Things We Saw Today: A Behind-The-Scenes Look at the VFX of Alita: Battle Angel

Alita: Battle Angel is Hollywood’s latest attempt at bringing a beloved Manga property to life, and it has an all-star cast of creators behind it. The film, which is directed by Robert Rodriguez, is produced by James Cameron and Jon Landau, the same team that brought Pandora and the world of Avatar to life. As with Avatar, Cameron is re-teaming with WETA Digital to build the world of Alita and its uncanny protagonist.

This behind-the-scenes featurette follows how the production went about shooting and engineering the character of Alita, who possesses a cyborg body and larger than life Anime-inspired eyes. In the clip, we see actress Rosa Salazar outfitted with a motion-capture suit, as well as two high-definition cameras pointed directly at her face to capture every movement and gesture. It’s a dizzying amount of work, both for the actress and the production to put together, but the end results are pretty impressive.

But groundbreaking special effects can only get you so far. We’ll have to wait and see if Alita: Battle Angel has the script and performances to back up its $200 million promise. What do you think of the upcoming adaptation? Will you be trekking out to theaters to see the film?

(via SyfyWire, image: screencap)

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Chelsea Steiner

Chelsea was born and raised in New Orleans, which explains her affinity for cheesy grits and Britney Spears. An pop culture journalist since 2012, her work has appeared on Autostraddle, AfterEllen, and more. Her beats include queer popular culture, film, television, republican clownery, and the unwavering belief that 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' is the greatest movie ever made. She currently resides in sunny Los Angeles, with her husband, 2 sons, and one poorly behaved rescue dog. She is a former roller derby girl and a black belt in Judo, so she is not to be trifled with. She loves the word “Jewess” and wishes more people used it to describe her.

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