One of the things that might get overlooked as audience members sit down for The Flash is the fact that Ezra Miller is giving two completely different performances as Barry Allen in the time-traveling thriller. As you can tell from the trailers that have played before The Flash opens this weekend, Barry Allen manages to travel back through time, where he runs into a younger version of himself. And Miller played both iterations of the classic DC hero, only, they filmed their performances months apart. Which is remarkable, when you watch the comedic timing between the two Barrys, the unique way that they interact in fight sequences, and just the way the characters play off of each other throughout the story.
The effect is seamless. And we understood how difficult it must have been to pull off during production. So when we got the chance to sit down with The Flash director Andy Muschietti and his producer/sister Barbara Muschietti, we asked if the root of the chemistry between the two Ezra Miller performances was captured on the set, or in the edit. And Andy explained to us:
(It’s) challenging, of course, like you said. But a lot of fun. For an actor, it’s an extra fun challenge. Not many people can do it, and Ezra did an incredible job. … That’s one of the things that I discovered, when we started working with Ezra, was that they are not just an extraordinary actor, but an exceptional comedian.
It was only when we got Andy Muschietti as a guest on the ReelBlend podcast that he had the time to elaborate even further on the process of creating dual Barrys. It was amusing for Muschietti to call out an old Michael Keaton movie, Multiplicity, as Keaton is a major part of The Flash, returning to his role as Batman.
Getting far more technical, Andy Muschietti explained to ReelBlend:
Eventually we found this technology called Volume Capture, which is basically a scanning of a performance. So it's 100 cameras pointed at the actor. It's a photorealistic depiction of the performance. And it creates a CG asset, that you can then locate, of the actual performance. So it's both hyperrealistic – because it's actually a hundred movie cameras – but it becomes a digital asset that then you can locate, you can just position in whatever that other actor (is doing).
But it wasn’t something as simple as layering two performances next to each other. Barbara Muschietti went on to elaborate:
We would have Ezra playing either Young Barry or Original Barry. That would be decided depending on what character had the most dramatic turn in the scene. So Ezra would play that. And then we had the wonderful Ed Wade, who was a body replica of Ezra's measurements, basically, and also an amazing physical performer. … Ed would play the other Barry. That was decided every day, depending on what was the heavier performance. And then, once that scene was edited, Ezra would come into the volume capture weeks later, even months later, and play the other side.
That’s insane. According to the Muschiettis, the volume capture footage was so detailed, thanks to 360-degree cameras worn on Ed Wade’s head, that Ezra Miller could SEE their earlier performance reflected back at them, allowing themselves the chance to literally play off of themselves. Or be two Barrys. Hollywood is amazing.
I hope that answers one of your questions with regards to The Flash. We also have discussed whether or not the new movie honors the SnyderVerse, and also where it fits into the grand scheme of the upcoming DC movies… many of which will change once James Gunn implements his growing content plan.
