Elements in Movies Required Lot of Work:
It’s easier to spot mistakes than to spot perfection. Our attention is often occupied by big-budget moments like special effects, inter-galactic battles, flying superheroes, royal sets, etc. This overshadows the subtle details that make a huge difference. Just like Harry Potter movies wouldn’t be the same without the accuracy in Hogwarts castle. Even though they go unnoticed, they add to the theme and aura of the film. Directors who pursue perfection and precision go to any lengths and spend a lot of money and time on the smallest of the facets. Aren’t you interested to know what these moments were? Find out the 10 little elements in movies that required a lot of work and money.
1. The Girl With Dragon Tattoo
When Daniel Craig was introduced in the film, David Fincher wanted to make it rain outside the courthouse. Even though the exterior was a half-a-minute shot, he placed huge shower towers on top of the buildings for the fake rain. It took about two days to build the towers for the scene. Who could imagine that it took 2 days for such a tiny shot?
2. Finding Nemo
It’s no news that animation is a time-consuming job that requires attention to detail. But Finding Nemo not only focused on the animation but also ensured that they capture the true essence of live fish. Even though it was for kids and we doubt they would have noticed anything but the team was determined to be factually accurate. So, animators of Pixar took up a course on zoology that deals with fishes known as ichthyology.
3. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
TLOTR is one of the biggest and most legendary franchises that didn’t compromise on a single thing. From the cast to the plot, props, set and visual effects, everything was on point. In The Two Towers, the costume designers spent about two years making about six miles of the chainmail for the Uruk-hai with hand.
4. Harry Potter Movies
Warner Bros. made the crew go through extreme measures to achieve accuracy. Without these little fragments, Harry Potter movies wouldn’t be the same for us. If you watch the Knight Bus carefully in Prisoner of Azkaban and the Quidditch World Cup in Goblet of Fire, you’ll notice the brand advertisements and posters in the knight bus and on the Quidditch pamphlets. This detailing was barely visible but the directors wanted us to immerse completely in the Wizarding World.
5. The Dark Knight Rises
Keeping the script hidden from curious fans is one of the biggest challenges for popular movies and shows. To prevent spoilers and script leaks, Nolan put a different name on Bruce Wayne’s grave and had Christian Bale attend his character’s funeral during filming. He later changed the name to Bruce Wayne digitally and cut out Bale from the scenes.
6. Deadpool 2
Even though Deadpool is always in a mask, we can somehow see through his face. Deadpool is probably the most expressive masked superhero. It’s odd how we can read his expressions that add to his jokes. The special effects team can achieve it by filming someone says Ryan Reynolds’s dialogues and mark his expressions for the CGI mask.
7. Blade Runner
Ridley Scott was a wizard of visuals during a time when no one could imagine it. The audience loved how he could express the story so beautifully with the visuals. Talking about Ridley Scott and Blade Runner is bound to bring up the pupils of the film’s androids. It wasn’t VFX that gave the luminous effect to the replicant’s eyes in the 1980s. They wanted to add a subtle element to the eyes that would distinguish the androids from humans. It required a lot of brains to place the lens, light, and mirror to achieve the effect. A mirror was attached to the camera lens at an angle that would capture the light in such a way that it reflected directly on the actor’s eyes.
8. Up
What sets a professional artist’s painting apart from that of an amateur? The specifics breathe life into the painting as if it were a photograph. It captures the sunlight, shadow, creases on the face, and every little element so precisely that we can’t decide if it’s a painting of reality. Similarly, the genius Pixar design team nailed the detailing in Carl’s house. If you watch carefully you’ll notice the fading of old paints and the damps and cracks on the walls.
9. Memento
Can you imagine the great Christopher Nolan on all fours to give an intense feeling to a particular scene? That’s what the director did so he could blow the bullet to roll. It may seem insignificant to us but a creative mind like Nolan knows the tiniest of the effects can engage the audience.
10. Scott Pilgrim Vs The World
The comic book adaption was a successful movie that was applauded by both audience and critics. They tried to stay as loyal to the comic book as possible. In order to breathe life into Scott Pilgrim artist Bryan Lee O’Malley’s work, the movie created a similar picture in Toronto by removing wires, towers, trees, and so on.
