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This is not your typical domestic fight.
In “The Invisible Man,” the writer and director Leigh Whannell wanted a visceral way to represent the physical yet invisible threat to the film’s lead, Cecilia, played by Elisabeth Moss. It all comes together in this kitchen scene, where Cecilia is lifted into the air by her unseen tormentor, then flung around the room. It took a team of stunt performers, visual effects artists and a committed star to make it happen.
Moss, who has dance training, did some of the physical work in the scene, with her stunt double taking on the most intense elements. Moss was assisted by wires, while also tussling with a stunt performer in a green body suit who would later be erased by visual effects.
To get the elements of the shot right, Whannell said the team used a motion-control camera, a robotic rig that is capable of executing the same move from take to take with expert precision. They first shot the scene without performers, then shot it again with the actors in place.
Because much of the action is meant to look as if it’s been captured in one continuous shot, the filmmakers had to figure out a way to cut to Moss’s stunt double for a moment she gets thrown across a table. Because of the motion control, they could match up the frames in different takes and stitch them together. The Sydney company Cutting Edge worked to bring the invisibility effects to life.
Read the “Invisible Man” review.
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Source: Movies - nytimes.com
