When i look up Violet Beauregarde on Youtube, it comes up with two scenes, but also with stage show versions of her blowing up, and some of them, unfortunately, are really shit.
How would you make a suit that would inflate like the one in the film, because when she inflates in the 1971 version, her whole body inflates at the same time, like arms, legs and chest at same time??
The people who do the shows really need to focus more on making up actually 'look' like a blueberry... :cry:
I,too, think it's interesting that no one has been able to recreate the same type of inflatable suit used in the movie. I mean, only one suit was used for the entire inflation effect- and then it was replaced by the hard foam ovoid-ball costume. Most suits you see today seem to inflate towards the shoulders(like the suit used in the Taylor Made vids), but Violet's suit seemed to expand her belly/waistline. I'd be curious to see the design of the suit.
The suit used in the "That 70's Show" sequence was pretty impressive, though I think we all wish they had given her a belt.
Damn, it's strange talking about this stuff so freely.
The people who do the shows really need to focus more on making up actually 'look' like a blueberry... :cry:
What you're forgetting is most of the shows are amatuer productions and as such would have a limited budget for special effects. They can't afford to spend hundreds or thousands of pounds on a special suit that is only ever likely to be used in one scene of a single production.
Even if you do have such a suit you've then got the problems of how it inflates on stage and making sure it blows up cleanly and rapidly every time. As BlankSlate said, you're asking these guys to do something that the movie special effects pros decided was too hard to do well in a suit compared to digital effects.
Finally take into account that only a tiny fraction of their paying audience is there to see Violet blow up and it's easy to see why most productions don't spend much effort on the scene.
Keep in mind that the inflatable suit used in the 1971 movie had the pleated outer costume to help control the shape, too. The arms of the costume were pleated, but the belly and legs of the costume had more space. So following the "path of least resistance," those areas would blow up first before the pressure rose high enough to fill the arms more. (You can see the pleats on the arms unfolding after Violet's belt is out of the way.)
Judging from the production stills I've seen, there were numerous takes and tests to get the costume to blow up "the right way." For example, many stills show Nickerson's arms at her side. This must have interfered with the belt, so she had to raise her arms, rather than have them pushed up by the increasing pressure.
The DVD supplements for the 2005 movie show some of the inflatable costumes that were tested, including one session with AnnaSophia Robb. Personally I would have preferred the inflating costume with digital assist, rather than the completely digital approach used. (Looked too cartoony, like something from The Mask.)
Of course, the real lesson to be taken away from this whole thing is: If you're not satisfied with the videos on-line, make one of your own that does satisfy your needs. I do video effects work. Anyone here know how to use a video camera -- and I mean more than just using the natural lighting in your parlor? We'd need a performer and perhaps a partially inflatable costume. Hard-to-control things like popping buttons can be rigged with snaps and pulled with monofilament. A lot of artifice (including lighting) goes into making something look "natural" in front of a camera.
Just don't grouse about it. Do it.
ok, thats made me understand more and i accept it. but just how do you think they did the effect in the film to make her look like this
http://bodyinflation.org/index.php?name=coppermine&file=displayimage&meta=lastup&cat=4&pos=0
would it have been several things inflating under the suit or just a big suit that inflated at the same time???
In interviews, Denise Nickerson (Violet, 1971) described wearing a rubber suit under her costume. So I would say it was probably a one-piece similar to the costumes available on-line. Many of the video makers who visit here are using those inflatable costumes. The reason their videos look different from the 1971 movie is because the outer costumes are different. Nickerson's outer costume was pleated to open up.
It is possible to use multiple cheap inflatables, like beach balls. Look in the photo galleries for "Sievert!" I think he works with multiple inflatables, rather than a single suit.
If you are trying to make an inflation for video, there is no reason you must use a single costume. Changes can be hidden by edits. If you want to blow up continuously for fetish entertainment purposes, then decide if it is worth spending that much money.
first of all, where did you find the stills of her in the suit, and only if they were behind the scenes, and also, i wonder how this one was done, and i like it, the violet spoof in the alien an tfarm video movies?
Read that first line again: "In interviews." I have seen no photos of the rubber suit Nickerson wore under her blue costume, but many production stills of the scene have been released.
I would guess (note that word "guess") that the Alien Ant Farm music video was done on the cheap. That blueberry costume could have been plastic trash bags taped together. The inflation happens very rapidly -- perhaps a "ShopVac" in exhaust mode was used. And if you watch the inflation, the suit is more dress-like than jumpsuit-like.
yes, i know, but if you have any links to any vids youve seen where the inflation is good, post it here
Executing good Violet Beauregarde effects on stage is much more difficult than doing it with film (or video). From the very beginning of cinema even stage magicians like Melies appreciated the surreal things one can accomplish by "freezing time" -- stopping the camera while changes are made, the precursor to post production editing and effects.
The 1971 Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory used two different costumes to complete Violet's transformation. And although inflatable costumes were tried for the 2005 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the director opted to use digital effects.
I've seen some excellent blueberry effects on stage. However, most troupes must rely on artful creativity to "suggest" Violet's transformation, rather than showing it outright.
One additional difficulty is that the human form does not morph cleanly into a sphere. There are many inflatable suit makers who have posted in this forum, and some of their offerings are pretty spectacular. Look around.