In New Line Cinema's romantic drama “If I Stay,” music is the connective tissue that threads the characters' world together. It is also “a metaphor for our passions in life,” states director R.J. Cutler.

“If I Stay” opens with a Cello Sonata by Beethoven and riffs through an array of music including Zoltan Kodaly, Bach, Buzzcocks, Beck, Sonic Youth, Blondie, Iggy Pop, and The Dandy Warhols, to name a few.

“Music is an undeniably critical element in and of itself in this film and that created a wonderful opportunity for me,” says Cutler. “Telling stories about people who play music and who sing allows you to enhance the narrative in many different ways. You’re dealing with the content of the lyrics, the nature of the performance, and the tone of the actual scene itself. It’s really exciting to get things that function on all of those levels when you find exactly the right piece of music and put it together in exactly the right way.”

Cutler set the musical tone early, giving MP3 players to his cast loaded with playlists that their characters would be listening to, since “they are defined by the music they love,” he explains.

Chloe Grace Moretz, who plays the central character, the cellist Mia, received one filled with music from the classical genre, as well as contemporary music that incorporated classical instruments, like Nirvana’s “Unplugged.” Cutler also included a lot of Mia's parents, Kat and Denny’s favorite music, which Mia grew up on: The Clash, Iggy Pop, David Bowie, Elvis Costello, The Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, as well as more contemporary Pacific Northwest-based music that would likely be in the world around her.

The playlist for Jamie Blackley who plays the guitarist and rocker, Adam, overlapped Moretz’s, but with less classical and more of a foundation in Punk and Grunge.

Although Blackley actually plays guitar and sings, he brushed up with lessons from Simon Tong, who played in the band Gorillaz.

The first time Blackley got to perform the music was a pivotal scene which takes place at a Labor Day party at Mia’s house. The day Mia remembers in her retrospective state as her favorite day was also one of Blackley’s favorite scenes. Adam and his band mates play guitar with Mia’s father and his musician friends gathered around a bonfire in Mia’s backyard. Blackley recalls, “That was really fun to film because we had worked so hard on the music.”

Adam brings out Mia’s cello and pulls her into the impromptu jam and, for the first time, she and Adam are finally playing music together, melding her classical music with his.

“It’s very symbolic. It’s like they are intertwining all the aspects of their lives,” says Moretz.

Author Gayle Forman, whose novel was the basis of the film, relates, “Being able to actually viscerally experience watching Mia play the cello or seeing Adam and Mia actually jam together was a million times better than it could ever be in the book or in my head. I think the music is really going to resonate with viewers.”

The songs are touchstones in Mia’s memories as she studies her past in the in-between world and reflects on the complex twists and turns in her relationship with Adam.

“It’s really beautiful how R.J. infused music into every aspect of making this movie,” Moretz notes, “You hear their love story; it’s completely encompassed in the songs.”

Cutler reflects, “These two people who are deeply in love with each other, and really connected could be torn apart for no other reason than that they are fully pursuing who they are.

“Life is messy. There isn’t just one path. It’s all the joy that comes from the surprises that it has in store for you and all the tragedy that comes from those surprises. What Mia learns on her journey with Adam is invaluable and helps her make her ultimate choice.”

Opening across the Philippines on September 3, 2014, “If I Stay” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Entertainment Company.

Mia Hall thought the hardest decision she would ever face would be whether to pursue her musical dreams at Juilliard or follow a different path to be with the love of her life, Adam. But caught between life and death for one revealing day, Mia has only one decision left, which will not only decide her future but her ultimate fate, in New Line Cinema's romantic drama “If I Stay.”

Directed by R.J. Cutler, “If I Stay” is a film adaptation of the New York Times best-selling novel by Gayle Forman.

Chloe Grace Moretz (“Carrie,” the upcoming “The Equalizer”) plays Mia whose life has always been infused with a rich soundtrack, because music has always been a priority in her house. Mia’s father was the drummer in a punk band before he became a teacher. Her mother carted Mia along to his gigs as a toddler and reveres women like Blondie’s Deborah Harry. Mia’s little brother, Teddy, who is already pretty good at drums himself, idolizes Iggy Pop.

But Mia wants to play the cello at Juilliard. And her heroes are Yo-Yo Ma and Beethoven.

