Watch How 'The Irishman' Used 'Goodfellas' to Make ILM's De-Aging Tech
Netflix reveals more behind-the-scenes secrets about the making of Martin Scorsese's latest Oscar-contender, The Irishman.
The Irishman was one of the most talked about and anticipated movies of 2019. For good reason.
Director Martin Scorsese reunited with Robert De Niro -- while the director worked with Al Pacino for the first time -- to deliver an unprecedented crime drama that spanned decades and chronicled a real-life mob hitman's rise and tragic plateau.
Fans and critics could not get enough of the Netflix release, with particular attention paid to Industrial Light & Magic's technological advancements employed to de-age its main cast. Recently, Cinephilia & Beyond posted on Twitter a short (but very insightful) look behind the scenes about how a key scene in Goodfellas helped bring Scorsese's new movie to life. Watch below:
What You Can Learn
While the final 2019 render, when compared next to the original 1990 movie, isn't exactly photo-real or a perfect comp, the end results are very close. The tech ILM developed to avoid the actors having to wear cumbersome mo-cap rigs or dots all over their faces and costumes marks a significant breakthrough in visual effects -- one that will obviously benefit future productions.
Moreover, it's further proof that filmmakers and actors are never really done or free from their work -- in a good way. Of all the scenes to revisit from Goodfellas for a test render, this one wouldn't top our lists but we see why ILM used it; it's clean and no frills and makes for a good comp.
And you can't ask for a better collaborator in this instance than De Niro, whose commitment to The Irishman compelled him to re-enact a scene he filmed 30 years ago to help shape the scenes he would film three decades later.
