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The ambitious fourth season of Netflix’s Stranger Things involved developing the look and sound of its threatening, vine-laden antagonist Vecna. Creator-showrunners Matt and Ross Duffer drew early inspiration for the character from Freddy Krueger in the Nightmare on Elm Street series and Pinhead from the Hellraiser franchise, says Michael Maher Jr., one of three VFX supervisors from the Emmy-nominated effects team. In all, their work involved a staggering 4,400 VFX shots created by nearly 30 effects vendors including Dneg, Digital Domain, Rodeo FX, Lola and Important Looking Pirates, plus Scanline, which Netflix acquired in November.
“We worked with a number of different [Vecna] designs until we whittled it to something that had a bit of the Upside Down and a bit of Dungeons & Dragons,” Maher, also a concept artist, says of the design, which had to bridge the character with the look of Henry...
The ambitious fourth season of Netflix’s Stranger Things involved developing the look and sound of its threatening, vine-laden antagonist Vecna. Creator-showrunners Matt and Ross Duffer drew early inspiration for the character from Freddy Krueger in the Nightmare on Elm Street series and Pinhead from the Hellraiser franchise, says Michael Maher Jr., one of three VFX supervisors from the Emmy-nominated effects team. In all, their work involved a staggering 4,400 VFX shots created by nearly 30 effects vendors including Dneg, Digital Domain, Rodeo FX, Lola and Important Looking Pirates, plus Scanline, which Netflix acquired in November.
“We worked with a number of different [Vecna] designs until we whittled it to something that had a bit of the Upside Down and a bit of Dungeons & Dragons,” Maher, also a concept artist, says of the design, which had to bridge the character with the look of Henry...
- 8/21/2022
- by Carolyn Giardina
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“Stranger Things” is nominated for 13 Emmy Awards including Best Drama Series, so we convened a special roundtable panel with seven nominees behind Netflix’s sci-fi/horror series: casting director Carmen Cuba, music supervisor Nora Felder, prosthetics designer Barrie Gower, hair department head Sarah Hindsgaul, stunt coordinator Hiro Koda, production designer Chris Trujillo and editor Dean Zimmerman.
SEECraig Henighan (‘Stranger Things’ sound design) on orchestrating creepy clocks and demogorgons [Exclusive Video Interview]
The series takes place in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, where a portal is opened into a parallel world known as the Upside Down. And in season four the creature who emerged from that dark dimension was Vecna, who psychically cursed his victims. He’s played by Jamie Campbell Bower, and casting him was “challenging for multiple reasons,” remembers Cuba. Part of that was keeping the show’s storylines secret: “We obviously were in no way allowed to talk about what...
SEECraig Henighan (‘Stranger Things’ sound design) on orchestrating creepy clocks and demogorgons [Exclusive Video Interview]
The series takes place in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, where a portal is opened into a parallel world known as the Upside Down. And in season four the creature who emerged from that dark dimension was Vecna, who psychically cursed his victims. He’s played by Jamie Campbell Bower, and casting him was “challenging for multiple reasons,” remembers Cuba. Part of that was keeping the show’s storylines secret: “We obviously were in no way allowed to talk about what...
- 8/15/2022
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
Stranger Things earned 13 Emmy nominations this season, including Outstanding Drama Series, thanks to the unsung heroes of the show—the below-the-line departments who put in the tireless effort to create the “surreal madness” of the series. From ‘de-aging’ Millie Bobbie Brown to building Vecna and his lair in the Upside Down, the collaboration of the craft departments continues to bring the series to new heights. Here, some of the Emmy-nominated craft department heads give insight into the most important aspects of this season.
Eleven
One of the most difficult tasks this season was de-aging Eleven for flashback scenes. “Before shooting we explored just about every option, including deepfake, full CG head replacement, smoothing and warping,” says VFX supervisor Michael Maher Jr. “Luckily, our experienced friends at Lola Visual Effects agreed to take on the work and help us out. They arranged a shoot with a special, proprietary camera and lighting rig called an egg.