“Mia’s parents embraced the punk ethos of living in the moment and the messiness of life and that’s just not who Mia is—she is a girl who needs order,” explains director R.J. Cutler. “She craves structure and form and it’s one of the reasons she was so attracted to the cello and why the moment she met her first cello she connected with it.”

Cutler had always wanted to work with Moretz and was thrilled when she came on board.

Moretz describes Mia as “very shy and sweet. She’s a regular girl, just living her life, figuring it out step by step like everybody else, faced with normal things like being insecure, wondering if she’ll get into the school she wants to get into. Unlike everyone else, however, she just happens to feel more comfortable with her cello than with people.”

Cutler says of his lead, “Chloë carried so much of the film and always came to work with such a positive attitude. When you have a star that brings it every day, everyone else brings it, too, and it makes a big difference. I was impressed by her professionalism and how she delivered at that level.”

How Mia’s story was told intrigued Moretz even more: in flashbacks, as Mia weighs her life and relationships. “The structure was such an interesting way to frame this character. It required going through such a range of events and emotions at different times in her life. It was nice exploring those dimensions.”

Cutler remarks, “Although Mia’s family and friends are unaware of her presence, Chloë was able to evoke a tangible connection with the other characters in a way that was truly remarkable.”

Being present but unseen was one challenge for the actress. She admits the mere physical aspect of portraying an accomplished cellist was another, particularly since Moretz had never played any instrument before in her life.

Moretz spent time studying classically trained cellists to prepare for the role. She relates, “There is something so raw and beautiful about a cello because cellists literally sing through their instruments. You can hear them breathing with each bow stroke, and every time they put their finger on a new note a new part of their body moves.”

She noticed many of the cellists she met were introverted—until they began to play.

“It was fascinating to watch them transform before my eyes. They become so animated and so passionate through this instrument. And that helped me with Mia, because Mia speaks through her cello,” says Moretz.

Cutler notes, “One of the things Chloë did so beautifully was capturing the essence of what it means to already be a virtuoso cellist at the age of 17. Her performance is persuasive and conveys that love of music. She really channeled the great cellists she studied.”

The director arranged for lessons with a cello instructor via Skype and in person during the busy months before Moretz would start “If I Stay.” He also wanted Moretz to have access to a cello—no matter where she was in the world.

And Moretz was all over the world. “I’d come to these new locations and there’d always be this instrument lurking around, following me. From Leipzig, Germany to the middle of Louisiana, the hotel staff would give me a strange look and say, ‘Ma’am, there’s a cello for you downstairs,’” Moretz laughs. “But actually living with it constantly made a difference since, for cellists, it really is an extension of their body.”

Opening across the Philippines on September 3, 2014, “If I Stay” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Entertainment Company.

British actor Jamie Blackley (“Snow White and the Huntsman”) stars as Adam, the unlikely rocker who can’t resist the shy girl he hears playing the cello one day at school, in New Line Cinema's “If I Stay,” director R.J. Cutler’s adaptation of the New York Times best-selling novel by Gayle Forman.

In “If I Stay,” Mia Hall (Chloe Grace Moretz) thought the hardest decision she would ever face would be whether to pursue her musical dreams at Juilliard or follow a different path to be with the love of her life, Adam (Blackley). But what should have been a carefree family drive changes everything in an instant, and now her own life hangs in the balance. Caught between life and death for one revealing day, Mia has only one decision left, which will not only decide her future but her ultimate fate.

Blackley notes, “It’s such a great story. These two people find each other because they share the same passion for music, and their relationship is nuanced and complicated and really appealed to me. But then in the blink of an eye everything changes without warning. Contemplating whether you’re ever going to see someone again and be able to say everything you thought you’d always have time to say to them is quite intense.”

Cutler says, “When Jamie sang for us he blew us away and when he and Chloë read together we all had tears in our eyes. We all felt the same way; we had our guy.”

Producer Alison Greenspan adds, “I knew he had made his big break in ‘Spring Awakening’ in London, which is vocally rigorous, but listening to him sing and watching him interact in character with Chloë was incredible—the electricity in the room was palpable.”

