Christian Search - WeSpreadTheWord.net: SPACE SHIPS, ROBOTS AND ZORGONS, OH MY!<title> <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1" /> <META name="verify-v1" content="ojVUHVIgoki8ltjvvXqQbwQDPFpugC7XzmxoA+8FB2A=" /> <link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="http://www.wespreadtheword.net/static/luna/luna.css" /><script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.wespreadtheword.net/static/utils.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> //<![CDATA[ registerEvent(window, 'onload', function () { var loginbar = document.getElementById('loginbar'); if (!loginbar) return; var loginlink = loginbar.firstChild; if (loginlink.className != 'out') return; var cookies = document.cookie.split(';'); for (var i = 0; i <cookies.length; i++) { if (cookies[i].match(/^\s*s=[0-9a-f]{32}\s*$/)) { loginlink.href = 'http://www.wespreadtheword.net/cgi-bin/links/user.cgi?logout=1'; loginlink.className = 'in'; loginlink.firstChild.nodeValue = 'Logout'; break; } } }); //]]> </script> </head> <body id="rate_top"> <div id="accessibility"><a href="#content">Skip to Content</a></div> <hr class="hide" /> <div id="wrapper"> <div id="header"> <div id="loginbar"><a href="http://www.wespreadtheword.net/cgi-bin/links/user.cgi" class="out">Login/Register</a></div> <h1><a href="http://www.wespreadtheword.net"><img src="http://www.wespreadtheword.net/images/wstw2.jpg"></a></h1> </div> <br> <center>   <script type='text/javascript'></script><noscript><a href='http://www.wespreadtheword.net/advertising/www/delivery/ck.php?n=ad0cfbea&cb=INSERT_RANDOM_NUMBER_HERE' target='_blank'><img src='http://www.wespreadtheword.net/advertising/www/delivery/avw.php?zoneid=3&cb=INSERT_RANDOM_NUMBER_HERE&n=ad0cfbea' border='0' alt='' /></a></noscript>  <script type='text/javascript'></script><noscript><a href='http://www.wespreadtheword.net/advertising/www/delivery/ck.php?n=af537606&cb=INSERT_RANDOM_NUMBER_HERE' target='_blank'><img src='http://www.wespreadtheword.net/advertising/www/delivery/avw.php?zoneid=7&n=af537606' border='0' alt='' /></a></noscript> </center> <br> <div class="navbar clear"> <ul class="primarynav"> <li class="home"><a href="http://www.wespreadtheword.net">Home</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.wespreadtheword.net/cgi-bin/links/add.cgi">Add a Link</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.wespreadtheword.net/cgi-bin/links/modify.cgi">Modify a Link</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.wespreadtheword.net/New/">New Links</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.wespreadtheword.net/Cool/">Cool Links</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.wespreadtheword.net/Ratings/">Top Rated</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.wespreadtheword.net/cgi-bin/links/jump.cgi?ID=random;Detailed=1">Random Link</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.wespreadtheword.net/cgi-bin/links/subscribe.cgi">Newsletter</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.wespreadtheword.net/cgi-bin/links/bookmark.cgi">Bookmarks</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="searchbar"> <form action="http://www.wespreadtheword.net/cgi-bin/links/search.cgi"> <label for="searchbox">Search</label> <input type="text" id="searchbox" name="query" value="" class="text" /><input type="submit" name="Go" value="Go" class="submit" /> <a href="http://www.wespreadtheword.net/cgi-bin/links/search.cgi">Advanced Search</a> </form> </div> <hr class="hide" /> <div id="ocwrapper" class="clear"> <div id="icwrapper" class="clear"> <div id="leftsidebar"> <script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript">  </script> <script language="JavaScript" src="http://ypn-js.overture.com/partner/js/ypn.js"> </script> </div> <div id="contentwrapper" class="shadowleft"> <div class="shadowtop"><div class="shadowtopleft"></div><div class="shadowtopright"></div></div> <div class="shadowright"> <div id="content"> <CENTER>   <script type='text/javascript'></script><noscript><a href='http://www.wespreadtheword.net/advertising/www/delivery/ck.php?n=a18ebd28&cb=INSERT_RANDOM_NUMBER_HERE' target='_blank'><img src='http://www.wespreadtheword.net/advertising/www/delivery/avw.php?zoneid=4&cb=INSERT_RANDOM_NUMBER_HERE&n=a18ebd28' border='0' alt='' /></a></noscript> </CENTER> <br> <div class="crumb"><a href="http://www.wespreadtheword.net/index.html">Home</a> > <span class="lasttitle">Movie News</span></div> <center><h2>SPACE SHIPS, ROBOTS AND ZORGONS, OH MY!