“Go Behind the Scenes of the making of Squadron 42 with a look at Thul’Óqquray, played by Andy Serkis”
In the behind-the-scenes video for Squadron 42, Andy Serkis talks about experimenting with the physicality of the Vanduul, an alien species in the game. They are using a bungee-like rig to simulate zero gravity, allowing Serkis to move with grace and make effortless leaps and bounds. The team working on the rigging did a great job creating a low gravity environment for the Vanduul kingship. Despite feeling some discomfort in his inner thighs, Serkis had a lot of fun with the performance capture process.
Serkis discusses his role as the main antagonist in the game and introduces Patrice, who plays the leader of the clients. They both have creative freedom to develop their characters and are working together to find their characters’ centers. The video also teases the avatars for the first time, showing Serkis’ character drinking a cup of tea, as even Vanduul need their cup of tea at the end of the day.
One scene being filmed on the bridge involves the Vanduul starting a battle against the UAE fleet. A symbolic ceremonial sword made of plastic piping covered in markers and green tape is used to represent the Vanduul’s weapon. The ship’s systems will start powering up, making the scene look more glamorous, dangerous, and powerful.
Serkis mentions that both he and Patrice spoke English, but they had to learn and speak the fictional Vanduul language, which was created by Britain Watkins, a specialist in constructing languages for film. The language is described as guttural and has a combination of spoken words, signs for emphasis, and bioluminescent cues for tone changes based on mood. Serkis mentions that they will eventually publish the actual language for people to learn and speak.
Overall, Serkis reflects on reaching this point in the production and expresses his excitement about the progress made so far.