Entertainment

Behind-the-scenes photos show how the 'Barbie' travel montages came together without the use of CGI

Libby Torres

2023-07-25T21:32:28Z

A composite image showing Barbie and Ken driving a pink convertible through the desert next to a large conveyor belt under the car with a boom mic above. — Greta Gerwig, the director of "Barbie," relied on practical effects for transportation scenes between Barbie Land and the Real World. Warner Bros.

Greta Gerwig, the director of "Barbie," spoke about practical effects in a behind-the-scenes video.
The director said she didn't use CGI for scenes involving travel from Barbie Land to the real world.
"It was the most satisfying thing to watch," Gerwig said of shooting the scenes without CGI.

Fans of the new "Barbie" film have likely noticed that some scenes showing the characters traveling from Barbie Land to the Real World don't appear to be shot using CGI.

In a behind-the-scenes video recently shared to the film's Twitter account, Greta Gerwig, the film's director, as well as various other cast and crew members, spoke about the practical effects used in some of the transportation sequences.

—Barbie Movie (@barbiethemovie) July 23, 2023

Here's how some of the film's most iconic sequences came together without using digital effects.

Barbie and Ken driving across the desert in a slightly undersized pink convertible is one of the film's most iconic shots.

A scene from "Barbie" where Barbie and Ken are driving across a desert in a pink convertible. — A scene from "Barbie" where Barbie and Ken drive across the desert in a pink convertible. Warner Bros.

"The transition between Barbie Land and the Real World is a series of transportation vehicles that get us there," Margot Robbie, who stars as Barbie, said in the clip. "Kind of like in this 2D, endless tracking shot."

But the behind-the-scenes video shows that the car's "motion" was actually created by moving the background and foreground while the car stayed still.

A behind-the-scenes view of the driving scene from the "Barbie" movie, where a large conveyor belt can be seen below the stage. — A behind-the-scenes view of the driving scene from the "Barbie" movie. Warner Bros.

The car in the scene wasn't actually driving. Instead, background and foreground scenery was pulled by crew members using conveyor belts to create a sense of motion, much like techniques used in vintage films and stage plays.

"We looked at theatrical methods of making things work," the production designer Sarah Greenwood said in the video.

Gerwig opted for an artificially-staged look in the space scenes.

A scene from "Barbie" where Barbie and friends are sitting on a rocket while traveling through space. — A scene from "Barbie" where Barbie and her human friends travel through space. Warner Bros.

"I settled on wanting it to look like a diorama in the Natural History Museum," Gerwig said in the clip. "Each box contains a scene, and I wanted them to sort of move through that scene and come out, and then move through the next scene."

Similar to the driving scene, crew members operated conveyor belts with scenery on them for Barbie's journey through space.

A behind-the-scenes still showing cameras filming the cast of "Barbie" while they ride on top of a rocket on a space-themed set. — A behind-the-scenes still showing how the space scene was shot in "Barbie." Warner Bros.

Gerwig's dedication to the diorama look meant that planets in the space scene were held up by invisible wires and clouds were moved using conveyor belts.

The conveyor-belt technique was also used for scenes in which Barbie, Ken, and later a group of Mattel executives cycled through a field of flowers.

A scene from "Barbie" where Barbie and Ken are cycling through a field of tulips with a windmill in the background. — A scene from "Barbie" where Barbie and Ken cycle through a field of tulips. Warner Bros.

At first glance, it appears as though the characters are biking through the tulips.

Behind-the-scenes footage shows how the tulips were pulled to create a sense of movement.

A behind-the-scenes still showing a set where Mattel executives are riding a bike while set workers move the scenery around them. — A behind-the-scenes still showing how a scene involving Mattel employees biking through a field of flowers was made. Warner Bros.

"None of it's CGI. It's just presentational, as if you were watching a play," Will Ferrell, who plays the CEO of Mattel in the film, said in the video.

Clever effects were key to recreating the shimmer of the ocean in the speedboat scene.

A scene from "Barbie" where Barbie and Ken are driving a speedboat across the ocean while a seagull flies above them. — A scene from "Barbie" where Barbie and Ken drive a speedboat across the ocean. Warner Bros.

"It's all very flat and 2D, so you might have a boat that's moving while the water's moving, and that's literally like our crew members pulling a rope," Robbie said in the video. "And putting little bits of cellophane on the water to make it look like it's twinkling like water."

Gerwig said she wanted to "paint in big, beautiful broad strokes" while building Barbie's "crazy world."

A behind-the-scenes still showing an aquatic-themed set where Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling are sitting on a boat while set workers film them from the side. — A behind-the-scenes still showing how an aquatic scene was filmed in "Barbie." Warner Bros.

"Barbie" is currently playing in theaters. You can watch the trailer below.

Movie Barbie Margot Robbie