Editing Godzilla vs. Biollante (section)

==Production==
===Pre-production===
{{Quote box |quote=The original idea was to find something that could match Godzilla's power and terror if we were bringing back Godzilla. But simply letting the monsters fight each other had been done many times and, clearly, there was a limit to it. So in order to bring back Godzilla properly we had to create an opponent that can fight properly. If there was something equivalent to the terror of nuclear power it must be the bio-technology [with] which human beings would manipulate life, because it can be very dangerous if it goes the wrong way, ethically, I guess. That's where I found the connection, so the idea of a monster [that] was created by biotechnology was born. |source=—Shinichiro Kobayashi<ref name="makingofDVD">"Making of Godzilla vs. Biollante", Godzilla vs Biollante [DVD] Echo Bridge (2012)</ref> |bgcolor=#c6dbf7 |salign=right |width=40%}}

[[Tomoyuki Tanaka]] announced a sequel to ''[[The Return of Godzilla]]'' in 1985, but was skeptical of its possibilities, as the film had been of little financial benefit to [[Toho]], and the failure of ''[[King Kong Lives]]'' following year convinced him that audiences were not ready for a continuation of the ''Godzilla'' series. He relented after the success of ''[[Little Shop of Horrors (1986 film)|Little Shop of Horrors]]'', and proceeded to hold a public story-writing contest for a possible script.<ref name="kalat2010">Kalat, D. (2010), ''A Critical History and Filmography of Toho's Godzilla Series'', McFarland, p. 169-78, {{ISBN|978-0-7864-47-49-7}}</ref> In consideration of ''The Return of Godzilla'''s marginal success in Japan, Tanaka insisted that the story focus on a classic monster vs. monster theme.<ref name="ryfle1998">{{cite book |title=Japan's Favorite Mon-Star: The Unauthorized Biography of the Big G |last=Ryfle |first=S. |year=1998 |publisher=Toronto: ECW Press |isbn=1550223488 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/japansfavoritemo0000ryfl/page/251 251–58] |url=https://archive.org/details/japansfavoritemo0000ryfl/page/251 }}</ref> Tanaka handed the five finalist entries to director [[Kazuki Ōmori]], despite the two's initially hostile relationship; the latter had previously held Tanaka responsible for the decline in the ''Godzilla'' series' quality during the 1970s. Ōmori chose the entry of dentist Shinichiro Kobayashi, who wrote his story with the hypothetical death of his daughter in mind.<ref name="kalat2010"/>

Kobayashi's submission was notable for its emphasis on dilemmas concerning biotechnology rather than nuclear energy, and revolved around a scientist grieving for his deceased daughter and attempting to keep her soul alive by merging her genes with those of a plant. The scientist's initial experiments would have resulted in the creation of a giant rat-like amphibian called Deutalios, which would have landed in Tokyo Bay and been killed by Godzilla. A female reporter investigating the scientist's activities would have suffered from psychic visions of plants with humanoid faces compelling her to infiltrate the scientist's laboratory. The scientist would have later confessed his intentions, and the finale would have had Godzilla battling a human-faced Biollante who defeats him by searing his flesh with acid.<ref name="ryfle19982">{{cite book |title=Japan's Favorite Mon-Star: The Unauthorized Biography of the Big G |last=Ryfle |first=S. |year=1998 |publisher=Toronto: ECW Press |isbn=1550223488 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/japansfavoritemo0000ryfl/page/259 259–60] |url=https://archive.org/details/japansfavoritemo0000ryfl/page/259 }}</ref>

Ōmori proceeded to modify the story into a workable script over a period of three years, using his background as a biologist to create a plausible plot involving genetic engineering and botany.<ref name="kalat2010"/> In order to preserve the series' anti-nuclear message, he linked the creation of Biollante to the use of Godzilla cells, and replaced Kobayashi's journalist character with [[Miki Saegusa]].<ref name="ryfle1998"/> He openly admitted that directing a ''Godzilla'' film was secondary to his desire to make a [[James Bond]] movie, and thus added elements of the [[spy film]] genre into the plot.<ref name="kalat2010"/> Unlike the case with later, more committee-driven ''Godzilla'' films, Ōmori was given considerable leeway in writing and directing the film, which Toho staff later judged to have been an error resulting in a movie with a very narrow audience.<ref name="ryfle1998"/>

