Werewolves in art and media
Famous Werewolves
1935: Werewolf of London
The transformation of actor Henry Hull occurred in two cuts: As the actor walked behind pillars, he emerged in stages of werewolf makeup.
1941: The Wolf Man
Actor Lon Chaney Jr. transforms in a dissolve. Filmmakers traced Chaney's outline on glass panes affixed to three cameras and used the outlines to reposition the actor for another shot after he returned from makeup.
1981: An American Werewolf in London
To pull off actor David Naughton's transformation, makeup artist Rick Baker built prop hands and feet. A mechanism inside the props distorted them into different shapes.
2003: Underworld
These Lycans are men in rubber suits with animatronic faces. For the transformation, filmmakers shot actors on green screen, then an actor in a werewolf suit on green screen; VFX artists morphed one image into another.
2009: New Moon
VFX artists devised a computer program that would allow a 1200-pound wolf to pop out of a 160-pound man. Filmmakers scanned 3D models of the actors, then put those models in the system. The wolves are entirely digital.
2010: The Wolfman
Though the final wolfman is a human in wolf makeup, director Joe Johnston used CG for the transformation. "It's an issue of flexibility," he says. "If you use CG, you can change your mind."
1935: Werewolf of London
The transformation of actor Henry Hull occurred in two cuts: As the actor walked behind pillars, he emerged in stages of werewolf makeup.
1941: The Wolf Man
Actor Lon Chaney Jr. transforms in a dissolve. Filmmakers traced Chaney's outline on glass panes affixed to three cameras and used the outlines to reposition the actor for another shot after he returned from makeup.
1981: An American Werewolf in London
To pull off actor David Naughton's transformation, makeup artist Rick Baker built prop hands and feet. A mechanism inside the props distorted them into different shapes.
2003: Underworld
These Lycans are men in rubber suits with animatronic faces. For the transformation, filmmakers shot actors on green screen, then an actor in a werewolf suit on green screen; VFX artists morphed one image into another.
2009: New Moon
VFX artists devised a computer program that would allow a 1200-pound wolf to pop out of a 160-pound man. Filmmakers scanned 3D models of the actors, then put those models in the system. The wolves are entirely digital.
2010: The Wolfman
Though the final wolfman is a human in wolf makeup, director Joe Johnston used CG for the transformation. "It's an issue of flexibility," he says. "If you use CG, you can change your mind."