Steven Spielberg was "very daunted" by using motion-capture technology in his new film The BFG.
The Academy Award-winning director has rarely shied away from a challenge during his career - from creating deadly sharks in Jaws to bringing dinosaurs back to life in Jurassic Park. But when it came to envisioning a giant for The BFG, Steven didn't know where to start.
"I don't usually get intimidated by technology," he told Reuters. "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."
Based on a novel by Roald Dahl, with a screenplay by the late Melissa Mathison, Walt Disney's The BFG tells the story of Sophie (Ruby Barnhill), an orphaned girl who meets the Big Friendly Giant (BFG), played by Oscar-winning actor Mark Rylance, as they embark on a mission in Giant Country. Unlike other giants, the BFG doesn't eat children, but instead collects and creates dreams to spread through the country.
Speaking about the movie, Mark said he was pleased the narrative remains close to the beloved book and was impressed with the convincing imagery used to create the BFG onscreen. "Every film of a book brings out a certain essential thing of the book," he explained in the Reuters interview. "In film you need experience and plot. So it's very faithful to the book, but it's a different creature than the book."
The BFG marks Steven's 30th feature film over a career spanning five decades. But the director sees no reason to slow down, and is returning to helm the fifth instalment of the Indiana Jones franchise with Harrison Ford, due for release in 2019. In spite of his continuing success, the 69-year-old finds it difficult to watch his own films.
"I get really flattered when people like my films but I can never see the films the way they can," he shared. "I am never going to enjoy my own output the way other people can."
The BFG hits U.S. theatres on 1 July and U.K. cinemas on 22 July (16).