8 Directors Who Did Crazy Things To Get Their Movies Made

4. Guillermo Del Toro Built Giant, Moving Robot Heads That Moved So Violently The Cast Had To Be Bolted In

Guillermo Del Toro is known for his love and appreciation of practical effects; effects that are physically prepared (these are generally costumes, animatronics or puppets) and then shot on-set. You've only to take a look at his films Pan's Labrinyth and Hellboy for some striking examples.

So what happens when a director like Del Toro wants to make a film about giant fighting robots? Simple. You build the robots. Okay, so while the robots in Pacific Rim are hundreds of feet tall and would impossible to fully construct, Del Toro did the next best thing. He built the heads from which they're piloted. Despite studio insistence that everything could be done using green screen, CGI and limited sets, Del Toro demanded the creation of the robot heads, requesting they be rigged with hydraulics in order to simulate how they would react while fighting another robot. The actors inside the robot heads were kitted out in futuristic, technological suits of armour attached to the head itself (this was the only thing that would protect them form being jerked about and violently injured). According to Shane Mahan, the head of the film's special effects team:

€œWe had to dress the people into the thing, take care of them, make sure things are working, jump back down, and operate the machine. The hard part was fitting the machines to the actors, making sure that they were comfortable enough to act in them and coaching them through this very difficult time.€

These suits of armour were so elaborate they took thirty minutes to detach from the robot head. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEEvuYoKuFs