We’ve been trying to scrub the visions of the creepy robo-geisha out of our minds ever since seeing the first footage of Ghost in the Shell late last year. We were certain that they were mostly some CGI creation that couldn’t actually get us in real life but it turns out that we were very, very wrong. Those terrifying robotic geisha faces do exist, but thankfully they are on the other side of the world at the Weta Workshop in New Zealand.
Recently, the Internet’s favorite undercover cosplayer Adam Savage took a trip for Tested.com to get a closer look at the Ghost in the Shell props and was amazed at the care and detail that went into the designs. Weta Workshop founder Richard Taylor explains that the robo-geisha face was modeled after one actress and then molds and various 3D printings were created in order to make the practical masks and other pieces that we see. One of the cooler aspects of the masks is how cleverly they were designed in regards to the actor’s comfort. Each was built with drawstring mechanisms in order to take them on and off quickly, and small fans were placed inside in order to keep the actors cool while wearing them. Air is brought in through the nostrils of the geisha’s face and vented through hidden exhaust in the hair portion of the mask.
What’s truly mind blowing is the animatronic geisha that opens her face like some sort of nightmare steampunk flower. And not just for it’s… *ahem*… “face value” because the details in the mask are astonishing. The inner workings of the face has functional clockwork-like gears and a level of deliberate wear-and-tear that gives the creature more depth. Additionally, Weta made each “face petal” attach via magnet so that mechanisms wouldn’t break if the face got bumped around too much.
You can see these animatronic nightmares for yourself in Ghost in the Shell, which hits theaters on March 31, 2017.
What’s your favorite part of these creatures? Let’s discuss in the comments below!
Images: Tested/Weta Workshop
