It will come as no surprise to anyone that Stranger Things 5 required a lot of VFX work, but fans have been surprised to see just how much CGI was used in scenes that they thought looked highly realistic.
Industrial Light & Magic, the visual effects studio founded by George Lucas, has released a series of 'Behind the Magic' breakdowns showing some of their work on the hit Netflix series. As some fans have commented on the videos, the VFX sometimes feel like the Upside Down itself. “When we think it's CGI, it's not CGI. When we think it's practical FX, it's not practical FX,” one fan writes.
That goop in the melting room, for example? That's CGI (also see our pick of the best CGI movie moments).
As usual, ILM isn't giving much away in its short behind-the-scenes videos. There's no narration or explanation of how it created the visuals for the different scenes. However, it does peel back the layers of effects to give an insight into how much digital work was involved.
ILM's also posted Stranger Things 5 VFX teardowns focusing on the work it did on the demogorgons, the monster flesh wall and exotic matter, the unstable energy source holding the Upside Down open (see below).
For more visual effects inspiration, check out our interview about the Naked Gun VFX
and our roundup of resources for VFX artists.
