Director Kyle Mooney’s new film Y2K offers a sci-fi horror concept so incredibly simple that it’s hard to believe that no one has exploited it on this scale before. On New Year’s Eve 1999, a big high school party is about to be interrupted by the sudden appearance of a techno monster shaped by the timely technologies of the time, from large tube televisions and computer monitors to Jeep power wheels and VCRs. I was there. They are all controlled by a hive mind of computers whose purpose is to turn humans into microchip-controlled drones carrying out their commands.
Jaeden Martell (recent “IT” movies), Julian Dennison (“Deadpool 2” and “Hunt for the Wilderpeople”) and Rachel Zegler (director Steven Spielberg’s lively “West The star of the film is a man who darkly confronts this issue. A hilarious techno apocalypse. Never sleep on the amazing practical effects of Wētā Workshop bringing these creatures to life. Special effects masters translated the vision that director Kyle Mooney (of “Saturday Night Live” fame) and co-writer/producer Evan Winter had in mind into a reality built into the creature itself. We have been able to realize everything from TVs to computer monitor displays. .
Ahead of the release of Y2K, we spoke to Mooney and Winter about working with Wētā Workshop to bring these monsters to life in front of the camera. There, it turns out that one of the pieces actually took the special effects workshop to new heights.
“I think they told us that this big creature was the heaviest practical suit they’d ever made…”
When it came to the look of the techno creature, Mooney and Winter knew what they wanted from the beginning. Mooney explained:
“That was something that Evan and I talked about pretty early on in conceptualizing this film. We always wanted it to feel like a movie from its time, so we tried to implement it as much as possible. It made a lot of sense for us to Wētā. And what was great about them was that we had a pretty decent idea of what these creatures would look like and where we wanted them to land. , in fact, their first conceptual art. I think the round was pretty much about what we had in our heads: working with collaborators who are not only in sync with your vision, but also add something completely amazing to it. It’s not often that you find yourself in such a situation, so we were excited about the whole process.”
Winter agreed, speaking about the actual process of creating the practical suits worn by stunt performers.
“It was incredible. I think it probably took close to a year. We started working with them as soon as they decided to make the film, but we probably spent the better part of a year developing the design and finishing it. When they start making it, they make a cardboard cutout silhouette and start sending out test videos saying, “This is what it looks like compared to a normal person.”
Of course, there are production challenges that come with building practical effects like this. Winter reminded me of this.
“They say this big creature is the heaviest practical suit ever made for a single person without the aid of a puppeteer, distributing the weight and making the screen actually work.” I think he told us it was a way to let the performers do the work and let them out.”In order to be able to interact with the performers on set, there are controls inside to move other elements, claws, and various joysticks, so that the performers can interact with the performers. We have the logistics of how to be able to operate at the same time. I worked in that suit for hours and it was really hard to thread the needle. It was incredible to see it all come together. ”
These incredibly practical effects can be seen in “Y2K,” now playing in theaters everywhere. / Hear more from Mooney and Winter’s chat with Winter, as well as stars Jaeden Martell and Julian Dennison. Movie Daily Podcast:
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