Editing Godzilla (section)

==Special effects==
[[File:Godzilla Raids Again (1955) Behind the scenes.gif|thumb|Suit fitting on the set of ''[[Godzilla Raids Again]]'' (1955), with [[Haruo Nakajima]] portraying Godzilla on the left]]
Godzilla's appearance has traditionally been portrayed in the films by [[Suitmation|an actor wearing a latex costume]], though the character has also been rendered in [[Animatronics|animatronic]], [[stop-motion]] and [[Computer-generated imagery|computer-generated]] form.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.inverse.com/article/22234-special-effects-in-godzilla-movies-history|title=The History of Godzilla Is the History of Special Effects|last=Failes|first=Ian|work=Inverse|date=October 14, 2016|access-date=March 19, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nippon.com/en/views/b04001/|title=Godzilla's Analog Mayhem and the Japanese Special Effects Tradition|last=Ryūsuke|first=Hikawa|work=Nippon.com|date=June 26, 2014|access-date=March 19, 2018}}</ref> Taking inspiration from ''[[King Kong (1933 film)|King Kong]]'', special effects artist [[Eiji Tsuburaya]] had initially wanted Godzilla to be portrayed via stop-motion, but prohibitive deadlines and a lack of experienced animators in Japan at the time made suitmation more practical.{{sfn|Ryfle|1998|p=21}}

===Practical effects===
The first suit, weighing in excess of {{convert|100|kg|abbr=on}}, consisted of a body cavity made of thin wires and bamboo wrapped in chicken wire for support and covered in fabric and cushions, which were then coated in latex. It was held together by small hooks on the back, though subsequent Godzilla suits incorporated a zipper.<ref name="godziszewski"/> Prior to 1984, most Godzilla suits were made from scratch, thus resulting in slight design changes in each film appearance.{{sfn|Kalat|2010|p=36}} The most notable changes from 1962 to 1975 were the reduction in Godzilla's number of toes and the removal of the character's external ears and prominent fangs, features which would all later be reincorporated in the Godzilla designs from ''The Return of Godzilla'' (1984) onward.{{sfn|Kalat|2010|p=160}} The most consistent Godzilla design was maintained from ''[[Godzilla vs. Biollante]]'' (1989) to ''[[Godzilla vs. Destoroyah]]'' (1995), when the suit was given a cat-like face and double rows of teeth.{{sfn|Ryfle|1998|p=254-257}}

Several suit actors had difficulties in performing as Godzilla due to the suits' weight, lack of ventilation and diminished visibility.<ref name="godziszewski"/> [[Haruo Nakajima]], who portrayed Godzilla from 1954 to 1972, said the materials used to make the 1954 suit (rubber, plastic, cotton, and latex) were hard to find after [[World War II]]. The suit weighed 100 kilograms after its completion and required two men to help Nakajima put it on. When he first put it on, he sweated so heavily that his shirt was soaked within seconds.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/02/world/asia/japan-films-shed-rubber-suits-godzilla-roars.html|title=Rubber Suit Monsters Fade! Tiny Tokyos Relax!|first=Martin |last=Fackler |date=September 1, 2013|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=January 23, 2022}}</ref> [[Kenpachiro Satsuma]] in particular, who portrayed Godzilla from 1984 to 1995, described how the Godzilla suits he wore were even heavier and hotter than their predecessors because of the incorporation of animatronics.<ref name="clements2010">Clements, J. (2010), ''Schoolgirl Milky Crisis: Adventures in the Anime and Manga Trade'', A-Net Digital LLC, pp. 117–118, {{ISBN|0984593748}}</ref> Satsuma himself suffered numerous medical issues during his tenure, including [[oxygen deprivation]], near-drowning, concussions, electric shocks and lacerations to the legs from the suits' steel wire reinforcements wearing through the rubber padding.{{sfn|Kalat|2010|p=258}} The ventilation problem was partially solved in the suit used in 1994's ''[[Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla]]'', which was the first to include an air duct that allowed suit actors to last longer during performances.{{sfn|Ryfle|1998|p=298}} In ''[[Godzilla (1998 film)|Godzilla]]'' (1998), several scenes had the monster portrayed by stuntmen in suits similar to those used in the Toho films, with the actors' heads being located in the monster's neck region and the facial movements controlled via animatronics. However, because of the creature's horizontal posture, the stuntmen had to wear metal leg extenders, which allowed them to stand {{convert|6|ft|m|0|order=flip|spell=on}} off the ground with their feet bent forward.{{sfn|Ryfle|1998|p=337-339}} Kurt Carley performed the suitmation sequences for the adult Godzilla.<ref name="kc"/>

