching a short film version; James Wan had harbored a crush on her since his teenage years and casually suggested her to the casting director.
• Tobin Bell was primarily cast as Jigsaw because of his distinctive voice, while actor Mike Butters declined the same role believing it lacked enough exciting scenes, instead ending up as the victim in the razor wire maze trap.
• Saw was shot in 18 days on a $700,000 budget, with cinematographer David A. Armstrong shooting the entire film handheld over his shoulder rather than using a camera dolly or tripod to capture different visual styles for each protagonist.
• Leigh Whannell performed the bathtub scene himself as a stuntman because the production ran out of budget money after discovering they couldn't afford to hire one on the first day of filming.
• Wan and editor Kevin Greutert creatively filled gaps in the final cut by incorporating surveillance camera feeds, newspaper clippings, and still photographs throughout the film, a necessity born from the rushed schedule that inadvertently became a stylistic signature.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article Saw (film), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Rewritten for StreamShack; errors are ours — tell us about them.