LOS ANGELES — Steven Spielberg has rarely shied away from a challenge — from deadly sharks in Jaws to resurrecting vicious dinosaurs in Jurassic Park — but when it came to creating a giant for The BFG, his
latest film, the veteran director found the prospect “very daunting”.
“I don’t usually get intimidated by technology,” Mr Spielberg told Reuters TV.
“I usually try and be at the forefront of technology, but this time I was in the wake of it. It took me a couple of weeks to get my sea legs to really realise how I could best utilise the medium of motion capture.”
The BFG tells the story of Sophie, an orphaned girl who encounters the Big Friendly Giant (BFG), voiced by Oscar-winning British actor Mark Rylance and brought to life using motion-capture animation.
The title character, based on British author Roald Dahl’s book of the same name, is no ordinary giant. Unlike his fellow giants, he doesn’t eat children; and instead collects and creates dreams to spread through the country under the cover of night.
“Every film of a book brings out a certain essential thing of the book,” Mr Rylance said. “In film, you need experience and plot. So it’s very faithful to the book, but it’s a different creature than the book.”
When Sophie, played by newcomer Ruby Barnhill, sees the BFG one night, he takes her back to his home in the land of giants out of fear that she might give away his secret.
The plucky girl quickly becomes a friend and confidante to help the kind, gentle giant from being bullied by his larger, uncultured brethren.
The BFG marks the 30th feature film by the 69-year-old Spielberg, who has won three Oscars over a career spanning five decades that includes Indiana Jones, Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan.
Spielberg will be returning for the fifth instalment of Indiana Jones with its star, Harrison Ford, due for release in 2019.
“I get really flattered when people like my films but I can never see the films the way they can,” he said. “I am never going to enjoy my own output the way other people can.” REUTERS