clockworkcreature:I saw this post over on Monsters & Werewolves showing photos of the wereshee
clockworkcreature: I saw this post over on Monsters & Werewolves showing photos of the weresheep (made by Weta Workshop) from the 2006 film “Black Sheep”. These last two images show off something really important, I think - that thing is Movie Magic. Lots of people ask us about putting animatronics into our heads. This is an ongoing exploration for us, and it has been somewhat fruitless, BECAUSE the main thing that people want - which is essentially impossible - is a fully animated animatronic face that basically takes up no room at all. In other words, costumes structured just like the stuff we already make - fitted bodysuit, compact head that fits to your face - but with multiple animatronic facial movements (such as ear movement, blinking, snarling, etc.). Movie magic has really done its job, here - it has enchanted us, and made us not question what goes on under the suit. But check out those photos above - those are a LOT of mechanisms! That huge hump on the back has to be there to house big batteries and big servos. The head can’t fit over the actor’s face because it’s too full of mechanisms and electronics. And he’s not puppeteering this himself - probably at least two puppeteers are following him around with huge RC controllers - either that or the animatronics are programmed to follow a specific sequence that fits a particular scripted scene. Not to mention, wearing that thing has got to be a serious endurance test! He can’t put the suit on or take it off by himself. It’s very possible that he can’t see, or at least has extremely limited vision. Stunt guys don’t perform in these costumes for extended periods of time. A lot of time must be spent sitting and resting the weight of the suit. This is not a walkaround costume. Walkaround costumes are costumes meant for wearing at conventions, festivals, parades. That’s primarily what we make. Hybridizing these two types of suits is just not something that we have the technology to do. I’ll stop rambling now. I hope everyone finds the above pictures fascinating! Well said! I can’t imagine being in a movie quality suit with all those RC controlled mechanisms for any length of time. And, thanks for linking me back. :) -- source link