Five parts of Terminator have already been released, but many of the viewers were impressed by the first episodes much more than subsequent ones. Interesting facts of shooting a popular action movie, cast, paradoxes of timelines, 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 star of the screen. How was the artificial eye of the Terminator created, and what tricks was the director of the picture forced to resort to? This and much more can be found in the article.
The price of the first "Terminator"
Some viewers often confuse the order of the first two parts, and sometimes they only remember that in the first film, Terminator cuts his eyes 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, true franchise fans will remember a lot more details. Naturally, the interesting facts of shooting "Terminator" remained in the memory of the creators of the action movie, because it was they who had to show incredible inventiveness while working on the project. This action movie has become a wonderful example of how, for a relatively small amount, one of the most spectacular films of its time can be shot.
Only 6.4 million dollars was allocated for the production of the first part. If we take inflation into account, then today this amount would be approximately $ 14 million. A rare director these days would dare to shoot a promising blockbuster for the money. For example, about $ 500 million was spent on the creation of one of the Avengers units, presented in 2018. After some time, the director James Cameron joked that the film "Terminator" (1984) was shot for the cost of the trailer in which Schwarzenegger was resting 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. Due to the lack of necessary computer technology, Cameron's team went to various tricks, creating the famous robot. At first it was planned that the Terminator in the 1984 film will be created from liquid metal, having the ability to take on the images of various people. Subsequently, this idea was embodied in the sequel, when the budget was significantly increased and the necessary special effects appeared.
Due to the modest amount allocated for production, I had to abandon many other interesting ideas. Some insiders said that in the first versions of the script, the hero of Arnold Schwarzenegger had to eat normal foods in order to maintain the normal state of his "human" shell. Of course, the rejection of this idea is certainly not related to a small budget.
The Terminator's Red Eye Secret
The performer of the key role in the action movie coped with the exact hit in the desired image. The poor facial expressions of Schwarzenegger, 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 completely different: it was necessary to decide what to do with the metal frame and the red glint of the Terminator's eyes. Cameron had to use the technology of frame-by-frame puppet animation, which filmmakers have been using for a long time.
The scene where Terminator repairs an eye in Terminator 1 has become one of the most memorable. Of course, in these episodes, mannequins were not complete. In order for the hero of Schwarzenegger to get rid of his eyes, the actor had to be temporarily replaced with a doll with a silicone face, which was moistened with water for a more natural look. From time to time, frames with a mannequin changed to frames with a leading actor, on which a blue makeup was applied. Terminator without an eye looked intimidating, and Schwarzenegger himself admitted that later he was also impressed with these scenes.
Dolls in the frame
In almost all scenes with a skeleton-like Terminator, a doll was involved whose growth did not exceed half a meter. Cameron applied a shooting technique similar to puppet cartoons: each change in the position of the legs, skull, arms, etc., was fixed frame by frame. Then the frames were glued together, and later the audience could see the Terminator confidently walking in the frame. There were many such scenes, including an episode with a robot that got out from under a blazing truck. Such mannequins were good only for general personnel. 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.
They almost never showed him to their full height - he was able to move only his hands and head, but could not walk.
The Tricks of James Cameron
Due to the fact that during the filming of the movie "Terminator" (1984), the cyborg involved in the set could not move fully, James Cameron went to various tricks. The director shot close-ups of individual parts of the robot: moving the upper part of the machine, its arm or leg, was much easier than achieving realistic movements from the entire T-800. For example, in a scene with an exploding truck, viewers first saw a small doll in full growth, animated frame by frame. After this, the emphasis is placed on the face, then on the legs. The last was the easiest to shoot: all that was needed was to rearrange the limbs of the cyborg, fixing it on the camera. The scene, which lasted only a few seconds on the screen, was shot in dozens of takes.
"Partner" Schwarzenegger
As already mentioned, when the Terminator with a red eye appeared in the frame, it was not always Schwarzenegger himself. Instead of his head, viewers often saw an artificial head.
The second half of the film can serve as an example, and it is especially worth paying attention to the scenes shown shortly after the cyborg falls off the motorcycle and gets under the wheels of a truck. This fall leads to sad metamorphoses for the robot - metal begins to appear on its left half of the face. In some episodes, the viewer is shown a mannequin, and in others - the actor’s face 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 story of the origin of one of the most spectacular scenes of the film - the chase by truck, is rather unusual. The chase was filmed with a real car that was driving at high speed, but with the explosion it was necessary to be smart. The Los Angeles administration did not allow the truck to explode in the city. In addition, not far from the scene was an ammunition depot. After some thought, the crew had to purchase a smaller copy of the fuel truck. The first radio-controlled car exploded unsuccessfully, so I had to tackle the 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 try to hide from the car chasing her. The actress simply ran near the huge screen with the corresponding video sequence. Shooting the post-apocalyptic future, the director actively involved toy scenery. Much of what was shown to the viewer on the screen is made of foil, cardboard and plastic. The tanks, which seemed truly huge, do not really exceed the size of a regular baby carriage. The grenade, which is under the caterpillar, is actually a small piece of plastic that did not immediately manage to get to the right place. Before everything turned out as the director wanted, 26 doubles were made. Cameron also experimented not only with fast shooting, but also slow motion.
Peanut Dust and Cardboard City
When episodes from the post-apocalyptic future appear on the screen in front of the audience of “Terminator”, they can see that the earth is completely dotted 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. In turn, peanut dust looked just like slowly settling ground dust. Cameron used a lot of such techniques.
Tricks with aircraft
Surely, the creators of the project for the rest of their life remembered how they shot 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: this did not have enough money or time. The team decided to make a very rough model, and, wanting to get 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 characteristic swaying movements.
Total savings
The team had to save on everything: cars, suits, explosions, and even the eye of the terminator (more on this below). For example, scenes in which people were present in the frame simultaneously with military equipment are just miracles of rear projection, as was the case with the heroine Hamilton, who was fleeing the truck. There were no funds not only for pyrotechnic effects. The operator could not buy or rent an expensive camera trolley, so often at the ready with the camera climbed onto a wheelchair, which was subsequently pushed by other members of the crew. The first part of the action movie was done almost in a hurry, initially positioning itself as a category “B” film for a teenage audience.
Nevertheless, the audience witnessed the emergence of a real cultural phenomenon.
The last frames with the legendary cyborg
The latest plan for the 1984 cult project, in which a colorful cyborg is shown to viewers, is a T-800 skull crushed under pressure. Cameron had to work hard on this scene. In the last seconds of a spectacular episode, viewers see the Terminator's red eyes fade. Despite the fact that the scene looks very impressive, it did not require a lot of costs.
The team managed with polystyrene painted in metallic color (it served as a “press”), foil (cyborg skull), a red light bulb and cigarette smoke, which was completely accidentally shot in the frame. Be that as it may, James Cameron and his assistants worked wonderfully, making the Terminator one of the most famous projects in the world of cinema.