Cgi or Practical Prop? the Technical Breakdown Behind the Elephant Sequence in Grimsby
By Elena Rostova
While the interior sequence relied on practical staging, the wider establishing shots demanded cutting-edge visual effects. Merging practical footage with wide exterior vistas is where Louis Leterrier’s action directing background proved critical. The visual effects department used digital compositing to marry the physical set with wild savannah footage filmed on location in South Africa.
Real elephants were filmed separately from safe, regulated distances to capture reference plates of skin motion, lighting, and herd behaviors. Digital artists then constructed high-resolution CGI models of the approaching bull elephant, match-moving the digital animal to sync with the practical rig on the soundstage. When the camera pulls back out of the animatronic body to show the African wilderness, visual effects teams painted out the metal framework and blended digital grass, dust, and lighting onto the shot.
This hybrid approach explains why the scene caught audiences off guard. Pure CGI often looks weightless or detached, while pure practical models can appear stiff and artificial. By putting living actors into a physical, shaking, liquid-filled space and framing it with photorealistic visual effects, the sequence looked distressingly real.
Elena Rostova holds a Master's degree in Public Health Journalism. She covers groundbreaking medical research, holistic wellness trends, mental health awareness, and nutritional science.
