In the magnetic universe of Hollywood, directors are obsessed with providing the audience with a real-time experience on screen. From different universes to blood-feeding creatures, filmmakers have used CG to create everything and anything. However, for some directors, the narrative is totally different; for them, practicality is above everything else.
In this list, Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer and Denis Villeneuve’s Dune 2 stand the tallest. Considering the box office success of these films, the directors clearly had a vision when they attempted to create stunning sets without using green screens.
Following the leads of Nolan and Villeneuve, Fede Alvarez, the director of the upcoming science fiction horror film Alien: Romulus, has taken a strong stance when it comes to the use of practical sets.
Fede Alvarez believes in practicality when it comes to filming Alien: Romulus
The ninth installment of the Alien franchise is all set to tackle the events between Alien and Aliens. The upcoming film tells the tale of young people battling the most horrific life forms in far-off galaxies.
Further, to follow the magnitude of the storyline, it’s only fair that special effects be used to create those deadly and lethal creatures. However, Fede Alvarez, the director of the movie, has a different idea of his own.
Fede Alvarez wanted production on ‘ALIEN: ROMULUS’ to be as practical as possible:
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) June 17, 2024
“Most things are real. The sets here, there’s no green screen. My job is to show the audience what I’m seeing on set.” pic.twitter.com/BzkI2Z5tQ1
In a video shared by the official handle of Film Updates on X, the director is seen discussing how to maintain the production as realistic as possible and adds that
Most things are real. The sets here, there’s no green screen. My job is to show the audience what I’m seeing on set.
The director also added that if it is practically possible, then it has to be practically done. Further, he enjoys making real elements so that viewers can experience a real-time event and imagine what he sees while he is on set.
He also added that the industry uses CG because they think it’s cheaper; however, according to him, it’s more expensive and gives him a headache while on set. Although the public will have to wait to witness Fede Alvarez’s masterwork until August, Christopher Nolan and Denis Villeneuve’s realistic sets also deserve recognition.
Christopher Nolan and Denis Villeneuve created practical sets for Oppenheimer and Dune 2
The directorial genius of Christopher Nolan is well known given his successful string of movies, from The Dark Night Rises to Interstellar, with the most recent one being Oppenheimer. The film, which starred Cillian Murphy, demonstrated Nolan’s dedication to using traditional filming methods devoid of visual effects.
According to Games Radar, the first nuclear bomb test explosion is the best illustration of this, having been captured on camera without the need for any extra effects. The filmmaker also disclosed that although the scenes were difficult, he and his whole crew managed to figure out how to replicate the physical aspects of these scenes as accurately as possible. Following Nolan’s lead, Denis Villeneuve also successfully attempted to practically create the Harkonnen Spice Harvester in Dune 2.
The protagonists of the movie, Paul Atredies (Timothée Chalamet) and Chani (Zendaya), take part in a brutal attack on the Harkonnen Spice Harvester, using the massive machine’s legs as a barrier against the opposing ornithopter. Further, huge engineering teams inspected and ran “Gerd’s legs,” as they dubbed the machinery, to ensure it functioned properly throughout the scene’s filming.
Alien: Romulus scheduled for a theatrical release on August 16, 2024
