The Morning Watch: 'Alita: Battle Angel' VFX Breakdown, The Broken Formula Of Music Biopics & More
The Morning Watch is a recurring feature that highlights a handful of noteworthy videos from around the web. They could be video essays, fanmade productions, featurettes, short films, hilarious sketches, or just anything that has to do with our favorite movies and TV shows.
In this edition, see how the visual effects of Alita: Battle Angel came together to create the titular cyborg character. Plus, a video essay explores how music biopics have become stale because they keep adhering to the same formula, and you can get hours of relaxation from Big Mouth in the form of a bubble bath loop featuring the soothing voice of Maya Rudolph.
First up, CG Record explains how the visual effects and motion capture technology used for Alita: Battle Angel turned Rosa Salazar into a cyborg girl while still keeping the authenticity of her performance. It's a fascinating glimpse at how the film is shot on set and how the final shot uses the footage as much more than a frame of reference.
Next, the reliable and observant Patrick (H) Willems is back with a new video essay, this time tackling the broken formula of music biopics. The video essay is inspired by the surprising amount of praise being thrown at such a generic piece of filmmaking as Bohemian Rhapsody, and it breaks down how the movie doesn't do anything that hasn't been done before.
Finally, Netflix has delivered exactly what Big Mouth fans have been waiting for, and they didn't even know they needed it. It's a five our loop of the Hormone Monstress, voiced by Maya Rudolph, saying "bubble bath" while video footage of a variety of different relaxing bubble baths play in the background. Play it at your next party and enjoy the results.