As 20th Century Fox’s Deadpool continues its theatrical run, fans and curious moviegoers alike are quickly learning exactly how much of a big deal the movie is. Deadpool delivers what is arguably the most authentic portrayal of the Merc With a Mouth seen yet, and this attention to detail is one of several reasons why box-office records have been shattered.
Though Deadpool has high entertainment value, a movie of this caliber is often so engrossing that it’s very easy to lose sight of the amazing work that went into making it all possible. Audiences have the great treat of seeing the end product only, meaning that the gruelling transition of some popular characters from the pages of a comic book to the big screen doesn’t always get the attention it should.
Thankfully, one of the advantages of Deadpool’s current box-office success is that such popular interest translates into further examination of how things came together. A new featurette (via Wired) takes the time to explain exactly what went into creating the mammoth Colossus, revealing that it took no fewer than 5 actors to bring the metallic X-Men character to life.
Although visual effects studio Digital Domain used a motion capture session to obtain Colossus’ movements, there was also a 6’9 inch actor filmed on location in a tracking suit. Of course, Colossus is taller than 6’9, and so the sizeable actor still had to wear either platform shoes or an extra headpiece to more fully realize the character’s on-screen presence. A third actor was brought in just as a facial model for the VFX artists, while a fourth performer (Stefan Kapicic) was used to deliver all of Colossus’ dialogue. Meanwhile, Digital Domain’s Greg LaSalle portrayed all the facial expressions of Colossus, which were captured via a MOVA rig – a camera set-up that uses special paint, spattered to pick up even the finest facial details. Digital Domain then brought in a new system called Direct Drive, which was designed to retarget LaSalle’s performance to Colossus’ metallic facial model - meaning his performance would operate as the CG face that Deadpool audiences are familiar with.
The fact that Digital Domain created various cameras simply for this film helps Deadpool to stand apart in a sea of VFX superhero movies. Five actors for one character is a lot, but much time and care made this movie possible. That sort of effort and commitment likely won’t be abandoned, no matter how many Deadpool films we see.
Deadpool is now in theaters. X-Men: Apocalypse will hit theaters on May 27, 2016; Gambit sometime in 2017; Wolverine 3 on March 3, 2017; and an unannounced X-Men film on July 13, 2018. The New Mutants is also in development. We’ll let you know when Deadpool 2 gets an official release date.
Source: Wired (via YouTube)
