Freedom fighting doesn't come easy. And it's no easier for the guys trying to film it, either.
While Elysium's main character, former car thief-turned-revolutionary Max Da Costa (Matt Damon), battles for the underdog in a corrupt system of haves-vs-have-nots struggling to survive on a ravaged future Earth, Elysium director Neill Blomkamp had an equally Herculean feat: translating the widescreen scope of that epic battle to film.
Thankfully, Blomkamp had a pretty innovative production team behind him grappling with some major filmmaking challenges — like how to realistically shoot Da Costa's guerrilla war against futuristic space craft just feet off the hard ground of Earth.
In this exclusive preview from the upcoming Blu-ray/DVD release of Elysium, the film's visual effects supervisor Peter Muyzers explains how modern-day helicopters — and some precision piloting — helped bring futuristic spaceships to life with gritty realism.
Elysium debuts on Blu-ray and DVD in Australia Dec. 12.