Fast facts on the Galaxy
Fans of the blockbuster “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2” are never just content to watch the franchise on the big screen. They also like to ferret out the additional details in the music, the props and what goes on behind the scenes. Just for them, then, are these fun facts about the movie.
Director James Gunn wanted the film to have a feel reminiscent of early pulp novels from the 1950s and 1960s. He looked to vintage Wally Wood art and both the original and the 1980s “Flash Gordon.”
One of the treats for the audience this time around is that they will get to see a much more expanded Ravager universe, which includes their ship, the Eclector. The Eclector set is the biggest set and is 100 per cent practical, with a 360-degree view in any direction. The set was built so that different sections have the ability to detach, reconfigure and become another part of the Eclector. Filmmakers can reuse the different pieces like a giant jigsaw puzzle to create different versions of the ship.
One of the biggest breakthroughs on the film was Drax’s makeup process. On the first film Drax’s makeup took an average of about three-and-a-half hours to do. With the new and improved process, the makeup team was able to get the time in the chair for actor Dave Bautista down to one hour and eighteen minutes. The new prosthetic allows Bautista’s muscles and definition to be seen through it. The team also developed a new method of getting the makeup off, which required Bautista to go into a sauna-type machine.
Sean Gunn, the director’s brother, who plays Kraglin, pulled double duty by playing Rocket on set. Gunn gave Rocket life in both “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” through movement and expression that was motion-captured for the CGI character, voiced by Bradley Cooper.
Music plays just as an important part in “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2” as it did in the first movie. Director Gunn put all of the songs into the script when he was writing it, and each song is very specific to the scene where it is placed. For the filmmakers, the songs are an integral part of the storytelling.
Gunn played many of the actual songs from the film while scenes were being shot. Actors wore earbuds so that they could hear the music during their performances. It is a process that the actors have come to embrace and enjoy, since hearing the music helps to get them in the right place to evoke emotion and drama in the scene.
Gunn and composer Tyler Bates worked on the score during pre-production so that they would have some of the major score themes worked out before the shoot began. This allowed Gunn, the actors and the camera crews to work with the music that will end up being used in the final film. Gunn learned this method from Sergio Leone and his composer, Ennio Morricone.
One of the challenges was shooting Baby Groot. Standing at only 25 cm high, the little character had to be framed in the shot with tall actors like Dave Bautista and Chris Pratt. For photographic purposes, the filmmakers used the original maquette to show how Baby Groot fits in the scene. Then it was up to director of photography Henry Braham and Gunn to figure out the camera placement to capture the smallness of Baby Groot in relation to the towering human characters.
In a scene early on in the movie, viewers will notice home-made speakers that were made to look like the Guardians put them together. As simple as it looks, it actually took drawings of about 300 different styles of speakers in 45 different colours to finally get to the speaker used in the movie. And then they had to construct 15 sets of them!
A vehicle in the film sure to be a hit with fans is the 1979 Ford Cobra. Gunn, a big muscle-car aficionado, chose it as the automobile Peter Quill’s dad, Ego, drives at the very beginning of the movie. The car is painted teal and orange just like the Milano, Peter Quill’s space ship, which is also orange and teal. Apparently, those are the Quill family colours!
Casting the Ravagers was fun for Gunn as he had the opportunity to work with some of his best friends. In addition to his brother Sean, and Michael Rooker, who plays Yondu, Gunn’s buddies include comedian Steve Agee playing Gef the Ravager; Stephen Blackehart, who plays Brahl, Retch played by Evan Jones; and Halfnut played by Jimmy Urine, the lead singer for the band Mindless Self Indulgence.
And last but not least Gunn’s dog has a cameo. Again.
