STACK NZ Jan-Feb #59

the fans are coming from and what we want to do with the movie. So the decision to go photorealistic took us back to figuring out what we were going to do – for instance, about their eyes, mouths and noses, as that’s where an important part of their performance comes from, and we had to tell a story with that. But we also realised that half of those performances were going to be gone because of the fact that they wear masks, which meant we had to get their talking gestures right, and for that we were going to need the science and bring the artistry into the process to actually make it all look real.” Helman’s closest ally on this uncharted technological challenge to set the highest benchmark for photorealistic CGI to date was director Jonathan Liebesman. “The great thing about Jonathan is that he was completely open to all that kind of stuff,” Helman states. “He knew from the beginning that he was committed to technology and that if he couldn’t get the performance that we needed, he would have to stop in the middle of the shoot. And he did! That’s kind

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is out on Jan 14

of unheard of… I’ve never gone up to a director before and told him that he needed to cut a scene; but I did with Jonathan, and it was fine. So he was very collaborative and easy to work with because he just gets it! He understood that if we didn’t get the turtles right, we quite simply didn’t have a movie.”

already thinking about designing things in 3D,” Helman says. “And I believe that in some

cases it can really bring you into the action if it is designed the right way. Trust me, I’m not into using 3D unless it makes sense, but in this movie it does. There is a scene

3D added an even greater scope, realism and depth to it all, bringing the audience even more into the action and the story. “While we were shooting we were

where Splinter brings a slice of pizza to Mikey, and I can tell you that it’s right there in front of you!”

If we didn’t get the Turtles right, we simply didn’t have a movie.

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