The Eye of the Terminator: interesting facts about the filming of the movie "Terminator"

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Five parts of the Terminator have already been released, but many viewers were impressed by the first series much more than the subsequent ones. Interesting shooting facts of the popular action movie, cast, timeline paradoxes, theories - all these topics have long been the subject of discussion for fans of the franchise. The first two parts of the project made Arnold Schwarzenegger a real screen star. How was the artificial eye of the Terminator created, and what tricks was the director of the picture forced to resort to? You can learn about this and much more from the article.

Price of the first "Terminator"

Some viewers often confuse the order of the first two parts, and sometimes they remember only that in the first film the Terminator cuts out his eye and wants to kill the main character, and in the second he saves John and tries to gain the trust of his mother. Of course, real fans of the franchise remember a lot more details. Naturally interesting shooting facts"Terminator" remained in the memory of the creators of the action movie, because it was they who had to show incredible ingenuity while working on the project. This action movie was a wonderful example of how one of the most spectacular films of its time can be made for a relatively small amount.

Only 6.4 million dollars were allocated for the production of the first part. If we take into account inflation, then today this amount would be about 14 million dollars. Few directors these days would dare to make a promising blockbuster for that kind of money. For example, about $500 million was spent on the creation of one of the parts of The Avengers, presented in 2018. After some period, director James Cameron joked that the film "Terminator" (1984) was filmed for the cost of the trailer in which Schwarzenegger rested during the production of the second part of the film.

Unrealized ideas

Working on the first part of the film, its authors had to seriously save money. Due to the lack of necessary computer technology, Cameron's team went to various tricks, creating the famous robot. It was originally planned that the Terminator in the 1984 film would be made of liquid metal, with the ability to take on the appearances of various people. Subsequently, this idea was embodied in a sequel, when the budget was significantly increased and the necessary special effects appeared.

Due to the modest amount allocated for production, many other interesting ideas had to be abandoned. Some insidersstated that in the first versions of the script, the hero of Arnold Schwarzenegger had to eat ordinary foods in order to maintain the normal state of his "human" shell. Of course, abandoning this idea certainly has nothing to do with a small budget.

The Secret of the Terminator's Red Eyes

The performer of the key role in the action movie coped with the exact hit in the desired image. Schwarzenegger's poor facial expressions, his menacing appearance and impressive muscle mass did their job - the actor did an excellent job with the role of a "humanized" robot. The problem was quite different: we had to decide what to do with the metal frame and the red glow of the Terminator's eyes. Cameron had to use stop-motion puppetry technology that filmmakers have been using for a long time.

The scene where the Terminator repairs an eye in Terminator 1 has become one of the most memorable. Of course, these episodes were not complete without mannequins. In order for Schwarzenegger's hero to get rid of the eye, the actor had to be temporarily replaced with a doll with a silicone face, which was moistened with water for a more naturalistic look. Periodically, shots with a mannequin were changed to shots with the lead actor, who was wearing blue make-up. Terminator without an eye looked scary, and Schwarzenegger himself admitted that later he was also impressed by these scenes.

Dolls in the frame

Almost all the scenes with the skeletal Terminator involved a puppet whose height did not exceed half a meter. Cameron used the shooting techniquesimilar to puppet cartoons: every change in the position of the legs, skull, hands, etc., was recorded frame by frame. Then the frames were glued together, and subsequently the audience could see the confidently walking Terminator in the frame. There were many such scenes, and among them was the episode with the robot, which got out from under the blazing truck. Such dummies were only good for general shots. In episodes where only the torso, legs or head of the T-800 is visible, the authors of the action movie used life-size dolls.

He was practically not shown in full growth - he was only able to move his arms and head, but he could not walk.

James Cameron's Tricks

Due to the fact that during the filming of the film "Terminator" (1984), the cyborg involved on the set could not fully move, James Cameron went to various tricks. The director shot close-ups of individual parts of the robot: it was much easier to set the top of the machine, its arm or leg in motion than to achieve realistic movements from the entire T-800. For example, in the scene with the exploding truck, the audience first saw a full-length small puppet animated frame by frame. After that, the emphasis is on the face, then on the legs. The latter was the easiest to shoot: it was only necessary to rearrange the limbs of the cyborg, fixing it on camera. The scene, which lasted only a few seconds on screen, was filmed in dozens of takes.

