‘The Last of Us’: How ‘Saving Private Ryan’ and the Xenomorph From ‘Alien’ Visually Inspired the Show’s Wild Fifth Episode
variety.comJazz Tangcay Artisans Editor SPOILER ALERT: This interview contains spoilers from Episode 5 of “The Last of Us,” now streaming on HBO Max.
This week’s episode of HBO’s “The Last of Us” unleashes hell — literally. As the fifth episode barrels toward its epic conclusion, fungus-faced critters known as clickers emerge from a hole in the ground.
And then a massive Bloater, a creature from the game “The Last of Us” audience hasn’t yet seen, makes its terrifying grand entrance.
Cinematographer Eben Bolter — who shot Episodes 3, 4 and 5 — knew this setpiece was going to be a big moment, lighting-wise. “It’s hell — it’s like a hive opening up,” he says. “We wanted it to feel like these are angry red ants that have been trapped on the ground, and they’re just desperate to break free.” During pre-visualization conversations, Bolter knew there would be fire and backlighting in the scene.
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