Miniatures and Marshmallows
While you already know this far into the article about Bill Bryan and his donning of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man suit, now we turn to how they made him appear gargantuan in a city as large as New York.
Like many other films from the eighties, Ghostbusters utilized miniatures in the form of small sets to give the illusion that there was truly a hundred and fifty foot sugary abomination that was destroying the city. Cameras at both high and low altitudes were set up in order to provide multiple angles and give a greater sense of scale.
The sets needed to be detailed enough to make it truly seem like New York, but still generic enough to stop inconsistencies from occurring. That is why they used a few NYC landmarks during the miniature filming, to show that he is truly terrorizing the city. There were some notable inconsistencies with the Marshmallow Man himself, however, as you can see in the film there are random instances where he will no longer be wearing his ascot, but in the next scene he will be again.
For the final confrontation with the Ghostbusters themselves, the crew made sure to make the suit flammable on the outside and fireproof on the inside so they could actually burn it.
Writer / Quiz Creator
Andrew Nicholas is a passionate reader and writer on the subjects of history and mankind. He is a published author, critic, and poet who grew up in the friendly scenery of rural Ohio. He is a graduate of Wright State University and a regular student of historical curiosities.