Walking With Tripods (or the trouble with!)

[jeffwaynefan]

Watching Speilbergs WOTW last night I was drawn to the conclusin that throughout the whole of the film you never see one single shot of the tripods in 'full' clear walking mode, they are either obscured by something or to many close up shots, which got me thinking - in this day and age of FX did even the biggest FX house in the world have a problem with the machines walking.

Even the (almost) clear day time shot of it appearing for the first time, they missed a perfect opportunity to have the machine in full view walking up the street, but they didn't, you saw it either standing there zapping away and then one quick scene of the hood, lower body and tops of the legs as its dissapears behind the buildings.

In 53 they could not get a tripod to walk, 52 years later they still have the same problem.

Moving away from Spielbergs film, the only one I have seen yet is Jeffs walking.

[Lensman]

I've only seen the Spielberg film once, but I recall seeing the sinuous movement of individual legs taking small steps. But not, as you say, a Tripod striding along at speed.

It would be interesting to hear one of the film-makers respond to your comment. Did we not see a Tripod in a full walk because they couldn't get it to look convincing, or because after the final edit all such scenes had been removed, or what? Or are their such scenes we're overlooking?

I can certainly see why they omitted the rapid twirling motion Wells describes as their fastest gait. The slow, ponderous movement of the Spielberg Tripods helped "sell" the idea they were huge and powerful. Having them twirl along rapidly would have made them appear much less massive.

[Marcus]

I think this is another example of the first person narrative. Never in the film did it really call for a shot of the Tripod walking along, or atleast not how you want it, just a clear image of it walking.

For example its always either at Cruise level, or the Hood, which is all that was nessecary, although to be fair, we do get a good idea of it walking when it chases Ray, when he throws the Grenades at it, and when the survivors fall in the basket and it staggers away.

[robkral]

Funny you mention this Horsell, as I was thinking this for a while now! I had noticed, but not until the 2nd time or so (!!) that I saw the movie that you do not ever see them fully walking. VEry clever how you THINK that you do, but you don't (I'd be happy to be proven wrong on this though).

ONe shot that struck me is after the ferry escape, they look back and you see that tripod or two coming around that hill. When I FIRST saw that tripod coming, it reminded me of, wait for it, PENDRAGON! This is because you don't see the feet, so it appears to kind of FLOAT around the hill. I really was taken aback at how initially bad this shot looked to me. (The tripod itself yes looked GREAT in this shot but the movement really looks like it is floating because you can't see it's feet).

That shot alone got me thinking about the other shots and then I realised how you don't see a complete shot. And soon after the intersection tripod emerges, it's interesting how it moves, but doesn't really walk in a particular shot or a few that is too tricky for me to exactly point out right now.

The slow movements help them seem huige, but I'm still wishing for a movie that has them as Wells described: as if TOSSED violently across a floor. THAT would be SCARY!!! (Imagine a tripod that moves like, say the parasite in Alien when it runs across the floor: THAT fast, but 150 feet high!! WOW!!!! The destruction would be all the more horrific, its sudden, complete disregard for what is around it as it DASHES and SCRAMBLES across the landscape. SCARY!!!)

[Chris]

I can certainly see why they omitted the rapid twirling motion Wells describes as their fastest gait.

I always thought that the 'twirling' motion was not how they really moved, but simply how it appeared due to the lightning flashes creating a 'strobe' effect.

[maniacs]

HC - I dont think your meant to see the tripod running about. In the scene when it first appears as it makes it exit(when cruise watches the oldman and kid running). I think is most you get to see. But that is meant to be all you see. The point being you get the gimpses cruise might see.

I'd be very suprised if no one could fathom out some motion with three legs. I really dont think this is the case. Even I have done it!!!

And someone else has shown 3 examples of motion. And the JW version, one of the most difficult poses, has been rendered walkinf smoothly.

[Selkirk]

Interesting topic.
I wonder if the reason the tripods are partially blocked at times is so that the film makers can give the audience a frame of reference as to their size. It's one thing to see them walking in an open field, it's quit another to see them towering over a ten story building, bridge, etc.

Just a thought.

[ClaytonForrester]

Maybe they were correct when something was said about there being an undercarriage that rotated and moved the legs around.That would also enable the ''hood'' of the machine to change directions at will,making it far more maneuverable than previously realized.The thing can therefore take in targeting solutions from any angle within the arc of its rotation;all it has to do is turn itself until it locks onto a focus,then fire.It would seem that the Tripod incorporates a double ratchet-type of mechanism to perform this function.It makes perfect sense,given what Wells himself wrote.Just a thought.