<br> <img src="/images/zathura.jpg"><br></center> <p>To create the film’s robots and Zorgons, Favreau called upon multiple Oscar® winner Stan Winston. With more than 40 years of experience and a treasure trove of memorable screen creatures from the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park to the title character of Edward Scissorhands, Winston claims, “Zathura had everything I always say is most important about any motion picture: First and foremost is a good script. I read the script and loved it. It was a chance to do something special and it was fun family fare. Secondly, is the importance of the director. And Jon Favreau is one of the most imaginative directors I've ever worked with. He’s come up with some exciting concepts and ideas. Not only is he a fan of new technology, but also of the kind of work we’re known for here at the studio." <p>Crucial to the success of a film of this scale is mutual understanding and a shared philosophy among all of the participants. The filmmakers and Winston, along with the various department heads Jon G. Belyeu (special effects), Joe Bauer (visual effects) and J. Michael Riva (production designer) all shared a similar viewpoint. Everyone agreed that whenever possible, the creatures and other sci-fi elements should be real. After further discussions and meetings, the production outlined specifically which elements would be real, which would be added later using computer generated images (CGI) and which would utilize miniatures. <p>“We storyboarded a great deal,” remembers Favreau. “We built models. We went back and forth and had meeting after meeting about how each shot in each scene was going to be shot.” <p>According to Favreau, “We used digital effects here and there to help move the story along and help smooth out the rough edges. But at its core, we wanted the main set pieces to be based in the real world, in a practical environment. It feels more realistic to people of my generation who grew up before digital effects were so pervasive. To me, movies with too many digital effects look a bit like a video game.” <p>Co-producer Peter Billingsley agrees that the inventiveness of digital effects has its place, but in a limited way. “It's pretty amazing what you can do with CGI,” he explains. “But at the end of the day, you don't always connect with what you're seeing in CGI, because your brain can sometimes register it as fake and the movements don’t seem completely real. In this film, anytime there’s an explosion, it’s real. Anytime something is set on fire, it's really on fire. We've burned things, we've blown things up, we've pulled off roofs and walls and shot at miniatures. Jon has used a very smart combination of old and new technologies to create a very inspired and nostalgic look for the movie.” <p>“Jon (Favreau) wanted to do as much in camera as we could,” asserts special- effects supervisor Jon G. Belyeu. “He wanted it up front and personal, so it seemed physically possible. In the real world, things have a real look. In the digital world, if you see it for too long, it doesn’t have the saturation, the depth and the quality of what we’re doing in camera.” <p>Adds Winston: “I embrace the (CGI) technology, but I like to use it so that it is magic. I always say that if you can do it live, do it live. When you can’t, do it digitally.” <p>Favreau’s vision was consistent throughout, whether it was for live action or any of the film’s various other elements. He wanted the film to reflect and pay homage to some of the most innovative and meaningful films and art of the past. “If you look at the robot,” he explains, “It's very derivative of early sci-fi. And the Zorgons remind me a lot of Frank Frazetta’s paintings from the John Carter Of Mars serial books. We screened a lot of movies, like Forbidden Planet and other early sci-fi classics.” <p>Production designer Riva also cites the animated Iron Giant as an inspiration. “Jon and I both loved that film very much,” he says. “But again, we did not want to repeat that, so we approached it differently. Ours was originally drawn in storyboards by a wonderful artist, Eric Ramsey.” <p>All these influences were incorporated into the concepts and designs that Riva and his art department produced. With the plans in hand, Winston and his group moved ahead to bring the robots and Zorgons to life. Heading the team for Winston Studios was Shane P. Mahan, makeup and animatronic supervisor, who along with his crew, went to work taking the sketches of the robot and interpreting them from a mechanical standpoint. <p>“The inspiration for the robots really came from Jon’s wanting to capture the golden age of Hollywood horror films,” recalls Mahan. “For instance, Jon was really taken with Ray Harryhausen’s animated characters. It’s an era that I love as well. So it was fun for me to create something with that retro feel.” <p>“When the broad concept of the robot was done,” Mahan continues, “we changed some angles under J. Michael Riva's supervision. There was a bit of back and forth between the design and the practical aspects of making the robotics actually work.” <p>Ultimately, several versions of the robot were needed to create the one character. The “baby-bot” is the smallest, measuring 10 inches high. It’s the toy-sized robot that Danny and Walter first see after Walter pulls a card that reads ‘Your robot is defective.’ At first, the robot looks innocent, hardly big enough to cause any damage. But then it begins to grow. To accomplish this, a second version of the robot was built, the “grow-bot.” This version was constructed with parts and pieces that pop out and extend until the robot stands an ominous six feet, eight inches tall with a shoulder width of five feet. The grown up robot brandishes a retractable saw blade and has jet packs attached to its feet and back. This version is rod-puppeteered and radio controlled. The rods were kept at a minimum so that there were as few to remove in post-production as possible. <p>The third and fourth versions of the robot were full-sized puppets. One was a complete robot that was puppeteered with rods by Winston’s puppeteers, who made the character move and come alive. The other full-sized puppet was built to fit a person inside and was aptly called the “performer-bot.” <p>For the scenes during which the robot chases Walter and needs to move throughout the house, performer John Alexander was inside the suit making it come to life. “John Alexander’s job is to wear uncomfortable things and create a performance,” comments Winston. “And he's one of the best at it.” <p>To protect the performer and to make the robot more manageable and flexible, it was made primarily of fiberglass, which was kept as thin as possible. The metal pieces were reduced to the bare minimum. Inside the suit, the performer wore a complete body harness to help equally distribute the weight of the suit so that his whole body bore the heavy load, not just his shoulders or legs. <p>The “performer-bot” was a clear example of how the various departments coordinated their efforts to successfully create each element. The suit consisted of the robot’s head and torso as well as its feet. Alexander’s legs, covered in black tights that don’t reflect light, were exposed during shooting. In post- production, the human legs were removed and replaced by CGI robot legs at Sony Pictures Imageworks. Similarly, the arms were digitally added on. Or if they were attached during shooting, the rods holding them up were later digitally removed. <p>After the “performer-bot’s” movements were recorded, visual effects supervisor Joe Bauer and visual effects producer Joseph B. Conmy IV, both of whom worked with Favreau on Elf, utilized motion control to create a “clean plate,” which was used for removing those parts of the performer not covered by the suit pieces. Those areas were then replaced by the CGI robot parts. <p>In preparing and planning each shot, Bauer coordinated with the pre-visualization group Pixel Liberation Front (PLF), who initially worked with storyboards and blueprints provided by the art department. In the computer, PLF created exact replicas of each set and the motion control units that worked them. “This allowed us to create accurate models of the motion control rigs,” explains Bauer, “so we knew that the shots we wanted could be achieved. Favreau and director of photography Guillermo Navarro reviewed the material, made any changes, and then we took it all apart. We decided in advance which ones we could actually shoot on set and which needed to be shot off the set.” <p>Bauer continues, “We were using motion control, which is a computerized way of controlling the camera and repeating what the camera does. So if we had a camera that was panning with the “performer-bot,” then we’d replay the camera move without the actor and have just the background. This gave us the matching piece we needed to erase the parts of the actor we didn’t want to see. A mid-step of creating the shot would be just the torso or the head and the feet of the robot crossing the room, but no connecting pieces. Then Imageworks would create computer graphics to fill it in.” <p>Visual effects producer Conmy adds, “After we’d do a take, we’d then repeat the camera move exactly. The computer recorded it and repeated it, so that you had a clean plate. So if, for instance, you have the performer's legs visible, they are blocking a portion of the set behind him and we have to paint that part of the set back in. Because the robot's legs aren't the same width and scale and placement as human legs, we had to have that background plate in order to recreate it.” <p>Preparing for the shots required hours of tests. “During pre-production, we did a series of tests,” recalls Conmy. “We shot the man in the suit as he ran and walked through the set. Then we added CGI arms and legs, just to see how they integrated with the motions of the puppeteer Jon