The latest edition of the Watchmen Video Journals is upon us, which must mean it’s the 6th of the month (this is seriously getting to be how I tell the date lately). And this one, hosted at SciFi.com, is a doozy – it’s a look at how the character of Dr. Manhattan was brought to life. It also features what I believe to be some new footage, namely that of Rorschach talking to a 45 foot tall Manhattan in his lab.
What’s exciting about the creation of Manhattan is that he’s a cool mix of CGI and practical. Billy Crudup is giving a performance, like Andy Serkis in The Lord of the Rings, but his mocap suit is bedazzled with blue LED lights so that Manhattan actually illuminates people and objects around him with a blue glow. It’s this little innovation that will go a long way to making Manhattan seem to really be in the scene and not just a pixelated addition.