Adam Savage and the Tested crew spent a bit of time behind-the-scenes of Blade Runner 2049 while the movie was in production, and seeing how the special effects team fakes the ocean by splashing around in a monstrous water tank is especially fascinating.
Built in just eight weeks specifically for the film, this is the second largest water tank in Europe, and it’s filled with a million gallons of heated water because actors could end up being wet for hours. To create giant waves, a pair of construction excavators move giant empty tanks up and down to stir up the water, while splashes are generated by cannons and a series of tip tanks that can each dump five tons of water in an instant.
It’s almost like someone remembered how much fun it was to splash around in the bathtub as a toddler, and then found a way to get paid to do the same thing as an adult.
[YouTube]