Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘Remarkably Bright Creatures‘ follows Tova, a woman who works as a janitor at an aquarium. While she doesn’t need the job, it gives her the purpose to continue with her life, despite the many tragedies she has faced. Apart from looking forward to the work, which she takes very seriously, she also enjoys the company of the many creatures in the aquarium. She is particularly attached to an octopus named Marcellus, and unbeknownst to her, he sees her as a friend too. The story is told from the point of view of Marcellus, a keen observer. He also proves to be a great friend to Tova by helping her find answers to a question that has haunted her for 30 years. Thus, he is a key player in the story, and presenting him in a realistic manner was a major goal for the filmmakers. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Marcellus the Octopus was Modelled on a Real Octopus
Because Marcellus is such an important part of the story, director Olivia Newman wanted him to appear as realistic as possible. She knew that if he did not appear as a real creature to the audience, the crucial emotional element would be lost from the story, as viewers would not be able to relate to him as they do to humans. She also didn’t want to use green screens, as keeping the locations grounded and real was important to the story. The film’s director and co-writer wanted the octopus to appear in real locations, inside the aquarium or outside, to make the viewing experience more realistic and immersive. While she wished they could use a real octopus, it became clear pretty early on that octopuses are too smart and stubborn to be trained like that. So, she had to opt for the next best thing.
Because Marcellus would have to be created using CGI, Newman made it clear to the VFX team that every single motion of the creature needed to replicate the movements of a real octopus. For this, the team spent months studying a real Giant Pacific Octopus named Agnetha in the Vancouver Aquarium, who also has a cameo at the end of the movie. The team filmed her from all possible angles, studying her behavior, her movements, even the way she eats to know what every action looks like. While creating a CGI Marcellus, the team had real-life footage of an octopus, be it Agnetha or some other footage they found online or otherwise, to replicate those movements with precision.
A Mixture of CGI and Real Puppets Brought Marcellus to Life
Apart from studying real octopuses, the director knew that they also needed to know where Marcellus would be in every scene, or at least his general location or direction of movement, to create proper blocking. Several puppets were built in the exact shape and size of Marcellus. This helped the actors know how to imagine Marcellus while filming, especially when they have to touch or handle the octopus. For the scenes where Sally Field’s character picks up Marcellus, the team built a malleable puppet, weighing similar to a real octopus, so the actress would have a more realistic reaction of holding and moving him.
The puppets also helped the cinematographer figure out how to work the lighting in the scenes and how to shoot the actors in reference to the octopus’s point of view. Having a physical replica of the CGI octopus gave them more space to experiment with locations and movements. A real tank was created to build Marcellus’ home, which he calls a cage, and the puppet was placed inside it to get a proper reference of where Marcellus would be in the scene. The rest of the magic would be worked in with CGI.
Another thing that Newman liked about working with CGI was that it gave them more freedom to express Marcellus’ moods based on his colors and textures. Because octopuses are known for camouflage, Marcellus’ color changes several times depending on his location and his moods. The VFX team was able to portray these changes realistically, allowing the audience to be more attuned with his moods. All these things made Marcellus feel real, allowing the audience to get attached to him and even root for his freedom.
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