The power of computer-generated imagery has not only changed the way films are made, it has exponentially expanded the kinds of stories that can be told. Visual effects artists can create the strangest monsters or the most fantastical worlds. Nowadays, if you can dream it, your vision can be realized on screen, for a price of course. But as with any new technology, there is always somewhat of an adjustment to be made. For fully-CGI characters, the final product we see on screen is a far cry from what the actors have to work with on set. For the actors in November's smash hit Thor: Ragnarok, they were able to interact with their director while he was dressed up in full performance-capture regalia.
So yeah, Taika Waititi looks positively ridiculous. I can imagine actors from Shakespeare's Globe Theater seeing such a sight and asking "What are you doing?!" only to be shocked when the answer is "Acting!" Waititi's Korg is one of the comedic highlights of Thor: Ragnarok, and the Kiwi director was the perfect person to bring this character to life. It must have been an acting gauntlet to try and act opposite Waititi, who is quite the colorful character in real life, while he was wearing this outfit and performing as one of the movie's funniest characters. Keeping a straight face must have been insanely difficult, so I can't wait to see the outtakes on the Blu-ray. We do have to Taika Waititi in on respect: he didn't put his actors through something he wasn't willing to go through.
We can also see in this image from set still photographer Jasin Boland's Twitter the Korg face perched atop Taika Waititi's head. We have heard in the past about how difficult it is when acting opposite someone in a mo-cap suit to keep from making eye contact. For Chris Hemsworth, acting opposite Mark Ruffalo's Hulk or Taika Waititi's Korg, he had to look above the actor's face to the cutout on their head. That has to be so weird, especially if you aren't used to being in these types of films. I'm guessing not everyone gets into acting hoping to stand opposite a strange New Zealand man in a spandex body suit wearing a cardboard cutout of a rock monster on his head, but such is modern movie-making. As goofy and awkward as it is, this is now a part of what makes movie magic. Just wait until the set photos from the Avatar sequels start coming out.
CGI doesn't always pay off, but when it does, it can bring some truly fun characters and entertaining experiences to the big screen. Thor: Ragnarok is one of 2017's most successful movies, earning over $816 million worldwide. For all the latest in technology making actors look silly, keep it here on CinemaBlend.
