Visual effects artists offer their breakdown of the movieLost in Space. Areboot of the classic sci-fi series of the same name, the 1998 action-adventure sci-fi film tells the story of the Robinson family, who journey to space in order to fight for humanity.Lost in Spacewas directed by Stephen Hopkins and featured a leading cast including Gary Oldman, William Hurt,Matt LeBlanc, Mimi Rogers, Heather Graham, Jared Harris, Lacey Chabert, Jack Johnson, Mark Goddard, and Lennie James.
Now,Corridor Crewprovides a breakdown of the VFX inLost in Space. Specifically, they analyze a shot wherein LeBlanc’s space helmet comes down on his face in chunks. In their explanation, theVFX artists explained that there is “absolutely no CG in the shot.“Instead, the shot was taken by filming the scene with and without the helmet, trying to mimic the movements as closely as possibly, and then creating a composite and animation to make it look like the suit was coming down. Check out the explanation from the Corridor Crew below:
- Matt LeBlanc, star of friends. This was a big movie at the time. It had the highest number of visual effects shots in any moive released up until that point, with 750 shots.
I remember they were so jazzed about their helmet shot. Matt LeBlanc returning and aiming his gun, and the helmet going down across his face.
Ooh, okay, is that real at the end there?
That’s some cool compositing that they did there. I know what they did. Because he’s wearing the real helmet the whole time
But what about the CG helmet, how are they animating that?
It looks like they just have pictures of the real helmet in that shot, and they are just shrinking and moving those elements around to make it appear. But there’s definitely like a filmed after the fact Joey Tribbiani head, sorry, Matt LeBlanc.
There is absolutely no CG in this shot.
Is it all image cutouts and movement?
Essentially all they did was they did two takes, or I assume they did many different takes. One of him without the helmet and one of him wearing the helmet. Doing the exact same motion, trying to get the timing of that motion perfect. And they’re just animating on still images of the helmet. And they’re just taking slices of the helmet and expanding it out.
That’s just very clever rotoscoping at the end of the day. But you know what makes this shot work so well? The attention to detail on the shadows underneath the blades. You only go and lock it in the frame at that moment when it’s supposed to appear. And then all you need is three frames of it going up.
It’s very similar to that effect you see frequently on social media where a person’s posing and their hand falls down, and locks into where their hand is in the future. That’s basically what this shot is. That’s a classic shot, man. I haven’t seen that in a while, but I remember that being really really iconic.
How Was Lost In Space Received At The Time?
Critics Did Not Appreciate The ’90s Reboot
In their analysis, the Corridor Crew also mentioned how standoutLost in Spacewas at the time.Before the 1998 film,no film had had more than its 750 VFX shots. Now, there are films such asAvatar: The Way of WaterorDune: Part Two,wherein the majority of the film includes VFX shots and high levels of computer intervention in post-production. In the late ’90s, however, this was much less commonplace, making the creation ofLost in Spaceeven more impressive. In theabsence of advanced CGI, the film found creative alternatives.
The 15 Best Movies About Being Lost In Space
From Interstellar to Gravity, few other sci-fi movies have ever conveyed the feeling of anxiety and isolation of being lost in space like these.
Despite the visual marvel that wasLost in Space,the film was not well-received at the time of its release. The critical consensus came out to a rotten 27% approval on Rotten Tomatoes, with 84 reviews. Audiences did not like the film any better, giving it an even worse 24%. Critics at the time mentioned that, despite the film’s commitment to its visuals, the movie has very little charm and lacks strong dialogue and characters.
Lost in Spaceis currently available to rent on Prime Video.
It also struggled at the box office during the time of its release.Lost in Spacewas made for a massive budget of $80 million, but only ended up grossing just over $136 millionworldwide at the box office. Because most films need 2x to 2.5x their budget to profit,Lost in Spacelikely lost money. Despite this poor performance at the time, however, Corridor Crew’s analysis helps prove how importantLost in Spaceis in visual effects history.
How Other Films From This Era Have Used Creative VFX Methods
Corridor Crew Has Found Value In Many ’90s Films
Lost in Spaceisfar from the only ’90s film that Corridor Crew has taken a closer look at over the years. Earlier this year, theVFX artists looked atThe Pagemaster, a part-animated and part-live-action Macaulay Culkin film from 1994. They broke down howThe Pagemasterused “pretty low-level CGI” and combined this with hand-drawn animation to create a scene wherein a live-action world transforms into an animated book universe. As in the case ofLost in Space,The Pagemasterteam used creative mechanisms to create this effect, in lieu of advanced technology.
Perhaps the mostapt point of comparison forLost in Spaceis 1997’sStarship Troopers.Another sci-fi film, its budget was even higher than that ofLost in Space, coming in at an estimated $105 million. The film also underperformed at the box office, grossing $121 million worldwide. In March,Corridor Crew dissectedStarship Troopers, explaining what went into creating the movie’s massive-scale CG and “texture detail on the models.” Much likeLost in Space,Starship Troopershas also become a cult classic sci-fi film as the years have passed.
The'90s was somewhat of a transition period in the VFX space; CGI technology was developing, as was interest in the medium, but it was not nearly as fine-tuned as it is today.
Looking at all three of these examples, it is clear just how creative films got during this period.The ’90s was somewhat of a transition period in the VFX space; CGI technology was developing, as was interest in the medium, but it was not nearly as fine-tuned as it is today. This led to some interesting hybrid projects whose charm has not quite been matched today, as CGI can be both impressive and overly perfected.Lost in Spaceis a great example of this phenomenon.
Lost in Space
Cast
Lost in Space is a 1998 science fiction film about the Robinson family, who embark on a mission to colonize a distant planet due to Earth’s deteriorating conditions. Chaos ensues when a stowaway disrupts their plans, sending them into uncharted space, where they must navigate unexpected dangers.
