These days, as special effects for projects like Spider-Man: No Way Home have advanced and evolved, some might expect there to be a bit of a trade-off with other aspects of the productions. If somebody can just animate a fight scene entirely, why bother with stunt performers? Sure, it's not that simple, but it's hard to blame anyone for assuming.
However, not only have stunt performers and coordinators seen pretty much no substantial negative effects as the result of modern CGI (computer-generated imagery), they're basically thriving now. Perhaps nowhere is that more apparent than in a newly-released behind-the-scenes video showcasing some of the intense stunt work and choreography that went into one particularly memorable scene in Spider-Man: No Way Home. It turns out the cast and crew had just about as much fun making the condo fight scene as audiences did watching it.
As a sneak peek of what sorts of special features fans can expect when No Way Home is released on Blu-ray and DVD (yes, they're still making those), Screen Rant has obtained a tasty morsel of behind-the-scenes goodness. In this clip, viewers can see some of the intricate planning and rehearsing that went into bringing the fight between Tom Holland's Spidey and Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin to the screen. Apparently, both Holland and Dafoe actually did some of their own stunts, which really helped elevate the scene. But that's not all that intensified the energy.
"The fight in Happy's condo, we were all very excited about because I think our main baseline was just 'we're going to destroy this condo,'" Fight Coordinator Jackson Spidell explained in the video with a chuckle. He clearly wasn't exaggerating either, because there's tons of debris and rubble even in the behind-the-scenes footage, showing how much of it was practically done. A quick glance at some of the shots that just fly by will also reveal that there's a surprising amount of "web" work that was done on-scene as well, with actual physical ropes standing in for Spider-Man's webs and swinging around actual physical objects.
But even aside from the practical effects and the phenomenal fighting done by the stunt performers, the most incredible aspect of the whole sequence might arguably be Dafoe's performance, which is briefly seen in the clip. The actor behind Norman Osborn/Green Goblin is pretty well known for his uniquely intimidating face acting, which he puts on full display as he flashes a terrifying smile and cackles loudly while Holland's Peter Parker/Spider-Man is wailing on him. "Everybody on set just stopped," said 2nd Unit Director and Stunt Coordinator George Cottle, "it kind of made your hair stand on end." Even Holland couldn't help himself on set, reacting to Dafoe's laugh with, "whoa, that was so scary!"
It's fascinating, and even a little encouraging, to see this sort of visceral effort go into a series that often gets criticized for relying too much on CGI. It means that the classic ways are still alive and well, bridging the gap between generations. That's quite evident by the mutual respect held between Holland and Dafoe. Here's hoping that mentality holds strong in the industry.
Spider-Man: No Way Home is now available on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital, along with plenty of special features beyond the one teased.
Source: Screen Rant