The Power and the Glitter!
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Watchmen Visual Effects
Many modern audiences are surprised to find out just how few of the special effects in Watchmen were actually realized by a computer. Stan Winston proved once again after his success working on Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Jurassic Park that his practical effects would arguably outshine anything digitally created for the better part of a decade after the release of Watchmen. For instance, all of the “gore” shots (for instance, the death of Rorschach, the crime bosses, and Vietcong via Doctor Manhattan’s particle disintegration powers) were actually the work of full-sized animatronic puppets of the characters created by Winston. Said creations would burst via remote control order, spurting fake blood in the process [1]. He also designed several animatronic models for the creature Bubastis. The puppet’s appearance and movements were so effective that it was used in almost all shots of the mutated lynx (the exception being short sequences of Bubastis in stride). Winston’s makeup department also contributed in more mundane ways, such as the simulation of wounds and the artificial aging of the actors.[2]
However, Watchmen is primarily remembered today, at least from a technical standpoint, for its groundbreaking use of computer effects. The movie was released toward the end of the period in the early 1990’s where computer effects could sufficiently “wow” audiences, being compared with Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Jurassic Park, and Forrest Gump in that regard [3]. ILM (Industrial Light and Magic) was hired to work on the CGI. Many of the same animators from Jurassic Park, such as Mark Dippe and Steve Williams, were tasked with developing the Squid, given their experience with creature effects. Compared with the dinosaur animation for JP, the Squid was both easier and harder to make: easier, because the intentionally alien design of the monster allowed for more artistic license in portraying it as a real animal, and harder because there was no animatronic model to fall back on for practical shots.
However, the real challenge wasn’t the Squid- it was only on screen for approximately four minutes [4]. No, it was Doctor Manhattan’s rendering that would truly put Watchmen in the history books. The glowing blue superman would be the first major character in any major film production to be portrayed completely by a CGI character. [5] As aforementioned, aside from providing his voice for the character, actor Brent Spiner was asked to double as a stand-in for scenes where Doctor Manhattan was present and interacting with other characters, to make it easier for the other actors to play it off of him. However, problems immediately surfaced in post-production. It was initially envisioned that the character would be put on screen in a fashion similar to how he appeared in the graphic novel: a perfectly-sculpted male body, the Olympian ideal, which glowed a radiant blue and had a face which resembled Spiner’s. A male model was hired for animators to base their design off of, and Cameron had already decided he was going to use strategic filming to avoid showing any genitalia. However, ILM technicians found themselves stuck. “It was impossible, really impossible”, one commented. “Well, that’s unfair, we could have done it, I guess, maybe, if we were given a couple years and way more money in the effects budget than we had. We could make it, sure, even animate a ten-minute sequence with it… but over 90 minutes of the guy on screen? We couldn’t… couldn’t do it. Tech wasn’t there.” So, ILM told James Cameron that they would either be forced to cut the character’s screen time substantially to allow them to allow the product to live up to the director’s vision, or they would have to simplify the design to allow easier rendering. After what was reportedly a tough decision, Cameron offered a compromise. The final design, which would be used for most of the Doctor Manhattan’s scenes, would resemble a blue, somewhat more anatomically detailed version of the T-1000 in its “natural” form in T2, with smooth skin and face that resembled Spiner’s. However, in the chronologically earlier scenes, such as the flashbacks to the superman’s creation and his participation in the Vietnam War, the model was significantly more detailed, closer to the director’s vision. The implication was that as time went on and Dr. Osterman lost more of his humanity, his appearance became less and less “human” and more alien, underscoring his growing sense of detachment (and by the film’s present time, his genitals disappeared entirely). The effect worked surprisingly well. Although the “uncanny valley” phenomena was definitely in play, it suited Spiner’s character, which was only complimented by his robotic, though faintly emotional voice acting.
Also aforementioned was the fact that, out of necessity, the film revolutionized the use of digital augmentation of crowd sizes [6], which was primarily used in the riot sequences. However, aside from what was already mentioned, most of the effects in Watchmen were practical in nature. The crystalline formation Doctor Manhattan creates of Mars, Veidt’s lair in Antarctica, and the cityscape of New York that gets destroyed by the Squid were all designed by 4-Ward Production, who had previously worked with Cameron on T2 by making a scale model of Los Angeles for the scene where the city was destroyed by a nuclear weapon. Two models were created for Nite Owl's flying machine, nicknamed "Archie": a full-scale replica which included an interior, and a smaller version used for scenes of flight. Computer effects were only used for bluescreening. For the Vietnam battle, real tanks and helicopters were used after a deal with the United States military and, after flirting with the idea of digitally-created explosions, Cameron decided real ones “looked cooler anyhow”.
