The special effects in the movie "Total Recall" Bashny.Net

In the second half of 1980 antiquity Arnie was fortunate enough to meet with director Paul Verhoeven, who by that time had become famous for his movie "Robocop." The two men started working on the movie, which later went down in history. I suggest you learn how to apply special effects to this great movie. The shooting "Total Recall" identified one of the highest at the time budgets. Much more was only released a year later, "Terminator 2". It is understandable, because after the tape Paul Verhoeven Arnold Schwarzenegger has secured the title star of the first magnitude, and could not restrain their requests in the size of the fee.
It is surprising that in spite of the scale and the most expensive film in the "Total Recall" is only one serious computer special effects. Remember a couple of episodes when the main character along with other commuters pass through the X-ray corridor? Viewers see how people go into a kind of room, and then show us walking skeletons that finally converted back to people when leaving the room.





In 1989-1990-m's technologies to create such effects were not. It seems as if the creation of "x-ray" animation is no big deal, but it is not. Specialists had a special way to calculate the transparency and the imposition of all bones of the skeleton, to film them look bulky.



To begin with the actors playing in the episodes with X-rays, "took off" motion. Arnold Schwarzenegger wore skin-tight white suit with 18 reflective light sensors. Every movement of the actor simultaneously record six black-and-white cameras. The computer analyzed the change of location sensors determine that specific sensor on a specific camera corresponds to the same sensor, captured with other cameras.







All the dates for shooting these scenes filmed movements per day. "Programmers" have been very pleased so fast work and assured that a couple of days present filmmakers the most impressive episode with motion capture. However, everything was much more difficult than initially expected.
Instead of several days for the processing of the material took several weeks. The method of motion capture using sensors failed to meet expectations. As a result, many simply had to finish by hand. Animation gait was given the most difficult - the most powerful computers at the time worked at the limit, specially written program to calculate the opacity of bone every now and then broke down. However, by the incredible number of work-hours work was done so well that in the end it was mentioned by "Oscar».
20 years later, filmmakers like to remember an amusing story. During filming, the actors passing through the "X-ray" room one of them walked the dog, which is one of the duplicates is not decided to celebrate small need. All this action just got into the frame, and so the director liked what he wanted to insert it into the film. But then Paul Verhoeven decided that it would divert the attention of viewers who remember the exact moment a defecating dog, not the X-ray passage.



Principal photography "Total Recall" took place in Mexico. It found a suitable landscape with reddish sand. It is in the desert near Mexico City, filmed one of the last episodes, when the villain, the protagonist and his woman fall to the ground, after which they begin to swell person.



Near the Mexican capital built giant scenery outside the reactor, and for scenes in the subway station was involved local subway. Filmmakers had to rent a warehouse area of ​​2000 square meters - in the studio just did not have space to store a huge amount of landscape layouts.





Almost all of the fantastic Martian landscapes have been recreated in miniature, with the help of specialists NASA. To install certain models had to spend a few days. Strictly speaking, the models were made for all that we see on the screen (trains, cars, spacecraft, oxygen reactor). In some cases, had to make several tiny samples of the same things.







To layouts seemed bigger, their specially made with a very complex structure, then using a mobile painted background with the camera. Last smoothly moved to the layout, and background with the image of the Martian expanses seemed endless. In other cases, blue background left, then to insert instead necessary for the entourage landscapes. Thus, for example, was one of the last scenes, when the mutants look out of the cave, and the camera at the same time moving away from them, showing the vast expanses of Mars.



By the way, this mutant is most impressive audience while watching "Total Recall." Remember this vile and cute at the same time rebel Kuat, its Siamese twin is more like a normal human carrier. In those moments when we see the two of them, before us is carefully crafted and superbly constructed doll. On average, it operates six puppeteers, but in particularly difficult moments needed help 15 people. One to control the movement of the human body of the carrier, the second - his head, and the third was responsible for the movement of the lips Kuat, the fourth - for the motility of hands, eyes and spit five tons. D.



