CULTURE
HOW TO MAKE A ROBOT
IMAGE CREDIT: DED SALSBURY / SPECTRAL MOTION
The builder of Lost in Space’s Robot, Mike Elizalde of Spectral Motion, shows us how it’s done. BY ALEC BOJALAD YES, THE CREATOR OF Netflix’s Lost in Space Robot knows you think it’s sexy. “I think it’s great,” says Mike Elizalde of Spectral Motion, a creature and effects studio. “The aesthetic of the Robot is visually very beautiful and elegant. I think the performance combined with the visual really struck a chord with audiences.” Spectral Motion’s work on two Netflix shows have made waves recently. They brought the Stranger Things demogorgon to life. Then came Lost in Space season one where the team realized the show’s vision of its own Robot. Gathered here are some behind the scenes photo of how a Robot gets made– just in case you want to create your own killer robot to play catch with.
“We had been tasked with creating the Robot, suggesting a performer, building the suit, and creating a protocol for maintenance and performance. Once that is done, the on-set duties are taken care of by the crew. We definitely had a great performer, Brian Steele, who we’ve collaborated with many times in the past.” “I grew up watching the [original Lost in Space]. The Robot was such a pillar of that storyline. I was concerned that if you changed it too much from that look or that design that maybe the audience wouldn’t embrace it. Netflix wisely chose to make the departure because the audience for that show isn’t old people like me who want to see their old friend, The Robot. It’s a whole new audience.” “The idea behind the Robot is that it’s alien technology that we don’t know that much about. You still want it to be relatable, though. Especially for Will Robinson, since they have such a close relationship in the show. Then we took that and adapted it to a human body and to practical systems and how we could translate it to the scenes.”
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