Critics agree that the film’s special effects are effective even to this day. They were so well-received at the time that they netted Stan Winston and several ILM technicians an Oscar for Best Visual Effects. The revolutionary use of CGI characters led to an explosion in the number of them in the ensuing years, including the Brainiac in Superman: Universe and the alien K’Rarj in Starship Troopers, both of which debuted in 1997.
...
[1] Think a more sophisticated version of this now-infamous shot. (Fair warning- the queasy among us might not want to follow that link…)
[2] I don’t think some of the people reading this fully understand just how awesome Stan Winston is. I’ll let Cracked do the explaining: http://www.cracked.com/article_1852...know-made-your-favorite-movie-moments_p2.html
[3] Special thanks to Brainbin for his suggestion to make that point.
[4] And for those who don’t believe that’s sufficient time allotted for a giant monster extravaganza, get ready to be proved wrong by this delightfully well-made amateur effort.
[5] In our universe, the dubious honor goes to Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, if I am not mistaken.
[6] In our universe, I believe that became a big deal during the filming of Titanic.
---
Thoughts?
Many modern audiences are surprised to find out just how few of the special effects in Watchmen were actually realized by a computer. Stan Winston proved once again after his success working on Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Jurassic Park that his practical effects would arguably outshine anything digitally created for the better part of a decade after the release of Watchmen. For instance, all of the “gore” shots (for instance, the death of Rorschach, the crime bosses, and Vietcong via Doctor Manhattan’s particle disintegration powers) were actually the work of full-sized animatronic puppets of the characters created by Winston. Said creations would burst via remote control order, spurting fake blood in the process [1]. He also designed several animatronic models for the creature Bubastis. The puppet’s appearance and movements were so effective that it was used in almost all shots of the mutated lynx (the exception being short sequences of Bubastis in stride). Winston’s makeup department also contributed in more mundane ways, such as the simulation of wounds and the artificial aging of the actors.[2]
However, Watchmen is primarily remembered today, at least from a technical standpoint, for its groundbreaking use of computer effects. The movie was released toward the end of the period in the early 1990’s where computer effects could sufficiently “wow” audiences, being compared with Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Jurassic Park, and Forrest Gump in that regard [3]. ILM (Industrial Light and Magic) was hired to work on the CGI. Many of the same animators from Jurassic Park, such as Mark Dippe and Steve Williams, were tasked with developing the Squid, given their experience with creature effects. Compared with the dinosaur animation for JP, the Squid was both easier and harder to make: easier, because the intentionally alien design of the monster allowed for more artistic license in portraying it as a real animal, and harder because there was no animatronic model to fall back on for practical shots.
However, the real challenge wasn’t the Squid- it was only on screen for approximately four minutes [4]. No, it was Doctor Manhattan’s rendering that would truly put Watchmen in the history books. The glowing blue superman would be the first major character in any major film production to be portrayed completely by a CGI character. [5] As aforementioned, aside from providing his voice for the character, actor Brent Spiner was asked to double as a stand-in for scenes where Doctor Manhattan was present and interacting with other characters, to make it easier for the other actors to play it off of him. However, problems immediately surfaced in post-production. It was initially envisioned that the character would be put on screen in a fashion similar to how he appeared in the graphic novel: a perfectly-sculpted male body, the Olympian ideal, which glowed a radiant blue and had a face which resembled Spiner’s. A male model was hired for animators to base their design off of, and Cameron had already decided he was going to use strategic filming to avoid showing any genitalia. However, ILM technicians found themselves stuck. “It was impossible, really impossible”, one commented. “Well, that’s unfair, we could have done it, I guess, maybe, if we were given a couple years and way more money in the effects budget than we had. We could make it, sure, even animate a ten-minute sequence with it… but over 90 minutes of the guy on screen? We couldn’t… couldn’t do it. Tech wasn’t there.” So, ILM told James Cameron that they would either be forced to cut the character’s screen time substantially to allow them to allow the product to live up to the director’s vision, or they would have to simplify the design to allow easier rendering. After what was reportedly a tough decision, Cameron offered a compromise. The final design, which would be used for most of the Doctor Manhattan’s scenes, would resemble a blue, somewhat more anatomically detailed version of the T-1000 in its “natural” form in T2, with smooth skin and face that resembled Spiner’s. However, in the chronologically earlier scenes, such as the flashbacks to the superman’s creation and his participation in the Vietnam War, the model was significantly more detailed, closer to the director’s vision. The implication was that as time went on and Dr. Osterman lost more of his humanity, his appearance became less and less “human” and more alien, underscoring his growing sense of detachment (and by the film’s present time, his genitals disappeared entirely). The effect worked surprisingly well. Although the “uncanny valley” phenomena was definitely in play, it suited Spiner’s character, which was only complimented by his robotic, though faintly emotional voice acting.