===Special effects===
[[File:GvB - behind scenes.jpg|thumb|Preparation of the Biollante model for the final battle scene. The model required 32 wires to operate.<ref name="kalat2010"/>]]
[[Koichi Kawakita]], who had previously worked for [[Tsuburaya Productions]], replaced [[Teruyoshi Nakano]] as head of the series' special effects unit after Toho became impressed at his work in ''[[Gunhed (film)|Gunhed]]''. Kawakita made use of ''Gunhed'''s special effects team Studio OX, and initially wanted to make Godzilla more animal-like, using crocodiles as references, but was berated by Tanaka, who declared Godzilla to be "a monster" rather than an animal. [[Kenpachiro Satsuma]] returned to portray Godzilla, hoping to improve his performance by making it less anthropomorphic than in previous films. Suitmaker Noboyuki Yasamaru created a Godzilla suit made specifically with Satsuma's measurements in mind, unlike the previous one which was initially built for another performer and caused Satsuma discomfort. The resulting 242 lb suit proved more comfortable than the last, having a lower center of gravity and more mobile legs. A second 176 lb suit was built for outdoor underwater scenes. The head's size was reduced, and the whites around the eyes removed. On the advice of story finalist Shinichiro Kobayashi, a double row of teeth was incorporated in the jaws. As with the previous film, animatronic models were used for close-up shots. These models were an improvement over the last, as they were made from the same molds used for the main costume, and included an articulated tongue and intricate eye motion. The suit's dorsal plates were filled with light bulbs for scenes in which Godzilla uses his atomic ray, thus lessening reliance on optical animation, though they electrocuted Satsuma the first time they were activated. Satsuma was also obliged to wear protective goggles when in the suit during scenes in which Godzilla battles the JSDF, as real explosives were used on set.<ref name="kalat2010"/> The film was mainly shot at the Toho lot, although some filming occued on location at the East Fuji Maneuver Area.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tohokingdom.com/movies/godzilla_vs_biollante.htm|title=Godzilla vs. Biollante
|publisher=TohoKingdom.com |access-date=October 22, 2020}}</ref>

Designing and building the Biollante props proved problematic, as traditional suitmation techniques made realizing the requested design of the creature's first form difficult, and the resulting cumbersome model for Biollante's final form was met with disbelief from the special effects team. Biollante's first form was performed by Masao Takegami, who sat within the model's trunk area on a platform just above water level. While the creature's head movements were simple to operate, its vines were controlled by an intricate array of overhead wires which proved difficult for Satsuma to react to during combat scenes as they offered no tension, thus warranting Satsuma to feign receiving blows from them, despite not being able to perceive them. Biollante's final form was even more difficult to operate, as its vine network took hours to rig up on set. Visibility in both the Godzilla and final form Biollante suits was poor, thus causing difficulties for Takegami in aiming the creature's head when firing sap, which permanently stained anything it landed on.<ref name="kalat2010"/>

While it was initially decided to incorporate [[stop motion animation]] into the film, the resulting sequences were scrapped, as Kawakita felt they failed to blend in with the live-action footage effectively. The film however became the first of its kind to use [[Computer-generated imagery|CGI]], though its usage was limited to scenes involving computer generated schematics.<ref name="kalat2010"/> The original cut of the movie had the first battle culminating in Biollante's spores falling around the hills surrounding Lake Ashino and blooming into fields of flowers, though this was removed as the flowers were out of scale.<ref name="ryfle1998"/>

===Music===
Unlike the previous film, ''Godzilla vs. Biollante'' incorporates themes from [[Akira Ifukube]]'s original ''Godzilla'' theme, though the majority of the soundtrack was composed of original themes by [[Koichi Sugiyama]]. The score was orchestrated by conductor David Howell through the Kansai Philharmonic, though Howell himself had never viewed the movie, and thus was left to interpret what the scenes would consist of when conducting the orchestra.<ref name="kalat2010"/>