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BY DAVID SERVER | Recently,
David Server talked with Mike Elizalde of Spectral Motion, the Creature
Effects Supervisor for "Hellboy". Read on for the full interview:
CD: So tell us a little bit about Spectral Motions history as a company.
Mike: Spectral Motion was incorporated in 1994, and my wife and I started
the company for a couple of reasons. We wanted to establish ourselves
as a corporation, and we also had some model kits that we were selling
and we wanted to sell those under the umbrella of a corporate entity.
So in 1994 we started the company and we have been working on films under
the corporate umbrella of Spectral Motion since then. So the corporation
itself has a lot of subcontracting credits; weve worked with studios
like Rick Bakers and Stan Winstons studios.
CD: How did you guys get involved with Hellboy?
Mike: I was working in Prague with [Hellboy director Guillermo del
Toro], and working here in LA on Blade II, and Guillermo and I met on
that project. And then I went to Prague to do some of the animatronic
Reaper puppeteering and we had a rapport, Guillermo and I, instantly.
We just really clicked. Hes such a happy fun guy, its really hard not
to feel that love. So we just got along immediately and after the show
was over, him and Executive Producer Patrick Palmer called me up and said,
Hey, weve got a script that wed like for you to break down for us.
And of course I just jumped on it, it was like Yeah! Let me do that for
you guys. And thats how Hellboy got started, or how we got started working
on Hellboy with them. And its just been a very great relationship that
the three of us have had on the project, every time that Guillermo comes
to the shop hes happy, he likes what he sees. And were happy to provide
him with that, and the whole point of the way the selection process went
for getting the people in here to do the job was that I had this goal
in mind of creating a happy comfortable place for people to work. And
having had about sixteen years of experience in the business, I had good
relationships and associations with a lot of the people in town, the creative
people, and the artists that are in this place are just phenomenal. Weve
managed to attract some very talented people, and were very happy with
that and I think Guillermo is too.
CD: Were a lot of the people working there familiar with the comic
before they came onto the project?
Mike: Well, speaking for myself, I had never heard of Hellboy before
Guillermo mentioned it to me. So I did a little research and educated
myself a little bit on the subject. But theres a few guys in the shop
who are hardcore fans. One of the guys is Brent Baker, hes our lead mold
department supervisor, and hes a Hellboy fan from way back. He knows
all the graphic novels, all the comics. Hes a diehard. And there are
a couple of others, but hes the one that comes to mind because hes a
big Hellboy fan.
CD: Which characters and props are taking up the lions share of your
time?
Mike: The lions share of our time is being dedicated to Abe Sapien and
Sammael. Those are the two big demands we have.
CD: How far along are you towards achieving a final makeup design
for Abe Sapien? Have you done tests with actor Doug Jones, who will be
playing Abe, yet?
Mike: We did a test with Doug, and the results were very positive. Guillermo
was very pleased with what he saw. We just showed a little bit of that
to Patrick Palmer and he was in love with it too. They were preliminary,
but they will only get better from where we started. And Doug is just
an amazing performer, hes really great. Hes gonna bring a lot to the
role.
CD: Have you done tests with any of the other cast members yet?
Mike: There are some peripheral effects, nothing that will be in the
spotlight for any length of time, but some minor make-up that I wont
reveal what they are, there are some smaller appliances that some of the
actors wear, and a couple of gags.
CD: Do you guys collaborate at all with Rick Baker and his team (who
are providing the Hellboy character effects)?
Mike: We kind of have to collaborate a little bit because of the fact
that were working on a similar level with production. We have to sort
of coincide shipping dates and things like that. We do work together in
that regard. I happen to be friends with Bill Sturgeon, who is the coordinator
at Ricks shop, and weve got a history so we always talk. And [Make-Up
Effects Supervisor] Matt Rose and I are friends, we talk frequently. So
we do collaborate to some degree.
CD: Do you go through a lot of comic books for reference?
Mike: The Hellboy graphic novel that the movie is based on, Seed of
Destruction, is like our Bible. During some of the early production meetings,
Patrick and Guillermo provided Seed of Destruction for everyone, they
had copies of them there at the early meetings. Go home and read this
this is where were trying to end up sort of. So yeah, were definitely
sticking to [Hellboy creator Mike Mignolas] brilliant brainchild, because
he is just like the most amazing storyteller and visually incredibly gifted
artist. And were trying to stay true to his vision.
CD: Has Mike stopped in and checked on the progress so far?
Mike: During the first few production meetings that we had here at Spectral
Motion, Guillermo would come with designer TyRuben Ellingson and Mike
would be with them, and that would be the group of people that would walk
through and we would make adjustments to the design. Mike had some pretty
significant input in those early meetings, so we did spend some time with
him early on.
CD: Did he seem pleased with the work going on?
Mike: Yea, he really did! I spoke with him on the phone after he returned
to New York and he really was very enthusiastic Yknow, I just want
to tell you Im happy with everything Ive seen so far. Thats always
nice to hear! [Laughs]
CD: Of all the effects you guys have been working on, is there one
in particular which you guys think came together even better than you
had imagined?
Mike: I think thats pretty true of most of the stuff that were putting
together. Some of the video tests that weve done on some of the finished
pieces are amazing to us. I mean, we look at these and we think, My God,
that looks really good. It really does. And I know it sounds like Im
blowing my own whistle, but its just that Im being truthful, the guys
have done an amazing job mechanically, cosmetically, straight across the
board, its just the cream of the crop.
CD: Are you guys gearing up for the move out to Prague?
Mike: We are, yeah, were getting ourselves prepared. Well be shipping
out fairly soon so were starting to get to the point now where things
are starting to become finished. And the guys who are going are excited
to get there.
CD: Looking forward to the shooting period?
Mike: Absolutely. One of the things that is prevalent with Guillermos
productions is that theres always a sense of excitement and fun, its
always something you look forward to. It was true with Blade II, and
I already feel it here on this show. He brings such a good energy to the
show that its really difficult to go wrong.
CD: Is this film one of the more technically complicated projects
that youve worked on? The characters and the universe in the comic are
so rich that it would seem like a daunting task bringing that vision to
life.
Mike: Absolutely. Thats definitely true. Typically youre hit with some
very specific requirements in a film. On this film, weve really, to abuse
the corporate term, weve really had to think outside the box on many,
many of the characters, and its really payed off. It forces you to be
more creative, it forces you to reach a little bit further, and to come
up with something no ones ever seen before, and thats the kind of challenge
we love.
CD: You mentioned earlier that your company started off selling model
kits and busts. Any way well see Hellboy movie busts and statues from
Spectral Motion come 2004?
Mike: Only if we have Patrick Palmer and Guillermo del Toros blessing.
But Id love to, I mean itd be fun to put these things out after the
movies released, and do what we started out doing. Itd make it come
full circle for us.
CD: Thanks again so much for your time.
Mike: Sure thing keep in touch.
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