The Tech Behind the Film 'Gravity'

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The visual experience in Gravity was a product of intensive technology.

Image: Gravity

By Gravity2014-02-24 18:57:21 UTC

“The meaning of ‘Gravity’ isn't just what keeps your feet on the ground," says Jonás Cuarón, director.

"It’s the force that is constantly pulling you back home.”

In the film, Sandra Bullock's character, a medical engineer named Ryan Stone, wants to get back to Earth. The greatest challenge for filmmakers was conveying the sensation of being in space — to replicate zero gravity.

See also: 20 Epic Space Photos From Astronaut Chris Hadfield

The movie is a hybrid of live-action, computer animation and CGI, with sets, backgrounds and even costumes rendered digitally. But amidst all the tools and effects, the creatives behind 'Gravity' wanted to present Ryan's struggle as a metaphor for life's adversity and the rebirth that helps people get to the other side — whether that's a safe trip home, or overcoming a personal loss, as Ryan does in the film.

Learn more about the tools that brought zero gravity to life in these four clips from 'Gravity,' with an inside look into the tech that made the film's breathtaking scenes possible.

1. The Light Box

"Gravity" is now available on Digital HD, own it on Blu-ray and DVD on Tuesday.

Combining live action with animation proved an interesting challenge for cinematographer Emmanuel “Chivo” Lubezki and visual effects supervisor Tim Webber. They had to determine how lights would affect characters' faces and then match it to composite the live action and animation perfectly.

The pioneering tool was called the Light Box and was made of large, flat panels fitted with thousands of tiny LED lights. It was able to perfectly illuminate each character in scenes such as Ryan's uncontrollable spin through space — something that would be impossible with conventional lighting.

2. Robotics, Rigs and Flying by Wire

"Gravity" is now available on Digital HD, own it on Blu-ray and DVD on Tuesday.

One innovation begets another — and within the confines of the Light Box, it was necessary to find a camera small and flexible enough to capture footage. A company called Bot & Dolly supplied robots of the sort used in automobile manufacturing which provided filmmakers the ability to adjust the pan, tilt and roll when capturing the needed takes.

"It was very versatile,” Manex Efrem, of the special effects team, says. “We had one configuration that was relatively gentle, called the ‘heart-to-heart’ rig, which allowed Sandra and George to interact face to face while turning through space."

3. Defying Gravity

"Gravity" is now available on Digital HD, own it on Blu-ray and DVD on Tuesday.

Creating the illusion of zero gravity took a great deal of effort — conventional wires were not an option as they did not give the floating impression that the filmmakers desired. Instead, special effects supervisor Neil Corbould developed a remotely or manually controlled 12-wire system, each wire with its own motor and attached to a carbon fiber harness that was custom-molded to Bullock's body — in fact, it was worn invisibly under her clothes. It could move up to 75 meters per second and resembled a marionette. Thus, production brought in puppeteers to man the controls.

“It’s very counterintuitive for human beings to be weightless, but in the world of puppets, we are able to break the laws of physics in graceful and expressive ways," says Robin Guiver, one of the puppeteers.

The scene in which Bullock appeared in the ISS airlock was one of the most intricate to film as it required the synchronization of three robots: one with a revolving camera, a second holding the main light source (which represented the sunlight streaming in) and a third that caused the air lock porthole to circle around the back wall, adding to the perception of rotation.

4. Space Design

"Gravity" is now available on Digital HD, own it on Blu-ray and DVD on Tuesday.

A majority of the sets in 'Gravity,' including the ISS passageways and air lock, are virtual.

“Without the huge amount of NASA photography and technical data in the public domain, nothing could have been as detailed," says production designer Andy Nicholson. "We wanted to base as much on fact as possible and then adapt as needed.”

Because the design team was largely replicating existing and well-documented structures, the computer-generated environments needed to be as accurate as possible.

Each of the hundreds of props, from large hand tools to the smallest bolt, was painstakingly studied and designed and then computer-modeled, generating a library of props that could then be used to digitally “dress” the sets. Because the ISS has been occupied by people of different nationalities, Nicholson added subtle touches to the set to reflect diverse cultures.

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