In ''The Return of Godzilla'' (1984), some scenes made use of a 16-foot high robotic Godzilla (dubbed the "Cybot Godzilla") for use in close-up shots of the creature's head. The Cybot Godzilla consisted of a [[Hydraulics|hydraulically powered]] mechanical endoskeleton covered in [[Polyurethane|urethane]] skin containing 3,000 computer operated parts which permitted it to tilt its head and move its lips and arms.{{sfn|Ryfle|1998|p=232}} For ''[[Godzilla (1998 film)|Godzilla]]'' (1998), the film's special effects crew built a {{frac|1|6}} scale animatronic Godzilla for close-up scenes, whose size outmatched that of [[Stan Winston]]'s "[[Rexy]]" in ''[[Jurassic Park (film)|Jurassic Park]]''.{{sfn|Ryfle|1998|p=337-339}}

===CGI===
In ''[[Godzilla (1998 film)|Godzilla]]'' (1998), special effects artist [[Patrick Tatopoulos]] was instructed to redesign [[Zilla (TriStar Godzilla)|Godzilla]] as an incredibly fast runner.<ref name=Rickett2006>{{cite book |title=Designing Movie Creatures and Characters: Behind the Scenes With the Movie Masters |last=Rickitt |first=Richard |year=2006 |publisher=Focal Press |isbn=0-240-80846-0 |pages=74–76 }}</ref> At one point, it was planned to use [[motion capture]] from a human to create the movements of the computer-generated Godzilla, but it was said to have ended up looking too much like a man in a suit.<ref>{{cite book| last = Rickitt| first = Richard| title = Special Effects: The History and Technique| publisher = Billboard Books| year = 2000| isbn = 0-8230-7733-0| page = 174}}</ref> Tatopoulos subsequently reimagined the creature as a lean, [[digitigrade]] bipedal, iguana-like creature that stood with its back and tail parallel to the ground, rendered via [[Computer-generated imagery|CGI]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theasc.com/magazine/jun98/godzilla/art1/pg1.htm |title=Godzilla Lives! – page 1 |publisher=Theasc.com |access-date=January 22, 2014}}</ref>

In ''[[Godzilla (2014 film)|Godzilla]]'' (2014), the character was portrayed entirely via CGI. Godzilla's design in the reboot was intended to stay true to that of the original series, though the film's special effects team strove to make the monster "more dynamic than a guy in a big rubber suit."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/entertainment/dudek.html?tag=Rygiel |title=Oscar winner & Kenosha native Jim Rygiel gets UWM award |first=Duane |last=Dudek |date=November 8, 2013 |access-date=December 10, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213114405/http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/entertainment/dudek.html?tag=Rygiel |archive-date=December 13, 2013}}</ref> To create a CG version of Godzilla, the Moving Picture Company (MPC) studied various animals such as bears, [[Komodo dragon]]s, lizards, lions and [[Wolf|wolves]], which helped the visual effects artists visualize Godzilla's body structure, like that of its underlying bone, fat and muscle structure, as well as the thickness and texture of its scales.<ref>{{cite magazine | url = http://m.hollywoodreporter.com/entry/view/id/887324 | title = Oscars: 'Interstellar,' 'Hobbit' Visual Effects Artists Reveal How They Did It | author = Carolyn Giardina | magazine = The Hollywood Reporter | date = December 25, 2014 | access-date = December 28, 2014 | archive-date = December 28, 2014 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20141228141250/http://m.hollywoodreporter.com/entry/view/id/887324 | url-status = dead }}</ref> Motion capture was also used for some of Godzilla's movements. [[T. J. Storm]] provided the performance capture for Godzilla by wearing sensors in front of a green screen.<ref name="tj"/> Storm reprised the role of Godzilla in ''[[Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019 film)|Godzilla: King of the Monsters]]'', portraying the character through [[Motion-capture acting|performance capture]].<ref name="GKOTM Credits"/>

In ''[[Shin Godzilla]]'', a majority of the character was portrayed via CGI, with [[Mansai Nomura]] portraying Godzilla through motion capture.<ref name="shinmc"/> In 2024, ''[[Godzilla Minus One]]'' was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Visual Effects]], becoming the first ''Godzilla'' film nominated for an [[Academy Awards|Oscar]].<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/godzilla-oscar-nomination-king-kong-8547915|title='Godzilla Minus One' scores monster's first Oscars nomination|first=Clark|last=Collis|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|date=January 23, 2024|access-date=January 26, 2024|url-status=live|archive-date=January 26, 2024|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20240126180122/https://ew.com/godzilla-oscar-nomination-king-kong-8547915}}</ref> At the [[96th Academy Awards]] ceremony, it won the award.