In today’s world of sophisticated technology and visual effects, one might think that creating large-scale action movies like Superman would be a breeze for filmmakers. However, even with all the advanced tools at their disposal, they can still encounter real-life challenges. Recently, Guy Williams, Visual Effects Supervisor for the Superman movie, discussed one such issue during an episode of the ComicBook Nation podcast. Interestingly, a common household item played a crucial role in helping the VFX team make Superman’s escape from Lex Luthor’s Pocket Universe look convincing on screen. In the film, Superman manages to push through Kryptonite poisoning and fight off Lex’s persistent Raptor guards, all while holding Metamorpho’s infant son Joey, to successfully exit the villain’s disturbing alternate dimension.
The story reaches its pulse-pounding peak as Superman finds himself caught in a torrent of anti-protons, heading towards a black hole in the Mini-Universe. With support from Mr. Terrific, Metamorpho, Krypto, and his powerful breath, Superman miraculously avoids being swallowed by the black hole. In the nick of time, he returns to the portal, ensuring that Joey remains intact and is safely delivered to his father. Williams reveals the behind-the-scenes secrets on how they achieved that impressive cinematic feat in the movie.
Superman Crew Created a Massive Ball Pit to Stand in for Lex’s Anti-Proton River
In an exciting turn, Williams and his Weta FX visual effects team faced a distinctive challenge while working on the film ‘Superman’. Their task was to synchronize the river’s flow perfectly, so they could record the live-action scenes featuring David Corenswet and other actors portraying the Raptors. Once they had this footage, they would then add visual effects to complete the scene.
Williams explained that it was quite challenging. They attempted to create an enclosed water feature where one could be submerged without getting wet by covering a water pool with a sheet. However, it proved too difficult due to the high resistance. They also experimented with a regular ball pit, but the noise from the balls was excessive and they became compacted easily, making it problematic. The issue wasn’t with the ball pit itself, but rather with the balls.
The role of the deodorant here is similar to how the Superman production team decided on balls approximately an inch in size for the special effect they wanted to create. This was necessary to achieve the correct movement and glow, mimicking the anti-proton stream.
As it turns out, those spheres are the same ones found in a deodorant roll-on [stick]. They collaborated with the manufacturer of these products and purchased approximately 700,000 of these balls. Afterward, they filled an enormous ball pit to the brim with them, and it proved to be quite effective!
You can watch the interview segment with Guy Williams below!
The Deodorant Ball Pit Saved Superman‘s Cast & Crew (and the Audience)
Previously collaborating with Gunn on “The Guardians of the Galaxy” movies and “The Suicide Squad”, Williams stated that after locating a suitable replacement for the anti-proton river’s blocks, the scene was an enjoyable experience to film.
During each break between filming, everyone would casually toss a few balls back into the hole since those balls kept falling out regularly due to the natural wear and tear in their work. This unusual yet common issue could be seen as an unconventional part of their job.
In the movie “Superman,” Williams emphasized that finding a suitable stand-in for the anti-proton river required constant focus on establishing an ideal setting where actors could deliver their best performances.
Williams explained that acting in front of these glowing metal blocks, which have no real-world equivalent, allowed the actors to practice their performances and gain a sense of what they were interacting with. To achieve this, they’re trying to find an approximation that is as close as possible so they can then enhance it using visual effects.
It was disclosed that although Weta’s crew synchronized their actions with David Corenswet’s movements during post-production, his entire physical form was digitally transformed into CGI, aiming to create a more authentic sense of Superman battling in the river for the audience.
In my perspective as a film critic, I’d say: “I strive to ensure every scene and plot point seamlessly blends, creating an integrated whole. The viewers aren’t burdened with puzzles; instead, they can simply immerse themselves in the visual spectacle.
Check out Comicbook’s complete interview with Guy Williams discussing Superman’s visual effects, which is currently showing in theaters and IMAX.
https://open.spotify.com/watch?v=episode/2Y7k7UhNCv9nG5bZq8LZB6
Superman is now playing in theaters everywhere.
https://comicbook.com/movies/news/dcu-superman-yeti-snowmen-cut-scene-explained/embed/#
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2025-08-08 22:21