Eleven
One of the most difficult tasks this season was de-aging Eleven for flashback scenes. “Before shooting we explored just about every option, including deepfake, full CG head replacement, smoothing and warping,” says VFX supervisor Michael Maher Jr. “Luckily, our experienced friends at Lola Visual Effects agreed to take on the work and help us out. They arranged a shoot with a special, proprietary camera and lighting rig called an egg.
- 8/13/2022
- by Ryan Fleming
- Deadline Film + TV
“When something sonically is written into a script and it’s baked in… it just gives you sort of a launching point, or a jumping off point, to really do something special,” explains “Stranger Things” sound designer Craig Henighan. He is Emmy-nominated for both sound editing and sound mixing for Season 4 of the hit Netflix series, and picked up a third nomination for the animated show “Love, Death, & Robots.” Henighan praises the way “Stranger Things” creators The Duffer Brothers have incorporated sound into their scripts at early stages, providing the designer with a rich creative playground.” Watch the exclusive video interview above.
The most recognizable sound effect from Season 4 is the introduction of a haunting grandfather clock which is tied to the machinations of the villain Vecna. Knowing the effect was vital to the story, Henighan began with the ticking of a standard Westminster grandfather clock and asked himself...
The most recognizable sound effect from Season 4 is the introduction of a haunting grandfather clock which is tied to the machinations of the villain Vecna. Knowing the effect was vital to the story, Henighan began with the ticking of a standard Westminster grandfather clock and asked himself...
- 8/3/2022
- by Sam Eckmann
- Gold Derby
“Season 4 is not nine episodes to us,” explains “Stranger Things” editor Dean Zimmerman of the super-sized entry, “it’s just one big, gigantic, twelve and a half hour movie.” Zimmerman is Emmy nominated for Best Single-Camera Picture Editing alongside Casey Cichocki for the episode “Chapter Four: Dear Billy.” Cichocki concurs with the assessment that the pair focused on the season as a whole, noting “you might be cutting things for four episodes downstream.” But, “Dear Billy” serves as a prime example of the approach this duo used for the entire story, which aimed to balance the epic scope with intimate emotion. Watch our exclusive video interview above.
Zimmerman is sure that his existing shorthand with “Dear Billy” director Shawn Levy contributed to a smooth process for the episode. “We’re basically just one hivemind,” suggests the editor, “We both wear our hearts on our sleeve.” A penchant for leaning into...
Zimmerman is sure that his existing shorthand with “Dear Billy” director Shawn Levy contributed to a smooth process for the episode. “We’re basically just one hivemind,” suggests the editor, “We both wear our hearts on our sleeve.” A penchant for leaning into...
- 7/27/2022
- by Sam Eckmann
- Gold Derby
After a nearly three-year hiatus, "Stranger Things 4" came back better, longer, and most importantly, darker. This season, the Hawkins underdogs struggle with the horrors and complexities of depression, trauma, and isolation, which called for an equally complex and dark monster. Top achieve this, they turned to the series' senior concept illustrator, Michael Maher, Jr., who gave us all the nightmare fuel known as Vecna.
For most viewers, the dark wizard checks all the necessary boxes for a memorable monster. Vecna's entire body resembles an open wound with snaking vines that protrude from his back, which he uses to capture and...
The post The Alternate Character Designs for Stranger Things 4's Vecna Are Even More Horrifying appeared first on /Film.
For most viewers, the dark wizard checks all the necessary boxes for a memorable monster. Vecna's entire body resembles an open wound with snaking vines that protrude from his back, which he uses to capture and...
The post The Alternate Character Designs for Stranger Things 4's Vecna Are Even More Horrifying appeared first on /Film.
- 7/11/2022
- by Christian Gainey
- Slash Film
Vecna isn’t as terrifying in the bathroom.
Actor Jamie Campbell Bower, who played the complicated villain in “Stranger Things 4,” revealed that his terrifying Freddy Krueger-esque full-body prosthetics included a “flap” for him to use the restroom without getting out of costume.
“The bottom half of the suit sort of waist-down, they’re like a pair of trousers that I have to slip on,” Bower said during an interview on SiriusXM’s Octane. “Everything else is glued, but the bottom half are trousers. I have a flap that — this fucking flap — that goes from the chest underneath my buttcrack.”
