New PAC RIM featurette: “Oversized Robot Set”

“I invented a torture machine.” – Guillermo Del Toro

Warner Bros. has posted a new Pacific Rim featurette with a behind-the-scenes look at the “Robot Set” – a massive Jaeger “head” built on a moving platform.

DelToroFilms was fortunate enough to see this set first-hand and it was quite a sight:  it was literally a sliced open Jaeger head on a hydraulic platform.  An engineer controlled the hydraulics with a joystick, and when the actors weren’t getting shaken about, they had to coordinate their movements with the Jaeger. For example, as the “pilots” take a step, the set had to move in sync with that step to give it a realistic movement of a giant robot lunging its leg forward.

It gives you a great appreciation for the work done behind the camera. And if you were in the room as they filmed, it gave you chills – it was the next best thing to seeing a real Jaeger.

Enjoy the clip.