Blackley couldn’t resist stepping into the boots of the up-and-coming musician—and onto a stage behind a microphone and guitar. “I thought it would be nice to be a rock star for a bit,” he smiles.

Cutler says, “Adam is talented beyond his years and going places and I think Jamie is, too. He’s an incredible actor and really puts a hundred percent into it. We were lucky he walked in that door.”

Greenspan also thinks they were fortunate. “Women like men who are a combination of tough and sensitive. Jamie is the perfect blend of good looks and beautiful emotions. He immediately became Adam.”

Blackley and Moretz shared a mutual professional admiration from the start. “It was such a pleasure doing our scenes because Jamie’s a brilliant actor. Our relationship felt organic and natural,” says Moretz.

Blackley, who reveals he had been a fan of Moretz’s for some time, remarks, “It doesn’t hurt that we just get on well, and laughed a lot. It was cool to actually work with Chloë.”

Opening across the Philippines on September 3, 2014, “If I Stay” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Entertainment Company.

Sometimes you make choices and sometimes they make you. For reserved high school cellist Mia, it comes in an instant. One snowy drive, one horrific accident, and she is forced to make a choice only she can make, one that will make this day Mia’s defining day.

That is the storyline of New Line Cinema's “If I Stay,” director R.J. Cutler’s adaptation the New York Times best-selling novel by Gayle Forman. Forman’s book has gripped Young Adult readers around the world with its enthralling love story and its unflinching look at what one young girl would do in the face of a life or death crisis that suspends her between this world and the next and presents her with an impossible choice…to stay or go?

“I read it in one sitting and it shattered me,” says director R.J. Cutler. His big screen adaptation marks the documentary filmmaker’s motion picture debut. “The central premise—we are whom we love—was so evocative, so moving, I knew I had to translate the profound connection I had with those pages to film.”

The book’s global fan base includes producer Alison Greenspan, who read the galleys of Forman’s novel before it was even printed. Greenspan was equally engaged by Mia’s conflict and relationships. “I was captivated by Gayle’s voice, and how true it was to the young experience of grappling with love: family love, romantic love and love of self. It really spoke to my heart,” she offers.

She was also completely taken with Cutler’s vision, which he revealed in a visual presentation, complete with a CD reflecting the detailed musical palette for the world revolving around star-crossed musicians.

“I didn’t just see the film when I read the book, I heard it,” says Cutler. “It was very clear to me.”

Greenspan was familiar with Cutler’s thought-provoking and critically acclaimed documentaries that covered pop culture from politics to fashion. She followed an instinct that the combination of Forman’s material and Cutler’s inherent understanding of it was the start of something special.

Capturing the spirit of the popular book in a script was a key element. Although screenwriter Shauna Cross’s repertoire had been predominantly edgy comedies, her regard for the book and her take on it was exciting to the filmmakers.

“There was a great alchemy between her hip, vibrant voice and the heartrending nature of Gayle’s,” says Greenspan. “The script is touching and sentimental, but still grounded in reality, and that’s what Shauna brought to the table.”

The producer also made a decision early on to keep Forman closely involved. Cross enjoyed the collaborative process with the author, noting, “The novel has so many layers—it’s funny and cool and heavy and uplifting. I wanted to preserve what the fans fell in love with in the first place. You have to modify things a little, but the film is still Gayle’s world and has Gayle’s Mia; it’s her Adam, parents and friends.”

The pairing of styles proved fruitful. Forman, who also serves as executive producer, attests, “This is material I know intimately and characters that have lived in my mind for years, so, as I read the screenplay or watched on set, and got that twist in my gut I knew, for me, the book’s emotional content had successfully made the transition to screen.

“It’s been a real labor of love, I think, by a remarkable team,” she goes on. “Alison has been a champion and the moment I met R.J. I knew he saw it. He completely got the music, visuals, love story, and the characters. The cast is incredible too. It’s really the full package and I think the readers will be happy.”

Cutler adds, “Regardless of whether or not you’ve read the book, ‘If I Stay’ is a love story that takes an emotional journey exploring a fundamental truth: fate may have a hand in defining us, but so does love. And the choices we make because of that love can alter everything.”