Bower thanked “poor” prosthetic makeup artist Duncan Jarman for securing his genitals “down there” during the seven and a half hours worth of prosthetic application daily. Jarman chimed in during the SiriusXM Octane interview to joke, “Sometimes you have to get close up and personal with your actors.”
Bower went...
Actor Jamie Campbell Bower, who played the complicated villain in “Stranger Things 4,” revealed that his terrifying Freddy Krueger-esque full-body prosthetics included a “flap” for him to use the restroom without getting out of costume.
“The bottom half of the suit sort of waist-down, they’re like a pair of trousers that I have to slip on,” Bower said during an interview on SiriusXM’s Octane. “Everything else is glued, but the bottom half are trousers. I have a flap that — this fucking flap — that goes from the chest underneath my buttcrack.”
Bower thanked “poor” prosthetic makeup artist Duncan Jarman for securing his genitals “down there” during the seven and a half hours worth of prosthetic application daily. Jarman chimed in during the SiriusXM Octane interview to joke, “Sometimes you have to get close up and personal with your actors.”
Bower went...
- 7/7/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
[Warning: The below contains spoilers for “Stranger Things 4.”]
Jamie Campbell Bower certainly has turned things Upside Down when it comes to the “Stranger Things” narrative. The actor plays Season 4 villain Vecna, and Bower dismantled the theories of Vecna being just a terrifying monster out for revenge.
While Bower as Vecna made co-star Millie Bobby Brown cry on set, along with grossing out audiences everywhere thanks to truly horrific Freddy Krueger-esque prosthetics, the actor has a soft spot for the disfigured character out for revenge. Turns out, Vecna was originally unassuming Henry, who is cast to the Upside Down by Eleven (Brown).
Bower told Variety that Henry/Vecna had “more humanity than perhaps any others” prior to his life being (literally) torn apart.
“Am I able to view him as a villain? I’m certainly able to view him as as a point of conflict. But in terms of, like, is he evil or villainous? I mean,...
Jamie Campbell Bower certainly has turned things Upside Down when it comes to the “Stranger Things” narrative. The actor plays Season 4 villain Vecna, and Bower dismantled the theories of Vecna being just a terrifying monster out for revenge.
While Bower as Vecna made co-star Millie Bobby Brown cry on set, along with grossing out audiences everywhere thanks to truly horrific Freddy Krueger-esque prosthetics, the actor has a soft spot for the disfigured character out for revenge. Turns out, Vecna was originally unassuming Henry, who is cast to the Upside Down by Eleven (Brown).
Bower told Variety that Henry/Vecna had “more humanity than perhaps any others” prior to his life being (literally) torn apart.
“Am I able to view him as a villain? I’m certainly able to view him as as a point of conflict. But in terms of, like, is he evil or villainous? I mean,...
- 7/4/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
[Editor’s Note: The following story contains spoilers for “Stranger Things 4: Vol. 2.”]
The horror for “Stranger Things 4” has truly been turned up to Eleven.
Just ask Millie Bobby Brown, who plays gifted teen Eleven. According to co-star Jamie Campbell Bower, Brown couldn’t even look at season villain Vecna, played by Bower.
“They brought her up into a position where she’s bound. I walked up to her [as Vecna] and she burst into tears,” Bower told Variety. “She wouldn’t look at me and she was visibly just disgusted by the whole thing.”
However, Brown calmed down after she knew it was Bower under the prosthetics.
“After she cried and I made it obvious that she knew it was me, one of the things she said was that, ‘I knew it was you when I could smell cigarettes,’ because I’m a smoker,” Bower added.
Vecna’s origins are uncovered during “Stranger Things 4: Vol. 2,” now streaming. “Stranger Things” prosthetics designer Barrie Gower...
The horror for “Stranger Things 4” has truly been turned up to Eleven.
Just ask Millie Bobby Brown, who plays gifted teen Eleven. According to co-star Jamie Campbell Bower, Brown couldn’t even look at season villain Vecna, played by Bower.
“They brought her up into a position where she’s bound. I walked up to her [as Vecna] and she burst into tears,” Bower told Variety. “She wouldn’t look at me and she was visibly just disgusted by the whole thing.”
