The Netflix series Stranger Things has featured a lot of memorable scenes and imagery. The image of the "black void," for instance, is one of those memorable images and each scene set in the location is striking to look at. Now, YouTube channel InCamera has posted a video recreating this black void with practical effects.
InCamera is a channel that posts practical effects videos, recreating scenes and effects without CGI. In this video, they focus on recreating the black void made famous by Stranger Things without CGI. Although they make a point of paying tribute to the similar imagery that had been used years earlier in the 2013 film Under The Skin, the InCamera team are specifically recreating the ripple surface effect seen in the Stranger Things version.
In the video, they recreate the black void in a warehouse that has enough space for them to achieve the effect. The fifteen-minute video goes into detail about how tools such as lights, water, and blackout drapes can be used to create an illusion of a black void on camera. The team makes sure to use the utmost safety precautions, as using water and electrical cables and lights in the same space can be very dangerous.
Even though the video has not been up for long, it has already caught the attention of William Davis, who was the art director for the first season of Stranger Things. The art director left a comment on the video detailing the challenges actress Millie Bobby Brown faced while working on the real set, saying, "You guys nailed this. The one thing you are missing is that it was freezing cold on stage the day we shot this and Millie was a real trooper splashing around in the cold water. SFX tried to heat it, but it was too shallow to retain any heat."
Stranger Things has been one of the most popular and critically acclaimed Netflix original series since it premiered in 2016. The fourth season of the show is currently in production, having been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, executive producer Shawn Levy noted that despite the delayed release date for the fourth season, the series may have benefited from the postponed production schedule because it granted the writers more time to revise the scripts.
Stars of Stranger Things claim the new season will be the biggest and scariest yet, but little else is known about the storyline of the upcoming chapter. However, David Harbour's return as Chief Hopper has been confirmed, though there was little doubt among fans of the series. The character had been shown sacrificing himself to save the citizens of Hawkins, Indiana, at the end of the third season, but a teaser for the fourth season revealed Hopper survived and had somehow ended up in Russia.
Stranger Things is now available on Netflix.
Source: InCamera | YouTube