In the doll was a huge number of moving mechanical parts, control the majority of them carried out remotely via radio control. Given that all the movements had to coordinate so that Kuat was like a real, live person, we can only guess how much time and effort it has taken to achieve the desired result.



Trehgrudaya prostitute has become almost a hallmark of the film. The filmmakers stress that all three fake breasts, no one present on the screen would not allow. So we had to make a hollow foam prosthesis filled with water bags and make-up artists disguised under the skin color.

The image of mutants worked Rob Bottin - one of the best Hollywood make-up artists. He used a cast of the head of Arnold Schwarzenegger to make a foam mock a person who shows a storm of emotions when pulled out of the nostrils "bug". Several copies of the mechanical heads had to be used in the scene with the rarefied atmosphere and inflate persons.





Most makers of dolls proud face plump woman disguised which arrived on Mars hero Arnold Schwarzenegger. Remember, as a mask "stuck" and she began to unpack apart? There are no computer effects - all this is a real mechanism with a hidden puppet face Hauser. Today, this can be much less expensive to implement with the help of digital technology, but then the filmmakers have created now an engineering marvel.



Ground transportation in the film a bit, and on the design of what is a long time do not hesitate. For example, to create a chassis cab used by an old Volkswagen - it useful frame and motor.





Paul Verhoeven tried to influence the viewer's imagination in a different way. For example, a perfectionist director knowingly almost at the beginning of the film decided to show a close-up brush girl who paints her nails with just one touch of a device, or an instantaneous change in the landscape of TV. All this had no effect on the story and thus require considerable resources to the implementation. But these techniques help to convince the viewer in the reality of what is happening on the screen.



All elements of the "Total Recall" Paul Verhoeven tried to bring to the ideal, regardless of any additional costs. For example, he refused many static scenes, preferring hovering over the Martian surface of the chamber. This technique is incredibly high cost of shooting, but it does not bother the director.
Total for the picture was written 42 version of the script, and in all of them had a problem with the last third of the film. Paul Verhoeven was unhappy with the fact that towards the end of the tape begins a continuous action and the viewer there is food for thought. The issue was resolved when the hero Arnold Schwarzenegger made thus Hauser, the memory of which with his own consent specifically worked to implement an agent in the Martian underground. Thus, people were asked to think about the thin line between good and evil: recently the protagonist was positive in all senses, and suddenly it turns out that he - first assistant chief villain.



Dutch director nostalgically recalls the whole period of filming and not annoyed by the fact that he, along with the entire crew had to endure fever, nausea, dehydration and diarrhea - these were the conditions in Mexico. Unpleasant diseases did not escape the "Iron Arnie." He brought his own chef to shoot, but he soon fell ill, and after him came down and Schwarzenegger.
However, the actor Paul Verhoeven was not a capricious and around listening to the director. "Arnold the most powerful charisma, only one eye, he can display a whole range of emotions. In many episodes, it was enough to shoot his face, "- says the Dutchman. This, however, does not mean that work with Schwarzenegger was easy. I had to pull his great acting skills, change the style of conversation, which initially looked like a robot speech from "Terminator».



Sometimes, in order to achieve the best games, the actor had to do 20, 30 and even 40 doubles. Paul Verhoeven himself, for example, like most episode in which the hero Arnold came to the doctor tries to convince him that all this is a dream, for which it is necessary to exit the all-just take a pill. Scene, by the way, much like an episode from the movie "Torn Curtain" Alfred Hitchcock.
Curiously, that was conceived by Paul Verhoeven happy ending in "Total Recall" highly conditional. At the very end of the film, immediately after the final kiss, the screen fills with light. According to the director, thus he wanted to show the dying brain protagonist that really stuck in fake "memories" and all this time was in a chair in the world.
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"Total Recall" - not fantastic, but the game with the viewer and reality. Last but not least is a psychological study of a man attempt to separate or reconcile different reality and dream. Something like that then did the brothers (and now brother and sister) Wachowski in "The Matrix».
The movie "Total Recall" managed to turn the whole genre of fantasy genre and show that it can be not only interesting or clever, but also to combine both of these qualities.



Source: tech.onliner.by