What with the advent of CGI and other forms of computer animation, it is now almost impossible to tell what is real and what is computerized in movies. Taking a look back at movies made in earlier times can sometimes leave those films open to ridicule, unless one takes the time to consider the technology that was available when those movies were made. One example would be the original version of Clash of the Titans. From a modern point of view, the doddering movements of the Kraken and other creatures, as well as the wavering flight of the enchanted owl, look like reruns of Gumby. However, at the time when that film was made, it was seen as a pioneer in the field of special effects, because nothing like that had been attempted much before. Director Robert Zemeckis was one of the pioneers of special effects in the 1980s and 1990s. While there are those who deride his films as being all about special effects and little about substance, many of his films have stood the test of time. Even though such films as Forrest Gump, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, Back to the Future and A Christmas Carol are no longer at the cutting edge of special effects, they remain favorites among fans of cinema. This is a testimony to the fact that these films had much more going for them than a collection of visual baubles. However, what these four movies show in common is that Zemeckis clearly has a love for fun in his moviemaking, and that love shows through in the choices he makes in all four movies.
While most people remember the DeLorean and lightning bolts when they think of the special effects in Back to the Future. However, one of the most impressive shots was the very first one in the movie: a long shot showing you the lair of Doc Brown, with a huge number of clocks that shows his fascination with the notion of time, as well as his overall weirdness. You can see the automatic pet food opener, as well as the toaster that doesn’t work and the coffee pot that is simply missing. All of this came in one take, but each frame has something memorable about it. For one, a crew of 20 was necessary to ensure that the clocks worked (and functioned in sync). When it came to the dog food, the crew had to keep the food heated in order to have the right sort of texture (Eisenberg).
But what about the hoverboard? After all, replicas of the hoverboard are coming out for sale just in time for this Christmas, and this was one of the mysteries from the movie. According to special effects crew member Michael Lantieri, a lot of different strategies went into making the hoverboard soar. First, there were harnesses with wires running through them, so that the board could pick up the weight of Michael J. Fox (as well as his double). When Michael jumps and that board also hops up to his feet, the “magic” behind the effects was a series of magnets in his shoes as well as in the board. And so the crew would fly Michael above the board and the board would hop up to join him. The overriding theme that emerges during this movie (as well as in the sequels, which would even feature a flying train) is a willingness to push the envelope in order to get the most amazing visual effects possible.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit? was one of the last movies that was made during the era of optical effects. The process of assembling the animation and the live shots was one of the biggest challenges. For example, there is a scene in which the camera shows newspaper headlines with the Toon mysteries that the Valiant & Valiant firm had solved. The studio in London had used banners from Los Angeles newspapers in 1947, giving the papers some verisimilitude, but they did not ask the newspapers for permission. One of the newspapers refused to permit its banner to be used, and so it was necessary to reshoot a scene completely that was fairly complicated (Anderson).
One benefit of the digital presentation of the film, according to a number of reviewers, came with the close-up shots on the faces of the actors. For the actors to interact in a realistic way with the cartoon characters required the use of the same nonverbal language that they would have used when interacting with real people, but shooting those scenes in a sort of isolation increased that challenge incredibly (Anderson). Using the digital presentation gave the actors’ faces the most amount of clarity that would have been available at that time, and so when the live action and cartoon footage were combined, the emotional power in the actors’ faces remained one of the best features of the film.
One similarity between Back to the Future and Who Framed Roger Rabbit? is the positive feeling that emerges from both of the films. Even when things are at their worst in both films – and there are few characters in all of cartoon history that are more menacing than the ‘toon that emerges when the Judge’s disguise finally gives way – there is a sense of fun in both movies that reminds the audience that the purpose is entertainment. The dark outcomes that would come in so many films in later years seem decades off while watching either of these films.
Forrest Gump is a departure from the Back to the Future and Who Framed Roger Rabbit? discussion because it uses special effects not to create visual gags but instead to bolster the emotional impact that the film is trying to make. One of the most memorable special effects involves mixing images of Forrest Gump in with historical footage. This actually happened in the post production phases, as the filmmakers would combine the footage of Forrest Gump in with the actual historical clip using editing and CGI (Mardy). In the scene in which John Lennon looks like he is saying words that he would not have said back during his actual lifetime, the filmmakers have edited out the actual movements of his mouth and replaced them with new ones, so he appears to be saying words that he, of course, could not have said without coming back from the grave.
Another memorable special effect from Forrest Gump involves having Lt. Dan look as though he has no legs after the Vietnam War. This involved the use of a blue wrap around his lower legs. The fabric was designed to allow a computer to remove its appearance from the film at a later point. There were some props, such as a unique wheelchair, that were used in the shooting of the film to make the legs vanish more realistically. There are some scenes in the film that take place on his boat, such as where he tumbles from the wheelchair and jumps into the sea. In cases like that, the filmmakers took a piece from the boat’s side allowing him room for leg motion without people being able to see him do it, but then they added the piece back to the boat with a computer. They also had to add the shadows going back and forth over the cutout. Shooting the background with the actor let the computer get the whole scene without obstructions, so that when the legs were removed, the background still looked real (Mardy).
There are few movies that have been remade more often than the story of Ebenezer Scrooge and his visits from the ghost of his dead friend, Jacob Marley, and three different ghosts teaching him the meaning of Christmas. When Robert Zemeckis directed a 2009 version starring Jim Carrey in several different roles, one of the starring roles was performed by the special effects. This was a major departure from some of the other venerable performances, such as the one featuring George C. Scott grimacing through the visits of all three ghosts – and even seeming to be a little aggrieved when Christmas morning arrives and he is still alive. This is a three-dimensional romp through London during the age of Queen Victoria, with special effects grabbing the eye of the viewer from the beginning to the end. Combining this avalanche of detail with the already ear-popping influence of one of Carrey’s performances (he voices eight different characters throughout the movie), and you have the visual equivalent of a mouthful of Pop Rocks to absorb as you move through the movie.
The biggest shift from the initial emphasis of the story comes with the ghosts. The purpose of having Marley and three Christmas Spirits come to visit Scrooge is to give him the chance to think about what he has done in years past and is doing in the present year, so that he might correct his course before another year goes by. However, there aren’t any effects that are a part of introspection, and so Scrooge’s journey with the ghosts becomes a series of increasingly frenetic scenes, in which Scrooge has to hold on for dear life even to survive. The effects are at their most memorable when you look at snowbound London, caught for posterity in the scenes with flakes drifting to the ground. With A Christmas Carol, the power comes from the lesson, from the cry of Tiny Tim. While having the audience weave its way through a number of elaborate effects makes this film incredibly fun, there are remakes of this story that give the reader more of an emotional pop at the end. This is cotton candy from stem to stern, and Zemeckis is the conductor on this particular polar express.
Works Cited
Anderson, Ross. “The Secret History of ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit?’” Cartoon Brew 11 April
2013. http://www.cartoonbrew.com/events/the-secret-history-of-who-framed-roger-rabbit-80963.html
BTTF. “Robert Zemeckis’ ‘Flight’ Special Effects Supervisor Michael Lantieri Reflects on the
“Back to the Future” Sequels.” 24 October 2012. http://www.bttf.com/michael-lantieri-
Eisenberg, Eric. “This Is How Back To The Future’s Incredible Opening Scene Was Filmed.”
CinemaBlend 7 October 2014. http://www.cinemablend.com/new/How-Back-Future-Incredible-Opening-Scene-Was-Filmed-67395.html
Mardy, Isaac. “Forrest Gump, Creating the Illusion.” 28 November 2012.
https://brooklynvisualeffects.wordpress.com/2012/11/28/forrest-gump-creating-the-illusion/
Sharkey, Betsy. “Robert Zemeckis’ ‘Christmas Carol’: Bah humbug. Too Many Special Effects. Los
Angeles Times 6 November 2009. http://articles.latimes.com/2009/nov/06/entertainment/et-christmas-carol6
