‘Stranger Things’ Season 5 Utilizes Extensive VFX for Will Byers Flashback, Departing From Practical Effects emphasis
LOS ANGELES, CA – “Stranger Things” season 5 is employing significant visual effects to de-age actor Noah Schnapp for flashback sequences, a move that contrasts with teh show’s established preference for practical effects adn has surprised fans anticipating a final season rooted in tangible set pieces and makeup.
The fifth and final season of the Netflix hit is leaning heavily on digital technology to portray a younger Will Byers, a departure from the show’s typical approach. while director Shawn Levy previously suggested the de-aging would be achieved through “simple makeup and wigs,” Schnapp revealed a far more involved process in a recent interview with SFX magazine. The actor described hours spent in a tent performing a range of expressions – fear, running, and more – which VFX artists then used over six months to digitally recreate an 11-year-old version of himself.
“they put me in a tent and had me do all these different expressions and faces… It was so weird,” Schnapp explained. “And then the VFX team worked on it for months. I mean, there were these VFX people who told me, ‘Noah, I have been working with 11-year-old you for the past six months, watching every video of you.’ Its like, ‘Oh, that’s weird.’ But then they stamped it onto that little kid,and we got this cool little flashback scene,which is fun.”
This reliance on de-aging technology arrives as the Duffer Brothers simultaneously prioritize practical set design for the season. A state-of-the-art Hawkins, Indiana, set was constructed, representing a first for the series. Despite this commitment to physical environments, the digital recreation of a younger Will Byers signals a shift in production strategy for key moments in the show’s concluding chapter. Fans can anticipate the premiere of “Stranger things” season 5, currently without a confirmed release date, which will reveal the full extent of these visual effects and bring the story of Hawkins to its close.
