Digital Weta Legs put best foot forward
22 Apr 2010
Now some good news for anyone who has ever wanted to walk like an animal ... award-winning New Zealand special effects company Weta Workshop has come up with the perfect solution - Weta Legs.
The new invention, a type of reverse leg stilt, is aimed at performers, costumers and anyone who wants to perfect an animal stance and way of walking.
Just released into the commercial world by Wellington based Weta Workshop, the unique ‘digitigrades’ leg extension or digilegs is already creating interest in the entertainment and performance industry all over the world.
Three-year project
Weta Legs are the brainchild of Weta Workshop technician Kim Graham who has been working on the technology and design for three years.
Publicly launched just one day ago (21.04.2010), Weta has already received orders from a French hobby costumer and a Canadian movie producer - who has ordered several pairs for a secret project.
There has also been a lot of international interest from theatres, and Weta Creative Director and five-time Oscar winner Richard Taylor, says it’s a thrill to bring the stilts to performers around the world.
Costuming revolution
Described as unique, low profile, professional grade, reverse leg stilts, Weta Legs are set to revolutionise costuming.
They will provide creature and costume performers in movies, television, theatre, circus, street performances and other creative contexts with a very realistic tool to emulate an animal’s leg movement.
'Digitigrades’ leg extensions
Digitigrades means "walks on toes", and Weta Legs are designed just like an animal's where the toes are the foot and the heel points backwards.
Weta Legs can be adapted to resemble the digitigrade leg of canines and felines, or even fantastical demons, dragons, satyrs and robots.
The legs, which are jointed at the knee and the ankle, allow for realistic and natural movement.
Weta Workshop technicians
Kim Graham, originally from Seattle in the US, has worked with Weta Workshop technicians for the past year continually refining and developing the design of the leg extensions.
"The greatest challenge was to build something all my friends could wear and build cool costumes over the top of. And this was a tremendous challenge. I wanted to incorporate everything, low profile, ease of use, light weight, comfort and adaptability. All of these are extremely important to a performer who will be wearing these for long periods of time," says Graham.
Supreme comfort
She says the Weta legs are supremely comfortable and, providing they are adjusted correctly, can be worn all day, saving time and effort on set or during stage performances.
The legs can be precisely tuned using a Y-cable to change the wearer’s centre of balance, and thereby compensating for a large tail, big head or other costume features.
While Weta Workshop has previously made digitigrade leg extensions for stunt men and creature performers in movies and on stage, this is the first time the legs have been offered to the public or anyone who wants to walk like an animal.
Producing items like the Weta Legs for the costuming public is a new departure for internationally renowned Weta Workshop, which is best known for behind the scenes work on some of the world’s most successful movies.
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