A fully digital Predator’s face and mandibles
In this special issue #46, Befores and Afters provides detailed behind-the-scenes on the Predator character and repots that one of the most notable departures from previous Predator films was the decision to create Dek’s facial performance—especially the iconic mandibles—entirely in CG. Traditionally achieved with animatronics and prosthetics, the new approach allowed for far greater emotional nuance. Dek was realized as a hybrid character, combining a practical suit with a CG face.
According to Kathy Siegel, this creative leap required unprecedented collaboration:
The result, I think, is really exciting; it’s a creWe had an unprecedented level of conversation among vendors on this. All of our crews at our vendors were fantastic and super helpful. We had really open communication between how Wētā FX would be doing their textures, how they were using their layers, et cetera—and really unprecedented sharing among vendorsature that when you see it, it rhymes with what you’ve seen before, but it respects the work of Ben Wootten and John Howe in not just copying it. It takes it in a new direction, and (Industrial Light & Magic) has done that as well.
This open exchange extended to animation teams across studios, helping establish a consistent and expressive approach to Dek’s digital mandibles.
Thia: Limb Removal, Mechanics, and Storytelling
Another major focus of the issue is Thia’s missing lower limbs, a defining visual and narrative element of the film. Rather than relying on simple paint-outs, the VFX teams treated Thia as a fully mechanical character, complete with subtle internal motion.
We did more than just erase the blue and paint in what’s behind it. I think the movement of her 'mechanics'—which is what we came to call them—and the fact that they have this subtle movement up and down and back and forth to show that they were part of a larger whole and that they move in a familiar way as we imagine our own hips and spine moving. I think that does sell the effects.
Multiple vendors, including The Yard, contributed to Thia’s shots throughout the film. Befores and Afters also reported that The Yard delivered a key early moment in which Thia attempts to reattach her legs using a healing medical device. That sequence had a lasting creative impact on the film. As Siegel notes:
Dan [Trachtenberg] really fell in love with that early on and it inspired another sequence in the film. It inspired the alter scene where Tessa is being repaired by Weyland-Yutani.
Creatures, Concepts, and a Hostile Ecosystem
Befores and Afters also dedicates a substantial section to the film’s alien wildlife, including the terrifying and nearly “unkillable” Kalisk. From previs to final animation, the special issue traces the evolution of numerous creatures and environments: Elephant Trees, Vultures, Bud, Bone Bison, and Squirts, among others.
At The Yard, we were especially pleased to see a creature concept by Frederic Perrin (Freedlew) of The Yard featured for one of the creatures appearing in the film’s opening, highlighting The Yard’s involvement at the earliest stages of creature development.
