This article takes you behind the scenes, revealing the backstory and the meticulous work and creativity involved in making this classic horror film. Starring Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, and Bruce Cabot, the film tells the story of a giant ape named Kong who becomes infatuated with a beautiful young woman offered to him as a sacrifice. King Kong premiered in New York City on March 2, 1933, to enthusiastic reviews, particularly lauding its innovative stop-motion animation and compelling musical score. In 1991, the Library of Congress recognized the film as “culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant,” cementing its status as a cinematic landmark. King Kong is famous for its pioneering special effects, including stop-motion animation, matte painting, rear projection, and miniatures, all created well before the digital age. Willis H. O’Brien and his assistant, Buzz Gibson, brought the prehistoric creatures of Skull Island to life through meticulous stop-motion animation. This process was labor-intensive, as any pause could cause inconsistent movements and lighting. To maintain continuity, a device called the surface gauge was used in order to keep track of the stop-motion animation performance. The iconic fight between Kong and the Tyrannosaurus took seven weeks to be completed. The island backdrop seen when the Venture crew first arrives was created using glass paintings. This scene was then composited with separate bird elements and rear-projected behind the ship and actors to create a seamless visual effect. The jungle scenes were achieved using a miniature set with backgrounds painted on multiple layers of glass to convey the illusion of deep and dense jungle foliage. For more complex shots, where live-action actors interacted with stop-motion animation, two techniques were used: the Dunning process and the Williams process. The Dunning process, invented by cinematographer Carroll H. Dunning, utilized blue and yellow lights filtered and photographed into black-and-white film. This technique involved bi-packing the camera to combine two strips of film simultaneously, creating the final composite shot in-camera. It was used in scenes such as the climactic moment where a plane crashes from the top of the Empire State Building and where natives run through the foreground while Kong battles others at the wall. The Williams process, created by Frank D. Williams, did not require colored lights and was suitable for wider shots. This method, used in scenes like Kong shaking sailors off a log and pushing the gates open, employed an optical printer to combine multiple film strips into a single image. Another technique used to combine live actors with stop-motion animation was rear-screen projection. This method involved placing a translucent screen behind the actor, onto which footage was projected from a projector. In the case of King Kong, the stop-motion animation was filmed first. Actress Fay Wray then spent a grueling twenty-two-hour period positioned in a fake tree, reacting to the projected battle scene. The stop-motion footage was projected onto the translucent screen behind her while the camera filmed her reaction. This immersive setup allowed Wray to convincingly portray her character’s observation of the animated battle. The intense shoot left her physically sore for days afterward. O’Brien and his special effects crew innovatively employed rear projection in miniature sets. They integrated a small screen into the miniature set where live-action footage could be projected. To prevent overheating or fire, a fan was used to cool the projected footage. This miniature rear projection technique was notably utilized in the scene where Kong attempts to capture Driscoll, who is hiding in a cave. Over the years, certain media reports have suggested that in some scenes, Kong was portrayed by an actor in a gorilla suit. However, film historians widely agree that all scenes featuring Kong were actually created using animated models, with the exception of specific “closeups” showing Kong’s face and upper body. For these shots, filmmakers used a full-size mechanical model of Kong’s head and shoulders. Operators controlled the model’s eyes and mouth to simulate realistic movements, distinguishing these sequences by their smooth action—unlike the characteristic jitteriness of stop-motion animation—and the clarity of the footage, owing to the size of the subject being photographed.
(Photo credit: IMDB enhanced and upscaled by RHP / Wikimedia Commons). Notify me of new posts by email.
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