had envisioned. Stan Winston Studios conducted these tests and we were happy to find out that it all worked.” <p>By having an experienced and skilled performer inside the suit, Favreau was able to get the movements and action he desired. In addition, he was able to elicit reactions from the cast as they faced a charging, menacing 6 foot, 8 inch mechanical creature. “When you're working with two kids, as we primarily are in this movie,” says Favreau, “it's nice to have something real for them to react to and not just a blank green screen. The gait and the weight of the robot’s body movement made it come alive and was really menacing for them.” <p>When the robot was required to crash through a doorway or into the fireplace, the “bam-bot” was put into motion. Whereas the performer robot was designed with lighter weight materials, the “bam-bot” was sturdily built to serve as a battering ram. It was made with a combination of materials including heavy fiberglass, urethane, epoxy resin and steel armature. <p>To create the robot’s spectacular crash into the fireplace – jet pack ablaze as pieces of the fireplace shatter and scatter around him — the visual effects, production, construction and special effects crews all had to work together to achieve the desired effect. <p>“In order to get the robot to go through the fireplace,” explains Belyeu, “the first thing we had to do was build a very specific fireplace that would allow us to do that. It needed to be constructed in a way that it would come apart without destroying the entire set in the process. The bricks were made of a substance we call pyracell, a very soft form of plaster-like material. Construction used it in conjunction with balsa wood to make the set look as if it was built of masonry and real lumber. Actually, it was soft all the way through. <p>“Then my crew came in,” Belyeu continues. “We loaded it with high explosives, set up a track, mounted the robot on the track and used high-pressure air cylinders to move the robot from its start mark through the fireplace. The high explosives allowed us to create an element of energy that wouldn’t necessarily be there. Then, with the way the sets were constructed, we could jam the robot right through it. At the point of impact, the explosives were ignited so that it looked as if the robot created the damage.” <p>Through careful planning, each scene was pieced together in post-production by matching up all the various elements. “The robot and the camera were controlled by a computer,” according to Belyeu. “As we did each pass, everything was in the same place, at the same time, every time. We could run a pass with the children charging through the doorway, take the kids away, do exactly the same camera move and then set off the explosives. Then we could start over and run the robot through. When all of this is put together, we’ve got the interaction of the explosives, we’ve got the kids and the robot in the same shot and no one has been placed in jeopardy.” <p>Special effects technician Chris Burton spent more than three months building the robot’s rocket pack. The prep time was necessary to create a pack that shoots real fire reaching temperatures of 1,500 degrees, as well as to allow for enough time to test every aspect of the apparatus. Only by fully testing the device was the effects team assured there would be no dangerous or costly surprises and they would be fully prepared when it came time to fire it up on the set. <p>Another carefully tested effects-driven scene occurs when The Astronaut first arrives at the house. Floating through space, he appears upside-down at the front door. Stuntman Mike Justus was fitted with a swivel harness with a yoke and rigged to the end of a Zeus crane for this spectacular entrance, which enabled him to gently float into the scene and rotate 180 degrees into an upright position. <p>Burton created a second jet pack for the astronaut’s arrival, one that emitted CO2 instead of fire. Since the weight of the astronaut’s flight suit was already more than enough for Justus to handle, the 25-pound jet pack was attached to a flying rig arm and only appeared to be on the astronaut’s back. <p>The marauding aliens, the Zorgons, were not fully realized when the Stan Winston Studio team went to work, though Riva says Favreau did come up with the initial version of the creatures. <p>“Actually, Jon is an accomplished sketch artist,” says Riva. “I’d never admit this to him, but he’s actually a better sketch artist than I am. Anyway, he did a little drawing early on of what he wanted the Zorgons to look like — a kind of cross between a crocodile and an iguana with a little of Steven Spielberg’s T-Rex thrown in. I still have the sketch in my office – it contains a lot of the flavor of the final product.” <p>Winston and Mahan