Also aforementioned was the fact that, out of necessity, the film revolutionized the use of digital augmentation of crowd sizes [6], which was primarily used in the riot sequences. However, aside from what was already mentioned, most of the effects in Watchmen were practical in nature. The crystalline formation Doctor Manhattan creates of Mars, Veidt’s lair in Antarctica, and the cityscape of New York that gets destroyed by the Squid were all designed by 4-Ward Production, who had previously worked with Cameron on T2 by making a scale model of Los Angeles for the scene where the city was destroyed by a nuclear weapon. Two models were created for Nite Owl's flying machine, nicknamed "Archie": a full-scale replica which included an interior, and a smaller version used for scenes of flight. Computer effects were only used for bluescreening. For the Vietnam battle, real tanks and helicopters were used after a deal with the United States military and, after flirting with the idea of digitally-created explosions, Cameron decided real ones “looked cooler anyhow”.
Critics agree that the film’s special effects are effective even to this day. They were so well-received at the time that they netted Stan Winston and several ILM technicians an Oscar for Best Visual Effects. The revolutionary use of CGI characters led to an explosion in the number of them in the ensuing years, including the Brainiac in Superman: Universe and the alien K’Rarj in Starship Troopers, both of which debuted in 1997.
...
[1] Think a more sophisticated version of this now-infamous shot. (Fair warning- the queasy among us might not want to follow that link…)
[2] I don’t think some of the people reading this fully understand just how awesome Stan Winston is. I’ll let Cracked do the explaining: http://www.cracked.com/article_1852...know-made-your-favorite-movie-moments_p2.html
[3] Special thanks to Brainbin for his suggestion to make that point.
[4] And for those who don’t believe that’s sufficient time allotted for a giant monster extravaganza, get ready to be proved wrong by this delightfully well-made amateur effort.
[5] In our universe, the dubious honor goes to Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, if I am not mistaken.
[6] In our universe, I believe that became a big deal during the filming of Titanic.
---
Thoughts?
Last edited:
Orville_third
Banned
The bit about the US military supporting the filming of Watchmen may be ASB. (Of course, they did support in Star Trek IV and Star Trek: First Contact...) Other than that, it sounds cool!
I was going to include a bit where it mentions the military was hesitant for supporting the project due to the Comedian's sadism in Vietnam, but after the producers insisted he was essentially a mercenary, and no Americans GIs would be seen doing anything like that, they let it slide. Also, the ending was changed so that the Squid is taken down by the military, so there's that.
It is common knowledge that, as long as the American military is portrayed in a positive or even neutral light in a movie, the military will lend the production tanks, choppers, actual soldiers at extras, etc, free of charge, on the theory that it's a good recruitment tool, right?
And now to see that movie magic unveil before our very eyes!
Also, in reference to your earlier defence of Boogie Nights, I was thinking. P.T. Anderson wanted DiCaprio, right? But he was too busy filming Titanic? Well, what if Cameron and Schwarzenegger decide to work on *True Lies next? That sounds like an opening! Hasta la vista, Marky Mark. It's such a good vibration! It's such a sweet sensation!
Looking forward to hearing about the music and the marketing! Which should be interesting, because it appears that you've been concealing the identity of the film's composer, and saving it for a big reveal...
I like this compromise; it's also a creative way to signify the loss of his humanity without wasting time to make this point through exposition. The obvious question is: if his genitals have "disappeared", does this mean that they are actually "shown" in the flashback sequences, or is the audience supposed to infer that they were there, but now they aren't? I'm asking because it's probably going to be a major topic of discussion either way - it certainly was IOTL.
