Summary
- YouTuber William H Baker impressively recreates Oppenheimer’s nuclear explosion effects using glitter, water, and chemical mixtures.
- Baker’s recreation closely mirrors the practical effects used by Christopher Nolan and his VFX team in Oppenheimer.
- The success of Baker’s efforts highlights the potential of practical effects and the importance of time and effort in achieving stunning visuals.
YouTuber William H Baker recreates Oppenheimer‘s widely discussed nuclear explosion effects with impressive accuracy. Christopher Nolan’s latest production featured an all-star cast including Cillian Muphy, Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., and many more as key figures surrounding the Manhattan Project. Murphy starred as the titular J. Robert Oppenheimer, the physicist who directed the project’s laboratory and played a pivotal role in constructing the first nuclear bomb during World War II.
While Oppenheimer continues to dominate theaters, one YouTuber has taken it upon themselves to bring the film’s spectacle home by recreating the effects used to visualize the deadly atomic blast.
After carefully combing through the trailer for hints about how Nolan created Oppenheimer‘s chemical reactions and blast effect visuals, Baker used a combination of glitter, water, long-exposure photography, chemical mixtures, and an elaborate sphere to replicate the shots. The result is an impressive recreation of some of Oppenheimer‘s most visually distinct moments.
How Close Did William H Baker Come To Oppenheimer’s Shots?
Following the announcement of Oppenheimer, there was much interest in how Nolan would recreate the scientific tests. Across his career, Nolan has built a reputation for relying heavily on practical effects where he can, whether they were rotating hallways as characters fight through them in Inception, or capturing high-flying World War II dogfights in IMAX via risky camera setups in Dunkirk. With nuclear testing featured heavily in Oppenheimer, it wasn’t entirely clear how he could pull that off practically.
Oppenheimer‘s VFX team conducted numerous real-life scientific tests to prove what physical means could be used to create distinct visuals. The methods utilized were not too removed from what Baker and friends used in their own recreations of the shots, most notably with the glowing sphere and the use of small particles in water representing the explosive chemical processes. While some VFX was ultimately used, Nolan and his team’s techniques were largely practical.
As Oppenheimer‘s exploration of a harrowing, world-changing moment has captured cinemagoers, many may be just as amazed with Baker’s efforts. Using just research and accessible items, the YouTuber and his team have dedicated themselves to following in Nolan’s creative footsteps to capture their own stunning visuals. With Baker’s effects being incredibly similar to Nolan’s in both method and final shots, it’s clear that incredible things can be accomplished with practical effects if creative teams are willing to put in the time and effort.
Source: William H Baker
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