VFX artists explain how Breaking Bad achieved Gus Fring's memorable look for his iconic death scene. Created by American writer Vince Gilligan, Breaking Bad ran for five seasons on AMC from 2008 to 2013. It received universal acclaim throughout its run and won numerous accolades along the way, including the Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Series in 2013 and 2014. The crime drama series featured a stellar cast with the likes of Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Anna Gunn, Dean Norris, Jonathan Banks, Bob Odenkirk, and Giancarlo Esposito, who played the main antagonist through seasons 2 and 4, Gus Fring.
Set in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the story of Breaking Bad revolves around Walter White (Cranston), a high school chemistry teacher who is struggling with his recent diagnosis of stage-three lung cancer. To secure his family's financial future before his likely death, Walter turns to a life of crime by enlisting the help of his former student, Jesse Pinkman (Paul), to produce and distribute crystal meth, which in turn leads him on a dangerous path within the criminal underworld. The success of Breaking Bad led to the spawning of the prequel series, Better Call Saul, which saw Odenkirk return as Saul Goodman and Esposito reprise his role as Fring.
Now, in a new video, VFX artists Niko, Sam, and Wren, from the popular YouTube channel Corridor Crew, break down Gus Fring's memorable death scene from the Breaking Bad season 4 finale. The video starts with Wren mentioning that, while the series "wasn't known" for its visual effects, the scene in question required the use of a few digital tricks, as the character's look was not "natural." He goes on to praise the "execution" of the effect and the "meticulous" nature of it, stating that the use of "practical prosthetics" on Esposito's face along with the CG elements was used to perfection. Check out his full quote below:
[T]here's an extra little detail that I love: His eye looks where his other eye does. [...] They also did have some practical prosthetics on his face, and in visual effects, not only do they have to remove that, but they have to remove pretty much the entirety of the head, so that they can have a clean plate, so that, where it actually is kinda eating into his head, they can replace that. And the fact that it's very hard to tell what is real versus what is not is a testament to how good the execution of this effect is. They were meticulous about how they were going to go about doing this effect, because they knew that they were going to be doing this as a visual effect, and they wanted to support it with the prosthetic makeup.
The scene takes place in Breaking Bad's season 4 finale, when Gus Fring pays a visit to his longtime nemesis, Hector Salamanca, at his nursing home, intending to take his life. Little did he know that Walter White had met up earlier with Hector, who agreed to have a bomb installed on his wheelchair to get revenge on Gus. When Gus sits across from the cartel boss, Hector detonates the bomb, resulting in a shocking, graphic moment in which Gus is shown walking out of the room with one half of his face blown off, after which he finally collapses to the floor.
The episode (appropriately titled "Face Off") proved to be a pivotal point in the series, as it marked the culmination of the conflict between Walter White and Gus Fring that was the focus of season 4. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest episodes in television history, and Fring's death remains one of the most talked-about moments of the show to this day. Fans of the neo-Western series have been lucky enough to witness Esposito play Fring once again on Better Call Saul. While audiences already know the fate of the beloved character, they will get a chance to see the foundation for his entry into Breaking Bad when Better Call Saul season 6 premieres later this year.
Source: Corridor Crew