I always lament the need for CGI crowds. William Wyler must be spinning in his grave.vultan said:
A reasonable assumption. All of the other special effects triumphs of the early 1990s still look good, for the most part (though, like Watchmen, they're all far more reliant on "traditional" effects than the hype would have you believe).vultan said:
Well-deserved, as always. For reference: this makes it his second win in a row in the category, given the near-certainty of his post-POD win for Jurassic Park, and his fifth Oscar overall (he only won four IOTL). Also, Forrest Gump won this award that year IOTL.vultan said:
And what about the Giant Spider?vultan said:
He was our last hope, that one. Now it's a CG Wastelandvultan said:
It's like the Kirk/Uhura kiss in Star Trek being the "first interracial kiss on American television". Even if it isn't, everyone thinks it is anyway.vultan said:
Also, in reference to your earlier defence of Boogie Nights, I was thinking. P.T. Anderson wanted DiCaprio, right? But he was too busy filming Titanic? Well, what if Cameron and Schwarzenegger decide to work on *True Lies next? That sounds like an opening! Hasta la vista, Marky Mark. It's such a good vibration! It's such a sweet sensation!
Looking forward to hearing about the music and the marketing! Which should be interesting, because it appears that you've been concealing the identity of the film's composer, and saving it for a big reveal...
Well, the exact quote I used was "and Cameron had already decided he was going to use strategic filming to avoid showing any genitalia", for his original vision, so that's what bled through to the design. However, since early on in his crime-fighting career Doctor Manhattan wears his costume more often, it's a mute point. In fact, the only "early" shot of him that would display genitalia was his "birth" in the lab cafeteria, and even then explicit nudity could be avoided by a simple waste-up shot.
Hey, Dinkins didn't want another riot on his hands. Spoilers, he lost reelection.
That's why the dinos in JP look better than anything attempted since.
Giant monsters, superheroes, extravagant bad guy locales > digitally inserting Tom Hanks into historical footage.
And what about the Giant Spider?
We'll see how close it ends up to OTL's draft.
He was our last hope, that one. Now it's a CG Wasteland
'Tis a pity.
And even if you don't like Jar Jar (meaning, 90% of the adults who saw it), gotta give credit to the CGI guys for creating him so convincingly.
Actually, in all my planning, I haven't really decided definitively what Cameron's gonna do next. Three of the more interesting possibilities I've considered are (SPOILERS): he does Titanic the same as OTL, but it either has a different cast or bombs, and in the latter case, would abort Cameron's decade-long isolation from directing, he makes True Lies, but it's a little different, OR he makes an early Avatar (he already historically had a draft written in 1994), leading to early special effects revolutionization. What say thee?
Looking forward to hearing about the music and the marketing! Which should be interesting, because it appears that you've been concealing the identity of the film's composer, and saving it for a big reveal...
We'll see...
Well, wasn't the whole reason that True Lies was made in the first place IOTL was because Cameron and Schwarzenegger wanted a "break" and decided to take on a lighthearted action-comedy? Surely the desire for a "break" would be even more potent ITTL. I really don't see Cameron throwing himself into that first option you listed right after such a strenuous shoot. As for the last option: too soon.
That's my opinion. I definitely see opportunities in all three possibilities, though.
'Course then a big possibility is that True Lies, or whatever the equivalent is, forgoes even trying to be a comedy-action hybrid and is more explicitly a lighthearted comedy, because Cameron and Schwarzenegger need even more of a break.
Also, there is the possibility he gets to Battle Angel earlier...
politically
Very nice TL, Vultan.
With the changes to the political landscape -- and with Bill Clinton marching in lock-step as the number two behind an unapologetic liberal -- my guess is that Al Gore (who ran as the southern, centrist Democrat in 1988) continues to drift rightward ITTL to try and carve out a niche for himself in the revamped Democratic party of the early 90s.
Of course, a lot of DLC-types have spent a decade putting forth the argument that liberals can't win the Presidency, and those folks are going to have a fair amount of egg on their faces.
Remember, too, that Gore's daughter Kristin is one of the head writers on Futurama....
Very nice TL, Vultan.
With the changes to the political landscape -- and with Bill Clinton marching in lock-step as the number two behind an unapologetic liberal -- my guess is that Al Gore (who ran as the southern, centrist Democrat in 1988) continues to drift rightward ITTL to try and carve out a niche for himself in the revamped Democratic party of the early 90s.
Of course, a lot of DLC-types have spent a decade putting forth the argument that liberals can't win the Presidency, and those folks are going to have a fair amount of egg on their faces.
Remember, too, that Gore's daughter Kristin is one of the head writers on Futurama....
Thanks! Yeah, but remember, Cuomo path to the presidency relied on a very particular series of events. Here, he might be pushing for too much, too soon with his policies...
I could honestly see Cuomo grabbing most of the Perot voters instead of Gingrich. That would make the Democrats real populists opposed to a social conservative GOP. Fiscal conservatives would be split half and half, instead of being more GOP-leaning, even when the Bush Administration showed they were used and abused. Expect more focus on taxing the rich from Democratic fiscal conservatives.
