FACEBOOK FAN CONTEST WINNER ANNOUNCED FOR WAR OF THE WORLDS THE TRUE STORY FAN QUESTIONS POSTER CONTEST!
Congratulations Euan Kennedy for winning the WAR OF THE WORLDS THE TRUE STORY Facebook fan question poster contest. Out of hundreds of submissions Euan Kennedy's question was the favorite. Winning question and runner-ups below:

Winning question --
Q: I've heard that in WOTW: TTS, that your Martian is a animatronic rather than a CGI model. How big is it and does it work alot better than using a CGI model?


A: The Martian was a full scale animatronic creature, the same as Yoda and Jabba the Hut in the original Star Wars saga. Whereas there are advantages and disadvantages to either a CGI or practical on set approach, the movie makers chose to build the creature in the real world and perform it live on set. When the Martian first appears and stares directly at the viewers, it feels organic because it is actually an FX artist controlling how and what the Martian sees. The visceral connection of organic conscious recognition in the creature is there live. The large otherworld monster was created by FX visionary, Ultrakarl. The artist himself was actually inside the creature animatronically operating its body movements and eyes. A second puppeteer was also inside the Martian operating the V-shaped mouth and thick drool which was pumped in through hoses. Breathing bladders were built into the Martian’s skin and were each billowed by a separate artist. The tympanic ear on top the Martian’s head was a bladder that was performed by a flautist through tubing. Blood was also pumped out of the eardrum in a controlled way to simulate the Earth’s greater pressure on the Martian physiology. The creature excreted sweat out of pours placed in specific areas though intricate tubing. Glycerin was continually reapplied to the surface of the creature’s skin to enhance the sweating labor of its breath under the Earth’s denser pressure. Fierce looking bug-like hairs were carefully punched into the Martian skin and rippled with the movements of the creature’s breathing. The tentacles were individually puppeteered with an FX artist working each tentacle. The Martian was large and looks real in the movie because it is real.

Q: What scene took the longest to shoot and why?

A: The first Martian cylinder pit on Horsell Common. Live production took place in a 70 meter dried out lake bed. The location cleanly resembled a meteorite crater. The live action elements involved many period-clad extras, principle cast and took 4 and ½ weeks to film in sweltering heat. The Martian pit was also recreated in 1/6th scale miniature and filmed separately. For that, the cylinder was operated from within by... (more)

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