The world of filmmaking isn’t a cheap one. In order to make something look good, there’s often a lot of cash that gets thrown around production design and costumes — and that’s not even to mention the cost that goes into the camera equipment, lighting, crew, food, and everything else in between. As far as hobbies go, you could definitely start off with a cheaper one if you want to scratch that creative itch.
On that note, let’s look at a super expensive film and judge it for its costs. Earlier today, there was a report that came out that claimed the full superhero costume for Shazam, portrayed in the film Shazam! by Zachary Levi cost a pretty penny to actually come to life. But how accurate is this number? Well, director David F. Sandberg reached out on Reddit, and later Twitter to clarify the subject, but the simple answer is he never saw the figure…but he wouldn’t rule out that $10 million cost.
Here’s what he said:
“I never saw the price tag so I don’t know the exact number. Wouldn’t surprise me though. The Thing is that it’s not the price tag for one suit. In developing a suit like this you basically have ot build it several times over to get things right. Like there were many different bolts made. Ones with different bolt shapes, ones with different ways of lighting up, etc. There were different versions of the fabric made in different shades, different patterns, and so on and different version had to be camera tested.
And once you nail down the design, the material and all other details you then have to make multiples and ones for stunts etc. Even during shooting you have to do upgrades. Like some of you have seen in early pics the boots were originally very different but those were falling apart and had to be redesigned. The internal wiring to light up the bolt and gauntlets turned out to be too thin and would break so that had to be updated with a new system and so on. The early gauntlets restricted Zac’s hand movement too much.
So it’s not like it’s one million dollars in material, or that making one of these would cost that much. It’s the whole process and making multiple copies and versions.
In regards to questions about what Shazam’s suit cost, short answer is I don’t actually know the final number. Longer answer that explains why these things are expensive, see my comment on reddit: pic.twitter.com/QfQIYkxKTa
— David F. Sandberg (@ponysmasher) January 17, 2019
RELATED – Shazam! – The Film’s Costume Designer Says Zachary Levi’s Suit Wasn’t Cheap To Produce
Sandberg then went on to address criticisms that cosplayers make their work for much less.
“I saw people being confused about how cosplayers can build such impressive things with little money. It’s kind of like with cameras. A cheap camera can get you a pretty professional image but only professional cameras will withstand the abuse and workflow of a movie set.”
“And cosplayer don’t start from scratch. They build something that’s already been designed.”
https://twitter.com/ponysmasher/status/1086000801049235456
What do you think of Sandberg’s comments? Make sense to you? Let us know your thoughts down below!
Don’t forget to share this post on your Facebook wall and with your Twitter followers! Just hit the buttons on the top of this page.
SOURCES: David F. Sandberg