Funny "special effects" in the legendary film "Terminator"

The first part of the movie "Terminator" - a classic, and the film shows,
which is not always a lot of money and fantastic special effects - the key to success.
James Cameron has managed to make a film for modest money as
large film companies refused to finance the shooting.
Next, the first part of the secrets of the famous film "Terminator».

The fact that the fifth "Terminator" have learned long ago.
All fans of the nearly 30-year-old franchise is most concerned by the question,
will come back into service if the T-800, also known as the former governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, aka.
According to the latest hints, "Iron Arnie»
still walked away from the scandalous divorce and take part in the revival for ten
years drooping series about the struggle of humanity and robots.
We decided to recall the first two, without exaggeration legendary, films
with the participation of Arnie as a ruthless killer cyborg.
How complex scenes were shot in the "Terminator" and "Day of Judgment»,
what it was capable computer graphics 30-20 years old, and why
We went over and over again in movie theaters and video salons at some of the most
memorable bands of the last century - in a series of our articles.
Today, let us remember one of the most iconic films of the 1980s.
The first "Terminator" - a wonderful example of how you can make
good fantasy film for small by Hollywood standards
money. Imagine that one of the most exciting fighters of that time
It spent only $ 6, 4 million. Adjusted for inflation, today
it would have been "pathetic" $ 14 million, for which none of the venerable director
It will undertake to take such an ambitious project.
Later, James Cameron joked that the film was made for the cost of the camper,
where he lived Arnold Schwarzenegger during the work on "Terminator 2».




But almost 30 years ago it was possible to completely dispense with expensive computer graphics.
The rescue crew James Cameron came the time-tested techniques,
as well as some new tricks.

Save had from the beginning, ie at the stage of realization of the idea in the script.
Originally it was planned that the humanoid robot in Terminator will face
It created out of "liquid metal" and be able to receive the image of any people. Familiar, right?
It is because of lack of computer technology the idea was abandoned,
but it flowed smoothly released in theaters in seven years, "Terminator 2».

Because of the modest budget in the trash went Substantially all of the script,
which described events in the future.
It is said that in the first version of the script cinematic alter ego Arnold Schwarzenegger
It was there to maintain the normal form
his human "shell". Unfortunately or fortunately, but the final version
Terminator movie is not slurp soup and eats dumplings.
It is unlikely that the rejection of this idea is somehow connected with a low budget.

The initial outline of the image of the Terminator









Capacious title of the first part of the franchise, which later became one of the most
recognizable, surprisingly well with just one word passes
the mood and meaning of the film. "Terminator" - is a kind of one-man show,
monoperformance sinister cyborg assassin.
Not surprisingly, the lion's share of the budget went to the tape embodiment of fears
pessimistic futurist.

James Cameron was lucky with the cast. A powerful, menacing,
a poor mimicry of Arnold Schwarzenegger as well as possible approached to
the role of "humanized" Terminator. But what about the way the robot without organic "clothes»,
with a metal skeleton and unkind light red-eye sensors?
Technology has helped frame puppet animation, invented almost at the dawn of the "dream factory».

Makeup had several hours



Mannequins also carefully prepared to shoot



In most of the scenes with the skeletal part Terminator doll height not exceeding 50 cm.
Shooting techniques similar to puppet animation:
any change in the movement legs, hands, skulls and so on. d. fixed frame by frame,
then all the frames are glued and turns badsome
for 1980s video briskly walking robot.
Total number of such episodes were less than a dozen, one of the most common - a passage in the
end of the film to get out from under the truck in flames robot.





This doll old enough only to general plans.
For scenes in which the viewer sees only the torso, head, arms or legs T-800,
film crew came up to do a few dolls, only this time in full size.
There was, for example, a dummy Terminator in full growth.
However, it is almost not used in this way, because only he could move his arms and head,
but go no one could get.
In the film, no wonder so many close-ups of parts of cyborg: a motion to remove the upper part of
torso, arm or leg is much easier than to make a realistic move the entire two-meter colossus.



Take the same scene with the truck exploded.
First, we show full-length mini-doll animated frame by frame.
Then turn the viewer's attention is focused on the "face", then on the torso, the legs on the robot.
The easiest way to remove legs:
Know yourself rearrange a piece of iron and records all the camera.
But the body had to tinker with. The torso had to carry it on a special trolley,
on the shoulders of the "puppeteer". At the same time several other people were in sync
control arms, back and skull hunter Sarah Connor.
Scene lasting a few seconds literally flashed on the screen,
and its shooting took dozens of takes.





Shot from the movie: the background Sarah Connor runs into the factory building,
in the foreground - perched on the shoulders of "puppeteer" Terminator torso
The top "working" half a torso Terminator could be seen entirely
and without cheating in the final episode, in which cyborg pursues
his victim under the press (art simply dragged the body under the floor of the robot).
Shortly before that, if you remember, it blew up dynamite sticks:
beautifully flown apart parts were actually made of plastic,
because the metal in the explosion of a relatively small capacity would lead
itself is not as impressive and also could hurt people.