However, Brown calmed down after she knew it was Bower under the prosthetics.
“After she cried and I made it obvious that she knew it was me, one of the things she said was that, ‘I knew it was you when I could smell cigarettes,’ because I’m a smoker,” Bower added.
Vecna’s origins are uncovered during “Stranger Things 4: Vol. 2,” now streaming. “Stranger Things” prosthetics designer Barrie Gower...
- 7/1/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
“When you read the scripts, it’s pretty clear that this season is going to be more challenging and bigger than the others,” describes “Stranger Things” visual effects supervisor Michael Maher. Season 4 of the hit Netflix series expanded the scope of the storytelling and forced the effects team to lean into a darker, more mature tone. Maher and his colleagues Marion Spates and Jabbar Raisani discussed all the ways in which they created monsters and digital human doubles in order to drag viewers further into the world of the Upside Down. Watch the exclusive video interview above.
Maher is also the senior concept illustrator for “Stranger Things,” which means he is the man responsible for your latest nightmare about Vecna, the “Big Bad” of season 4. He began drawing the villain as far back as August 2019, working off of the Duffer Brothers mandate for a humanoid that felt part “Nightmare on Elm Street,...
Maher is also the senior concept illustrator for “Stranger Things,” which means he is the man responsible for your latest nightmare about Vecna, the “Big Bad” of season 4. He began drawing the villain as far back as August 2019, working off of the Duffer Brothers mandate for a humanoid that felt part “Nightmare on Elm Street,...
- 6/19/2022
- by Sam Eckmann
- Gold Derby
Whatever you might think of Christian-based music you can’t deny that it’s had a hold on people for a long time now. Mike Maher is one of those artists that has made good use of his talent and the opportunities it’s given to him since he’s been singing for a while and has been nominated for no less than 9 Emmy’s in his time. The gist of Christian music isn’t always about preaching the gospel in every single word but for those that don’t tend to like it there’s always the option of not listening. For those that enjoy the
The Five Best Matt Maher Songs of His Career...
The Five Best Matt Maher Songs of His Career...
- 2/16/2019
- by Tom
- TVovermind.com
Here are a bunch of little bites to satisfy your hunger for movie culture: Remade Trailer of the Day: Want to see what an old school Spider-Man: Homecoming video game would look like? JoBlo redid the movie's trailer in that style: Mashup of the Day: We would love an all-kid remake of Star Wars starring the kids from Stranger Things after seeing this poster by Michael Maher Jr. (via Geek Tyrant): Fan Theory of the Day: Is Harry Potter the biggest Dark Lord in the Harry Potter movies? MatPat goes deep to tackle this theory: Fake Movie of the Day: In her Saturday Night Live hosting gig, Felicity Jones plays the star of a movie called Hot Robot 3: Journey to Boob...
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- 1/18/2017
- by Christopher Campbell
- Movies.com
Here's an incredibly fun piece of Stranger Things and Star Wars mashup fan art created by artist Michael Maher Jr. It features the Stranger Things kids imagined in the roles of classic Star Wars characters. It features Will as Luke Skywalker, Lucas as Lando, Mike as Han Solo, Dustin as Chewbacca, and Eleven as Princess Leia.
I'm sure that the artist was inspired to do this after Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven) said she wanted to play a young Princess Leia in a future Star Wars film, which is something I don't think many people would object to. As you can see, she would easily fit the role. ...
I'm sure that the artist was inspired to do this after Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven) said she wanted to play a young Princess Leia in a future Star Wars film, which is something I don't think many people would object to. As you can see, she would easily fit the role. ...
- 1/17/2017
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
'Intruders' and '28 Weeks Later' director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo is set to helm the new psychological thriller 'Villain' for Start Motion Pictures. The feature, penned and exec produced by Josh Zetumer ('Robocop'), will star Shia Labeouf -below ('Nyphomanic') as one of two brothers both whom 'mysteriously re-connect in an unforgiving wilderness.' How's that for vague? Ben Browning, Sarah Shepard and Jeremy Kipp Walker from Start Motion will be producing with Zetumer and Michael Maher both serving as executive producers. More on the project soon....
- 5/15/2013
- Horror Asylum
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