Designer Times
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56. Godzilla - Hollywood's Last Movie Monster

Steven Spielberg's 1993 movie Jurassic Park gave audiences the first look at the Hollywood Movie Monster that was hatched inside a computer. What started out as giant sized physical animated creature became blended with it's twin in a computer generated image (CGI) by the time the movie was completed. As related in a story on LaughingPlace for July 14, 2004, Steven asked me to help with early development of the large T-Rex physical animated creature.

Quoting from the July 14th story: "The previous movie creatures of all sizes were "practicals", or physical devices shot optically for the scenes. By

1998 these practicals had become extinct....like the dinosaurs. Virtually every new creature was now CGI. Interestingly enough, it was a dinosaur that led the way into CGI while closing out the great history of large practical animated movie creatures. Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park T-Rex was the star of this major turning point in movie technology".

"At one of our lunch meetings in Steven's Amblin Sante Fe styled dining room, Oscar winning wizard Dennis Muren from George's Lucas' ILM group was describing how the T-Rex could be done in a computer. We all strained to understand just how a mere computer can produce a real living Dinosaur. I never forgot that moment. The world was turning.....the wizard and the storyteller were in sync".

The story of Godzilla started off a bit like Jurassic Park except that the movie was to intentionally blend the physical creature and the CGI together.

But this time the creature shots would be 90% CGI and 10% physical because of some close up shots with live actors and some scale set models.

As told in "Godzilla - The Official Movie Magazine", number 4 in a series published annually by Starlog Group, Inc., the New Godzilla creature was a much different Godzilla than the previous classic Godzillas made by Toho Studios in Japan. The new one was designed to be a fast and lithe giant compared to the previous classic lumbering Godzillas.

I was asked in January 1997 by the creative folks at Patrick Tatopoulos Designs if I would help them with their new Godzilla. When I declined because I thought Godzilla was too ugly and corny, they replied...."but you haven't seen OUR Godzilla".

The next day I met with Patrick Tatopoulos and saw the 3' tall model of HIS Godzilla....and fell in love with the elegant design. I was also impressed with his choice in motorcycles....a Ducati 916. A former professional Super Bike racer, Patrick was a very renowned movie special effects designer with great taste. "Bob, we're gonna get along just fine".

When asked just what help I could provide, I answered that I would do the entire mechanical design of the large Godzilla and follow the job all the way to the start of filming. I was authorized on the spot to start immediately.....no budget, no schedule, no contract, no handshake. Just like my prior Las Vegas projects got started. Everybody trusted everybody.

Sony TriStar Films had given Tatopoulos Design the task of building all the physical Godzillas in both 1/24 and 1/6 size, which was to be a 30' tall animated creature. The story Godzilla was to be 180' tall. The 1/24 creatures were to be built as a man-in-a-suit job while the 1/6 would be fully animated with (22) major body functions with lots more detailed facial movements involving skin and eyes.

Meantime, the CGI gurus at Centropolis Effects, Sony Imageworks, Digiscope, and VisionArt took off on their quest to create what later turned out to be the most startling giant creature in movie history. One that blasted seamlessly thru New York City mixed in with physical props while appearing to be the full 180' size. Tatopoulos built the most beautifully detailed models as reference so that Godzilla was identical in both physical and CGI appearance....which later blended seamlessly on the screen.

Working very quickly with Patrick's folks, the overall mechanical concept fell into place easily, following the list of body motions required. Because the creature could reach up to 30 feet and would have very fast motions, weights and centers of gravity were crucial to know early on. I kept track of the estimated component weights and locations on an Excel spreadsheet. I began the design using my trusty Vellum 3DCAD software.