Project Hail Mary co-director Christopher Miller clarified X in a recent interview with Comicbook.com after the revelation that the film had zero green screen, despite being a VFX-heavy space odyssey. Ryan Gosling will headline the 2021 film adaptation of Andy Weir’s book of the same name, directed by Miller and Phil Lord. The film centers on a schoolteacher-turned-astronaut who is tasked with stopping a mysterious entity from blocking the sun.
“What’s interesting about this movie is there’s no green screen in the movie at all. There’s not a single green screen or blue screen,” Miller told ComicBook at the film’s press tour. “The whole ship was built as a set from the inside. We built a big part of the outside of the ship.[Alien character Rocky]was really with us all the time. So that gives it a sense of realism and makes it feel natural.”
Miller then clarified to X that “no green screen” doesn’t mean “no VFX” and that “in fact, there were thousands of VFX shots in the movie (2018).”
“Green screens are sometimes used in place of building a set or knowing the location and lighting in advance, but it can be noticeable if not done carefully, which is something we didn’t want to do,” Miller explained. “We built the entire interior of the Hail Mary, but there were still things going on inside the ship, like removing the wires and puppeteers and replacing the ceiling.”
“When Ryan was outside the ship, we filmed him against the black background of space and a background that changed hues against the planet’s aurora borealis. This gave him a more authentic and interactive light than a green screen. The wide space exteriors and spaceship shots were fully digital and beautifully finished by ILM. ‘Rocky’ was created using puppetry and Framestore. It was a seamless blend of animation and a lot of other stuff. It really took a village and we had the best of the best on our side. ”
The practical effects of “Project Hail Mary” have already been cited as one of the film’s greatest achievements. Guillermo del Toro recently attended a screening of the film and posted, “What Phil and Chris have done here – all the practical sets and effects and puppets – is so beautiful to see and so inspiring to hold on to – it’s a goal, it’s an aspiration, it’s a commitment. Especially now – so – now.”
“Project Hail Mary” will be released in theaters on March 20th by Amazon MGM.
