Writing
In one of the earlier drafts of the script written by Guillermo Arriaga, the Japanese deaf girl was originally a Spanish girl who had recently become blind.
Earlier the main leading couple problems were infidelities, but a child death was introduced to allow Pitt to better understand his character.
According to Alejandro González Iñárritu, the locations of the film played a key role in his life. He made a life changing trip to Morocco at 17. In his previous travels to Japan, he was convinced to return with a camera someday, and finally his own move from Mexico to the USA was also present in the film.
Asked about the idea for the film, which is credited to Arriaga and Gonzalez Inarritu, the former said, "It is credited to him because I had this story first placed only in two countries. He asked to have it in four and that's why he has the 'idea by' credit." Asked also if the idea of setting Babel's two other stories in Morocco and Japan was from Gonzalez Iñárritu, Arriaga answered "No, he said put it wherever you want".[10]
Casting
When the 24-year-old Rinko Kikuchi auditioned for the role of Chieko, Iñarritu was surprised by her talent but was reluctant due to her not being deaf. The casting process continued with hundred of actresses in the following nine months, with Kikuchi ultimately winning the role a week before filming began.[11][12][13]
At the volleyball match in Tokyo, most of the audience spectators were played by deaf persons.[14][15]
Brad Pitt backed out of a role in The Departed, which he produced, in order to film Babel.[16]
The film extras portraying migrants in the Mexico shooting were real immigrants hired by the production company.[15]
Funding
Babel's $25 million budget came from an array of different sources and investors anchored with Paramount Vantage.[17]
Shooting
Filming locations included Ibaraki and Tokyo in Japan, Mexico (El Carrizo,[11] Sonora, and Tijuana), Morocco (Ouarzazate and Taguenzalt – a Berber village in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains, built into the rocky gorges of the Draa's valley[11]), the US state of California (San Diego), and Drumheller in the Canadian province of Alberta.
Principal photography began using 16mm film[18] on 2 May and wrapped on 1 December 2005. Several different types of film stock, including three-perf Super 35mm, 35mm, 18.5 anamorphic, were later utilized to give each location a distinct look.[1] After filming, director Alejandro González Iñárritu and screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga had a falling-out regarding the authorship of their previous film, 21 Grams.[19] Arriaga argued that cinema is a collaborative medium, and that both he and González Iñárritu are thus the authors of the films they have worked on together. González Iñárritu claimed sole credit as the auteur of those same films, minimizing Arriaga's contribution to the pictures. Following this dispute, Iñárritu banned Arriaga from attending the 2006 Cannes Film Festival screening of Babel, an act for which the director was criticized.[20]
Music
The film's original score and songs were composed and produced by Gustavo Santaolalla. The closing scene of the film features "Bibo no Aozora" by award-winning composer Ryuichi Sakamoto.[21] The musical score won the Academy Award for Best Original Score and the BAFTA Award for Best Film Music. It was also nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score.[22]