In “If I Stay,” Mia Hall (Chloe Grace Moretz) thought the hardest decision she would ever face would be whether to pursue her musical dreams at Juilliard or follow a different path to be with the love of her life, Adam (Jamie Blackley). But what should have been a carefree family drive changes everything in an instant, and now her own life hangs in the balance. Caught between life and death for one revealing day, Mia has only one decision left, which will not only decide her future but her ultimate fate.

Opening across the Philippines on September 3, 2014, “If I Stay” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Entertainment Company.

Chloe Grace Moretz and Jamie Blackley, the lead stars of the upcoming romantic drama “If I Stay,” say “Hello, Philippines!” as they invite Filipino fans of Gayle Forman's best-selling novel to cath the film when it opens here on Sept. 3, 2014. The video may be viewed at Warner Bros. Phillipines' official youtube channel athttp://youtu.be/mnEk8Z6Zh8o.

The international main poster for “If I Stay” has also just been revealed, featuring a collection of haunting images, anchored by the tagline, “Life for Love.”

Forman’s beloved novel comes to the screen in New Line Cinema’s and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures’ drama “If I Stay,” starring Chloë Grace Moretz (“Carrie,” the “Kick-Ass” films), Mireille Enos (“World War Z”), Joshua Leonard (“Higher Ground”), Jamie Blackley (“Snow White and the Huntsman”) and Stacy Keach (“Nebraska”).

In the film, Mia Hall (Moretz) thought the hardest decision she would ever face would be whether to pursue her musical dreams at Juilliard or follow a different path to be with the love of her life, Adam (Blackley). But what should have been a carefree family drive changes everything in an instant, and now her own life hangs in the balance. Caught between life and death for one revealing day, Mia has only one decision left, which will not only decide her future but her ultimate fate.

Rounding out the main cast are Liana Liberato , Aisha Hinds, Jakob Davies and Gabrielle Rose.

R.J. Cutler directed the film from a screenplay by Shauna Cross based on Forman’s novel. “If I Stay” is produced by Alison Greenspan, with Denise DiNovi, Forman and Brad Van Arragon serving as executive producers.

Cutler’s behind-the-scenes team included cinematographer John de Borman, production designer Brent Thomas, editor Keith Henderson, costume designer Monique Prudhomme and composer Heitor Pereira.

Opening across the Philippines on Sept. 03, 2014, “If I Stay” is a presentation of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment company.

Warner Bros. Pictures has just unveiled the “prologue” trailer of “If I Stay,” director R.J. Cutler’s adaptation of the Gayle Forman young adult novel.

The new trailer may be viewed at Warner's official youtube channel at http://youtu.be/DcUdOKmT6V4.

Starring Chloe Grace Moretz and Jamie Blackley, "If I Stay" is the story of the gifted classical musician Mia (Moretz) and her boyfriend, Adam (Blackley), an up and coming indie-rock star. Torn between two paths in life, her art or her relationship, Mia is forced to make an even starker choice between life and death when she is caught in a fatal car accident.

With her family decimated, Mia lies comatose in a hospital — having an out-of-body experience. She watches as she’s told that living or dying “is all up to you; whatever fight you got in you, gotta pull it out now.”

“If I Stay” is directed by R.J. Cutler (“The September Issue”) from a script by Shauna Cross (“Whip It”).

Opening across the Philippines on September 3, 2014, “If I Stay” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Entertainment Company.

Warner Bros. Pictures has just revealed the teaser trailer for its upcoming teen, supernatural drama “If I Stay” starring Chloe Grace Moretz. Watch the trailer here at http://youtu.be/7TATjrvInyU

Based on Gayle Forman's young adult bestseller, "If I Stay" is the story of the gifted classical musician Mia (Moretz) and her boyfriend, Adam (Jamie Blackley), an up and coming indie-rock star. Torn between two paths in life, her art or her relationship, Mia is forced to make an even starker choice between life and death when she is caught in a fatal car accident.

With her family decimated, Mia lies comatose in a hospital — having an out-of-body experience. She watches as she’s told that living or dying “is all up to you; whatever fight you got in you, gotta pull it out now.”

“If I Stay” is directed by R.J. Cutler (“The September Issue”) from a script by Shauna Cross (“Whip It”).

Opening across the Philippines on September 3, 2014, “If I Stay” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Entertainment Company.