Shooting Transformations: THE WITCHES

This 1990 horror (fight me!) classic has several transformation scenes (aka nightmare fuel), which all involve one or more techniques we’re focusing on today: cutting away from the horror to allow prosthetic switches; moving the camera for a practical switch; and using one long shot with distracting elements.

Broadly these three transformations are achieved with 1. editing 2. camera movement and practical switcheroo 3. makeup and few-or-hidden cuts.

Editing Away

Cutting to other shots — especially the horrified faces of observers — is a common technique when you’re working with prosthetics and actors moving from their ‘real’ face to a wildly enhanced mask. This sequence goes a few steps further.

Instead of ‘merely’ shots of people looking on and reacting, the shots contain mini-horrors of their own — the crowd of witch sycophants (wict-o-fants?) removing their wigs and baring their grotesqueries.

You could do a whole study on angles and Luke/mouse POV as a ‘B-plot’ within the scene; shots of Luke hiding and his POV shots remind us of his peril.

But they have a bit of fun, too; the witches stretching and contorting their feet like claws is a great bit.

What matters most for our purpose today is they’re interesting enough to distract us from their pragmatic use, breaking up shots of prosthetics as they’re stretched to the limits between ‘real face’ and ‘full witch.’

Move and Switch

Maybe ‘practical switcheroo’ isn’t the technical term, but it fits this clever bit, which has a real Mission: Impossible vibe to it.

It may be finicky in practice but it’s simple in theory: Huston holds a mask of her own face up, and as the camera moves behind the head of her put-upon assistant Miss Irvine, she drops the mask and the camera sees her actual visage.

What makes this work is two pieces of actual movie magic: a great practical mask we’ve seen in various stages by now (including a spare in the 'hatbox’ within this very clip!) and Huston taking an extra few seconds to A.C.T! as she ‘adjusts’ her face and really sells the bit.

In a Oner

A longer moving shot strongly contrasts with the other two transformations which are more clearly ‘tricks’ of editing and hiding a mask.

This sequence is a visual Rube Goldberg machine, the camera as a marble ‘pinged’ into different movements by events and characters.

The shot opens with action, people walking by a dejected chef (who earlier had a mouse in his shorts) as he slumps on the ground. Someone places a mousetrap on the ground near his feet, then we track along seeing the kitchen in full Mouse Prevention mode until another trap is set by the cook’s feet, which sets off her panicked jump, which in turn motivates the camera to come up and see her face . . .

then because the face is MOUSE! the camera has reason to chase as she runs into the cooler, where the green smoke obscures our vision and the third transformation finishes.

A foot shot is how we were re-introduced to mouse-witch and so doesn’t necessarily register as a cheat, but it’s definitely easier to cut between legs and a whirling apron in the smoke than hands and a face, and then we barely even notice the mouse running out of the pile of clothes is a wholly new shot.

The aesthetics of the camera pointing up and down while moving, people and items coming in and out of frame, and green smoke, can also serve as distractions if you need to make a Texas Switch or add fake blood or tweak a prosthetic offscreen.

Takeaways

Note how the transformations all involve different shot types and techniques!

If you have multiple types of scenes and film with the exact same techniques — eg all with multiple cuts, or all with slight-of-hand techniques, the audience may feel old hat, instead of freshly invigorated / disgusted / amused / [insert-desired-feeling-here] each time. Making the transformations play out differently helps convey the horror without breaking the magic.

There are times and places to repeat yourself, but with transformation where plot and story are clear and the point is to make the audience go ooooooh and AAAAAAAAAGH! is not one of them.

Mix it up.

Get freaky.

Have fun!