Yes, I was told before on this thread that Cuomo apparently opposed NAFTA, which will help him out with Perot voters. More importantly, North American economic integration will be set back a few years.
However, NAFTA aside, the President will have problems. The Brady Act is stronger than in our timeline, and Cuomo managed to ram through universal healthcare in his first year in office. And unlike Clinton, who rebranded himself as a moderate after his initial set backs, Cuomo would probably only dig in his heels. But we'll see what happens in the midterms...
You're also going to miss out on welfare reform (Cuomo and old-line liberals staunchly opposed it) and -- perhaps even more significantly -- the Family and Medical Leave Act (because Cuomo won't have the political capital to pass it after ramming through universal healthcare).
My guess is that the Democrats lose even bigger during the 1994 midterms, enhancing Gingrich's power and prestige even further in the House.
In the Senate, there are three close Democratic wins that bear scrutiny: California, New Jersey, and Virginia. Each is very interesting.
IOTL, Dianne Feinstein defeated Michael Huffington by less than 2%. A Huffington win would have interesting implications down the line for his wife, Arianna....
In New Jersey, Frank Lautenberg defeated longtime nondescript Republican pol Chuck Haytaian 50-47; a defeat here probably ends Lautenberg's career in politics.
And finally -- and most amusingly -- Democrat Chuck Robb of Virginia won re-election by less than three points over... former Lt. Col. Oliver North. If you can't do something hilarious with that, I can't help you.
My guess is that the Democrats lose even bigger during the 1994 midterms, enhancing Gingrich's power and prestige even further in the House.
In the Senate, there are three close Democratic wins that bear scrutiny: California, New Jersey, and Virginia. Each is very interesting.
IOTL, Dianne Feinstein defeated Michael Huffington by less than 2%. A Huffington win would have interesting implications down the line for his wife, Arianna....
In New Jersey, Frank Lautenberg defeated longtime nondescript Republican pol Chuck Haytaian 50-47; a defeat here probably ends Lautenberg's career in politics.
And finally -- and most amusingly -- Democrat Chuck Robb of Virginia won re-election by less than three points over... former Lt. Col. Oliver North. If you can't do something hilarious with that, I can't help you.
Question that may be pertinent for the 1994 midterms: who does everything hunk are good candidates to be Cuomo's Chief of Staff (presumably someone close to him, at least politically), his Secretary of Commerce (presumably someone protectionist), and his Secretary of Health and Human Services (someone liberal)?
Also, any other thoughts on Watchmen's production?
Also, any other thoughts on Watchmen's production?
Michael J. DelGiudice seems the likeliest choice get called back (he was chief of staff from 1983-85).
Andrew J. "Drew" Zambelli is probably heading up the communications & speechwriting shop (unless they can talk Tim Russert or Peter Quinn into coming back).
Stephen Schlesinger was a speechwriter and foreign affairs expert, other speechwriters include Ken Clark, Doug Garr, and Anita Kawatra.
John A. Marino was a campaign manager for Governor Cuomo, he probably has a position.
Howard B. Glaser was a senior adviser to Mario, and chief of staff for Andrew IOTL, he might be up there.
OTL HUD was Henry Cisneros, and it seems quite possible that'd he be back. Aside from fostering high rates of home ownership (hindsight is 20/20) it seems like he did a solid job.
Rep. John Lewis (from 1987) was solidly anti-NAFTA IOTL, is from Georgia, and is a liberal. He can probably fit the bill because I'm having trouble finding solid anti-NAFTA candidates.
Tim Russert is too good not to use, I would think. He didn't take over as host of Meet the Press until 1991, so it's plausible to see him leaving.
Cuomo relied heavily on his son Andrew even back in the 80s; at age 29, Andrew Cuomo took over as campaign chairman for Mario Cuomo's re-election campaign in 1986. So he will certainly have as prominent a role in the White House as Mario thinks he can get away with.
Brooklyn attorney Fabian Palomino -- today keeping a low profile -- was perhaps Cuomo's closest friend in the late 80s.
Also, as I'm sure you know, the Cuomos and the Kennedys were very close.
Cuomo relied heavily on his son Andrew even back in the 80s; at age 29, Andrew Cuomo took over as campaign chairman for Mario Cuomo's re-election campaign in 1986. So he will certainly have as prominent a role in the White House as Mario thinks he can get away with.
Brooklyn attorney Fabian Palomino -- today keeping a low profile -- was perhaps Cuomo's closest friend in the late 80s.
Also, as I'm sure you know, the Cuomos and the Kennedys were very close.