Schwarzenegger's "Partner"

As already mentioned, when a Terminator with a red eye appeared in the frame, it was not always Schwarzenegger himself. instead of himheads, viewers often saw an artificial head.

An example would be the second half of the film, and especially the scenes shown shortly after the cyborg falls off the motorcycle and is hit by a truck. This fall leads to sad metamorphoses for the robot - metal begins to appear on its left side of the face. In some episodes, the viewer is shown a mannequin, while in others, the face of the actor in makeup. The appearance of Schwarzenegger himself looks more realistic, but this effect partially disappears when he begins to speak: at these moments it becomes obvious that the movement of the "metal" is a little unnatural.

Toy Truck

The origin story of one of the film's most spectacular scenes, the truck chase, is rather unusual. The chase was filmed with a real car that was driving at high speed, but the explosion had to be tricky. The administration of Los Angeles did not allow the explosion of a truck in the city. In addition, there was an ammunition depot near the scene of the events. After some thought, the film crew had to purchase a smaller copy of the fuel truck. The first radio-controlled car exploded unsuccessfully, so I had to take on a second plastic car. As a result, the effect of realism was achieved thanks to the accelerated shooting.

Tricks in famous scenes

Linda Hamilton, portraying Sarah Connor, did not at all try to hide from the car chasing her. The actress just ran near the huge screen with the corresponding video sequence. Taking offpost-apocalyptic future, the director actively used toy scenery. Much that was shown to the viewer on the screen was made of foil, cardboard and plastic. The tanks, which seemed truly huge, in reality do not exceed the size of an ordinary baby carriage. The grenade under the caterpillar is actually a small piece of plastic that did not immediately manage to get into the right place. Before everything worked out the way the director wanted, 26 takes were made. Cameron also experimented not only with fast motion, but also slow motion.

Peanut dust and cardboard city

When a post-apocalyptic future appears on the screen in front of the Terminator viewers, they can see that the earth is completely littered with skulls - in fact, each of them was the size of a walnut. The ruins of the city were created mainly from cardboard and occupied several square meters. With the help of artificial smoke, the film crew was able to create the illusion of a large space. Colorful explosions looked very impressive thanks to the backlight bulbs. In turn, the peanut dust looked just like slowly settling earth dust. Cameron used many such tricks.

Tricks with flying machines

Surely, the creators of the project remembered for the rest of their lives how they filmed the "Terminator", because in many situations they had to show incredible imagination and creative thinking. For example, they did not have the opportunity to create spectacular aircraft: there was not enough money or time for this. The team decided toa very rough model, and, wanting to achieve a smooth flight from the device, the specialists had to develop a whole system of cables.

Without these tricks, the implausibility of the aircraft was too obvious - it was betrayed by the characteristic swaying movements.

Total savings

The team had to cut corners on everything: cars, suits, explosions, and even the terminator's eye (more on that below). For example, scenes in which people were present in the frame at the same time as military equipment are just miracles of rear projection, as was the case with Hamilton's character running away from a truck. There were no funds not only for pyrotechnic effects. The operator could not buy or rent an expensive camera trolley, so he often climbed into a wheelchair with the camera at the ready, which was subsequently pushed by other members of the film crew. The first part of the action movie was made almost in a hurry, initially positioned as a B-movie for a teenage audience.

Nevertheless, the audience witnessed the release of a real cultural phenomenon.

Last footage of the legendary cyborg

The last plan of the 1984 cult project, in which the audience is shown a colorful cyborg, is a T-800 skull crushed under pressure. Over this scene, Cameron had to work hard. In the last seconds of the spectacular episode, viewers see the Terminator's red eye fade. Despite the fact that the scene looks very impressive, itdidn't cost much.

The team got by with metallic-colored styrofoam (it served as a “press”), foil (cyborg skull), a red light bulb and cigarette smoke, which ended up in the frame by accident. Whatever it was, James Cameron and his assistants did a great job, thanks to which "Terminator" has become one of the most famous projects in the world of cinema.