Terminator crawling towards his death



Hallmark ribbon became the face of the "Iron Arnie 'with a red-eye robot.
No dummies has not been here. In the middle of the film there
disgusting in their naturalistic scene with carving Terminator
Organic damaged eye. Face doll was made of silicone,
and to add "liveliness" wetted with water. "Face" of Schwarzenegger,
which is periodically in the same episode appears instead of artificial
head also sprayed with water, causing makeup unnatural blue.
Said during a preview of the material the actor himself could not
find out where on the screen it, and where - his understudy silicone.
Perhaps this is true, but, frankly, today the difference between a real
face of the actor and puppet film visible to the naked eye.

Puppet Arnie



A look behind the scenes of



Another artificial head is shown in the last quarter of the tape,
Soon after Terminator falls off the bike and truck knocks.
Torn robot then flaunting bare metal on the left
half of the face, and dangling scraps of skin.
In some scenes we are shown a close-up of the corresponding type of mannequin,
and some - in the face of Schwarzenegger's makeup.
The latter option is more realistic, but only as long as the actor starts to speak:
then clearly that "metal" is moving as the skin.
According to Arnie once in a break between filming it in makeup with bare jaw
and red eye went to dine in one of the restaurants.
What is the effect on the audience made its way, the actor for some reason did not tell.

This dummy showed a couple of times



Instead of the dummy in the frame frequently flashed a very good makeup



The latest plan of the film in which we see the Terminator - crushed under the pressure of the skull of the robot,
slowly decaying red eyes and haze.
For the accurate shooting of the episode would take thousands of dollars.
The crew has managed painted under the metal foam (aka "the press»),
foil (crushed skull), ordinary red light and cigarette smoke,
who did hit the shot accidentally.

Stay on Terminator foil, light and cigarette smoke

We have already recalled one of the most spectacular episodes of "Terminator»
- Pursuit of a truck and its explosion.
With all the honest pursuit: the car is going at high speed smashes whatever turns
the wheels and the hood of cars and so on. d.
With regard to the explosion, then again had to resort to literally little trick.
Blowing the streets of Los Angeles real truck the city administration did not allow -
near the site of action was an ammunition warehouse.
Then things got a smaller copy of the RC tank truck.
The first plastic model exploded not too well, so I had to urgently do the second.
Effect of reality achieved by flash shooting.

The coolest special effects: keying and toy fuel tanker explosion in one bottle





Played Sarah Connor actress Linda Hamilton from any machine not running away.
She just ran background on a huge screen on which is projected
video from moving fuel tankers.

Toy decoration were involved in full during the filming of a post-apocalyptic future.
All we see in this case the screen is made of plastic, cardboard, foil.
The apparent enormous robotic tanks are actually similar in size with a baby carriage.
Flying under the tracks of a grenade - a 4-inch piece of plastic.
It was not easy to get them in the right place, so we had to do 26 takes,
before everything turned out as planned James Cameron.
With a conventional movie camera had to remove objects so tiny,
so that the viewer has the feeling of scale.
Again, the reality effect is achieved through the fast shooting and subsequent
slowdown.







Is littered with torn land of the skull the size of a walnut,
cardboard city ruins occupy an area of ​​a few square meters,
and the background crew escaped with the help of the fog.
The real depth of the distance of such scenes was only 5-6 meters,
and the smoke created an illusion of vast spaces.
Mainly used artificial smoke, though sometimes let the natural charcoal.
For colorful explosions of light bulbs is to thank, stained white flash
exploding squib orange,
and peanut dust, which provided the effect of settling the dust of the earth.

So it was on the set



And so - in the film



On the elaboration of aircraft it had neither the time nor the means.
Therefore, experts have made quite a rough model,
I hung it on the ropes in the pavilion. To the flight device looked smoothly and naturally,
We had to build a whole system of ropes,
without which the implausibility of "aircraft" issued rocking motion.
Scenes from the simultaneous presence of men and military equipment - the result of keying,
as in the case of a runaway truck Sarah Connor.

In reality, the flying contraption looked very clumsy



In the film, it looks alarmingly realistic



Total savings of all touched not only pyrotechnic effects.
Rather than buy or rent expensive dolly,
operator "Terminator" has been forced to look for less expensive ways to shoot some scenes.
So, he, along with hand-held camera climb into a wheelchair,
which is a high speed thrust helpers.
The first "Terminator" was made almost on the knee and initially positioned
as the film category "B", aimed at teenagers.
But in the end, the screens out a real cultural phenomenon,
one of the "kinostolpov" the second half of the XX century, revered in all parts of the world.
Experiencing the collapse of the Soviet spectators thronged to the semi-underground video salons,
repeatedly reviewing a bleak future, as shown in the "Terminator».
Many may remember the inimitable dubbing "with a clothespin on his nose».
The "author" perestroika transfer tape version for some reason called
"Cyborg Killer", which, however, did not stop to tickle nerves
in the smoky basement clubs with dusty TV.

And then, in the early 1990s, there was "Terminator 2: Judgment Day».
One of the few exceptions where the continuation turned out not worse than the original.
It was the feast of the latest computer advances with great
compared with the first part of the budget.
The specifics of creating special effects in the second part of the "Terminator" will tell the next time.