Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1544083
for its design. "When the Kalisk pushes down on the Super Power Loader to get at Tessa inside, this was heavily based on the behavior of bears trying to break into rubbish bins," shares Rapley. "But also the quieter moments. The Kalisk had to show a soer side as it be- gins to accept Dek, so the animation team had to show curiosity and concern in a face that was built to look quite fearsome." The Wētā animation team was also challenged with creating Dek's face, as audiences have now become familiar with the look of a Predator. "A Predator is a very challenging creature to create a per- formance for, as they essentially do not have lips," says Rapley. "They can't close their mouths as a human does, and they have some scary prominent mandibles and other alien features, so we had to use what we had to our advantage and keeping the mandibles, cheeks, and larynx 'alive' with subtle but deliberate movements that add- ed to the performance…It took a little bit to find Dek and what that performance would ultimately look like, but the subtleties were the most important thing, even when Dek is not speaking, to ensure that an audience believes that there is a real character existing there." Rapley says the sequence of Dek going toe-to-toe with the Super Power Loader was epic in scale and a huge task, yet very rewarding. "We started from a live-action base that eventually developed into an all-CGI shot in post production as the needs of the shot grew," says Rapley. "Honoring the live-action camera, we kept the Stea- dicam style," he adds. Stunt performers were captured on Wētā FX's motion-capture stage completing various actions, which were then stitched together to create a single Dek animation puppet. The asset then went to an animator for final posing adjustments, additional cinematography, and clean up. "Having every small moment read amongst the action was a massive challenge but also very rewarding," Rapley concludes. Editing David Trachtenberg, brother of director Dan Trachtenberg, was a co-editor on the film, working in collaboration with Stefan Grube. Unlike past films in the franchise, this Predator is the protagonist, and rather than playing straight-ahead with action and violence, the film adds a buddy-movie element, along with occasional spots of humor. Here, Trachtenberg and Grube share details on how the VFX- heavy film came together. Predator: Badlands is different from other films in the fran- chise's long history. How did director Dan Trachtenberg re- imagine it playing out in the cutting room? David Trachtenberg: "Dan wanted to make a buddy movie of sorts and present the Predator (Dek) as a hero, rather than a villain. Edito- rially, we focused on moments that painted him in that light. He still had to be badass, but not as a character you fear, but one that you can root for and bond with." Stefan Grube: "We were secretly making an action/adventure, as opposed to an action/horror movie—something different from any Predator film that came before. Fun, and sometimes funny. Because of that, the question of tone was something we talked about con- j a n u a r y • f e b r u a r y • m a r c h 2 0 2 6 c g w 7 Co-editor David Trachtenberg Co-editor Stefan Grube