took the initial drawing and embellished on it until they achieved the final look. Favreau made it clear he wanted a performer in the suit with his head exposed — though it would later be digitally removed. “When you look at the Zorgons in the final film,” comments Riva, “you will be a little fooled by it and you'll wonder where the puppeteer’s head is hidden. For a moment, you'll think maybe the head is way out in the front, but after a moment you realize it couldn't be there because anatomy doesn't work that way. If we have people guessing like that, even for a brief moment, then we've done our job. We’ve fooled them.” <p>Following Favreau’s instructions, Mahan made a maquette (a small sculpture which, in this case, was made over a man’s form). This visual sample enabled everyone to see — and agree — ahead of time on every detail. “The Zorgons wear armor, have swords and fly spaceships,” notes Mahan, “and they come in at the latter part of the film when it becomes a bit scary. So it was a fine line of not being too scary for a comedy adventure film and yet not too silly either. We had to strike a good balance.” <p>The process of creating each of the four Zorgons was slow and methodical. Once the molds were agreed upon and completed, foam was injected into the mold. After it set, the arduous and slow task of burning off the excess at each of the seams began. The artists patched the seams with a soldering devise, adding dark lines over the green background. Using foam-rubber patches, the artisans reshaped these areas. This was followed by a layer of paint with a rubber cement element, which matched the components of the foam itself to produce a realistic-looking reptilian skin that could move and stretch. As with the robots, the Zorgons were designed and built to appear alive and expressive. <p>“Our philosophy at the Stan Winston Studio is always that creatures are not just effects. They are characters and part of the acting ensemble of the film,” says Mahan. “Their eyes blink, their nostrils move. We carefully worked out all the subtle movements that might register with an audience that they're alive. There is also muscle movement under the skin, interesting brow movement. It’s all expressed in an interesting way.” <p>In addition, the Zorgons are covered in armor made of a lightweight polyurethane flexible foam mixed with metallic pigments that were brushed into the molds. To control the intensity of the color, the powder was added a little at a time using Q-tips. <p>As with the robots, the Zorgons were designed to accommodate a performer inside the suit, with only a human head protruding out of what is essentially the middle of the Zorgon’s back. The weight of the creature was in front and behind the performer, which created a precarious balance. “Because it's an extremity of head and neck that comes out of a man's chest and a tail that comes out of the other side, getting the balance for the suit performer was challenging,” says Mahan. “They could have been too heavy to operate. We had to design it in a way that it had to work, since the Zorgons actually walk up stairs and move quickly.” <p>The suit weighed about 100 pounds and in many scenes, external rods were attached so that four puppeteers could help maneuver the creature around the set. The performer wore a blue-screen cap, which allowed the Imageworks visual effects team to easily erase his head. Winston points out, “It’s low-tech, high art. What we've created for Zathura are images that would look like they required the most intricate machines in the world and the most advanced animation that anybody's ever seen. You’ll truly be seeing things you’ve never seen before.” <p>The last component created by the Winston Studios team was “frozen Lisa.” Kristen Stewart’s character, Lisa, is frozen, a direct result of one of the turns in the game. For five turns, Lisa remains frozen in time with her hand extended as if she was about to test the water in her shower. <p>The mannequin had to be an exact replica of the young actress, a painstaking process that began by making a full body scan and several molds of Stewart. (The final product is a combination of various resins). As if sitting for an artist, Stewart had to stand, side by side, with her sculpted double to allow every detail of her body to be meticulously duplicated. “It was a grueling process,” Stewart recalls. “We started out with a body scan for my body type and then I had to go in and get molded. First, they did my head. Making a mold of your head is a bit like being born. You can look inside it and there’s your face. After all the molding, I had to come back so they could paint me. I stood next to well, ‘me’… and they painted ‘me.’ They're amazing artists and it took weeks. 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