Why So Many Character Dramas This Season Use Special Effects

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As a seasoned artist and film connoisseur who has witnessed the evolution of visual effects in cinema, I must say that the recent trend of incorporating computer-generated imagery (CGI) into biographical films is truly remarkable. The blend of human performance with digital wizardry creates an immersive experience that transports audiences to a whole new level of storytelling.

As a gamer, I’d say: These three films – “Better Man,” “A Different Man,” and “Unstoppable” – might not seem related at first glance, but they do have something in common that’s hard to ignore: They all skillfully employ special effects to reveal and deepen their characters.

In every movie, visual effects – both real-life and digitally created – play a crucial role in allowing audiences to accept the unusual aspects of the main characters and gain a deeper understanding of their virtues as well as their vulnerabilities. As Mike Marino, makeup artist and prosthetic designer for the film A Different Man, puts it, “The idea is that you don’t have to strive to appear like someone else to be a good person, a worthy individual, an exceptional person.

Marshaling the technology to achieve that, however, is no easy feat.

In Aaron Schimberg’s film “A Different Man”, Sebastian Stan portrays Edward Lemuel, a troubled actor dealing with low self-worth due to a medical condition known as neurofibromatosis, which has left him disfigured. However, his true struggle starts when he encounters the charismatic character Ozwald, played by Adam Pearson in real life who also suffers from neurofibromatosis. Edward finds himself tormented not just by his own condition, but also by the confidence of this man he has met.

Stan’s metamorphosis started by taking 3D scans of his face, which were later used to create a plaster-like duplicate for Marino to sculpt and customize. He said, “I analyzed Adam’s face and crafted my own interpretation suitable for Sebastian.” Subsequently, smaller silicone molds were produced from the facial sculpture and affixed onto Stan during a two-hour makeup session each day. This method turned out to be quite beneficial in portraying the scenes where Lemuel’s skin suddenly flares up and grotesquely melts away after surgery – a terrifying ordeal for him.

According to Marino, all the effects used are practical ones. He aimed to make his work consistent with the film’s old-school vibe since it was filmed using 16mm film. To do this, he designed a subtle makeup that peels and drips, which resembles the makeup from David Cronenberg’s “The Fly.” (For more on “The Fly,” check out page 28.)

According to him, the visuals aren’t designed to startle viewers; instead, their purpose is to facilitate a connection with the narrative. As Marino points out, people tend to favor tangible aspects, such as seeing an actor appearing to be in pain or distress. Interestingly, this helps the actor too because their appearance significantly impacts their emotions and performance on screen.

In his niche of the movie industry, actor Jharrel Jerome opted for motion training instead of makeup to ready himself for playing Anthony Robles, a former NCAA wrestling champion born with one leg, in William Goldenberg’s first directorial venture, “Unstoppable“, scheduled for a limited cinema release on December 6. Robles stood in as Jerome’s physical double during filming. The task then fell to the visual effects team, who combined their bodies seamlessly on screen using two techniques: AI-powered face replacement and CGI leg substitution.

Anthony was born with a leg that connects to his pelvic area, making his physical structure unique, which significantly influences his appearance from behind,” explains VFX supervisor Thomas Tannenberger. He utilized a body scanner equipped with 150 cameras in a spherical array to precisely capture each man’s body shape. Subsequently, 3D computer-generated models were produced and merged. As for Jharrel, the lower part of his body needed to be digitally substituted, according to Tannenberger.

Instead, at times, the AI-generated likeness of Jerome (from countless photos taken from different angles) was superimposed onto Robles’ physical form. Filmmakers explain that creating an authentic look during the wrestling sequences would have been extremely challenging without this method.

In particularly grueling matches where combatants seem to toss one another about as if they were dolls, according to Tannenberger, Anthony possesses an upper-body strength that is seemingly unparalleled. His physique resembles that of a superhero, a V-shape that seemed impossible to achieve. To make the character more realistic, both his face and body were sculpted in post-production to better align them.

He says he’s aware that there has been a backlash to AI being used in this way, with some actors expressing concern that faces and bodies increasingly will be used interchangeably without their owners’ involvement. AI-based performance was at the center of last year’s dual writers and actors strikes. The current SAG-AFTRA contract built in consent for various usages of digital replicas, but there remains much that is practically and ethically fuzzy.

He mentions that there are costly, mostly CGI-based methods often referred to as face-replacement techniques which, even though they’ve improved significantly, remain extremely expensive for achieving precision. Given our project’s budget, it’s not feasible to use these methods typically seen in high-budget blockbusters. Instead, we needed to discover an alternative approach.

According to Tannenberger, it’s a technique that proved successful. He shared, “I attended the film premiere in Toronto, and I can confirm that people were taken aback when Jharrel appeared on stage with two legs. It was due to visual effects, he explained. We rarely receive recognition for our work since there aren’t many instances where viewers exclaim, ‘This can’t be real! How did they manage that?’ So, at that moment, I knew we had excelled in our task.

In Michael Gracey’s movie Better Man, Robbie Williams – the singer-songwriter who has frequently expressed feeling like a dancing monkey trying to fulfill both the demands of the music industry and public expectations – is portrayed as exactly that throughout the film. To put it simply, his character in the movie takes on the form of a monkey, with Williams providing the voiceover, while Jonno Davies performs the physical movements for the younger version of the character.

For the VFX team, the goal was to create a character that people would recognize, connect with, and be drawn to. Animation supervisor Luke Millar explains this, as his experience working on the Planet of the Apes series equipped him for the job. He emphasized that they aimed to avoid portraying the character as comical or exaggerated (like a caricature). Instead, Robbie was depicted as an ape, but the emotions shown were human ones. The connection one feels with this character is also deeply human.

To ensure a strong connection between characters, Davies, who donned a gray suit equipped with infrared LED lights for motion capture throughout the film, acted alongside his co-stars. “I opted for tennis balls on sticks,” Millar explained. “We didn’t go down that route. I aimed to avoid false eyelines, so many aspects of Jonno’s design were centered around Davies. This way, when Nicole looks into Jonno’s eyes and we insert Robbie into the scene, she is actually looking at Robbie.

In essence, the filming for this project was similar to any other. However, it was during post-production that the graphics and the voice of Williams, who contributed both narration and musical performances, were seamlessly integrated. Millar noted one of the difficulties in this movie: “With over 1,970 shots in the film, there’s a tremendous amount of work involved, and even the slightest error is unacceptable.

In the bustling world of Hollywood biographies, Millar refers to “Better Man,” set to debut on Christmas Day, as a unique standalone production due to its distinctive style. He expresses hope that this film might inspire confidence in audiences, encouraging them to embrace bolder choices in future productions.

Millar shares, “In truth, Robbie’s tale isn’t exceptionally unique; many musicians and artists encounter similar challenges. However, I appreciate Michael’s perspective on it. His approach to narrate the story from Robbie’s self-perception rather than our collective perception of him adds a charming twist to the narrative.

Originally, this tale was featured in a solitary December issue of The Hollywood Reporter’s magazine. If you’d like to get the magazine, simply click here to subscribe.

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2024-12-02 23:25