VFX artists break down scenes from Michael Keaton’sMultiplicity, a sci-fi comedy from 1996.Directed by Harold Ramis,Multiplicitytells the story of Keaton’s Doug Kinney, a scientist who undergoes an experimental cloning procedure in order to more effectively balance his work and family obligations. The film, which also stars Andie MacDowell and Eugene Levy, was a box office failure, grossing only $37 million worldwide on an estimated budget of $45 million, but it does feature some interesting visual effects sequences.
In a recent episode of their “VFX Artists React” YouTube series, the VFX artists atCorridor Crewtake a look at select scenes fromMultiplicity, finding that the film employs some clever digital techniques to make it look like multiple versions of Keaton are interacting with each other. They start with a scene in which one Keaton blows cigarette smoke into another Keaton’s face, with host Niko Pueringer deducing that, since the movie was made before widely-available stock footage online,the smoke was captured as a separate element in-studio before then being composited into the shot:
“Here’s the thing: there wasn’t stock footage back then that you could just buy online. This is all studio-made for the movie, for the most part. Somebody is probably in the studio, turning off all the lights, setting up a black ball and actually shooting smoke at it.”
They look next at a scene in which four Keatons are all in one shot, with Pueringer praising the scene for its rotoscoping work:
“I will say, the edge, the roto-edge between red-shirt Michael Keaton and buttoned-up Michael Keaton. That’s one very clean edge.”
Finally, the Corridor Crew artists take a look at a scene in which one Keaton pours soda into a glass for another Keaton, which employs two different tricks to sell the effect.The first effect involves carefully cutting out parts of Keaton’s hand around the glass to blend two separate shots of him together, while the other involves a “quick swap,” as the glass being filled is replaced with another already-full glass just before Keaton picks it up.
What Multiplicity’s Impressive Effects Mean For The Film
The Keaton Movie Was Criticized For Being Style Over Substance
Visual effects technology was obviously more limited and rudimentary back in 1996 than it is today, but the Corridor Crew analysis suggests that Ramis and theMultiplicitycrew made use of some clever tricks to make it look as if multiple Keatons are interacting in different shots. Unfortunately, the impressive effects didn’t help theKeaton moviesucceed with viewers.
Keaton remains best known for his Tim Burton collaborations with films likeBeetlejuice(1988),Batman(1989), andBeetlejuice Beetlejuice(2024).Multiplicityis the only film he made with Ramis.
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OnRotten Tomatoes,Multiplicityhas a lackluster 45% critics' score and 49% audience score. One key critique that pops up in several reviews is thatthe film is seemingly more focused on its visual effects than on telling a compelling story. While the effects may be convincing, the script is where the movie’s problems lie. ConsideringMultiplicityfailed to break even at the box office, it’s clear that this style over substance wasn’t enough to get viewers to theaters.
Our Take On Multiplicity’s Visual Effects
Ramis & Keaton’s Combined Power Couldn’t Save The Film
Keaton is one of Hollywood’s most reliably entertaining movie stars, butMultiplicityis proof thateven multiple versions of this charismatic actor can’t save an underbaked story. The late Ramis, too, as the director ofCaddyshack(1980) andGroundhog Day(1993), clearly knows how to sell comedy on-screen, but the ingredients clearly just didn’t come together for his 1996 effort. Still, though,Multiplicityremains a fun watch, and it’s always impressive when effects that are nearly three decades hold can stand the test of time.
Multiplicity
Cast
Multiplicity is a comedy film directed by Harold Ramis, starring Michael Keaton as Doug Kinney, a man overwhelmed by the demands of his career and family life. To cope, Doug undergoes an experimental cloning procedure, creating multiple versions of himself, each with distinct traits. Andie MacDowell co-stars as Laura, Doug’s unsuspecting wife, as complications ensue from the presence of the clones.
