Zack Snyder’s 2006 film adaptation 300 was a groundbreaking mix of live action and extreme green screen work, with amazing cinematography by Lary Fong. In this article we are going to take a detailed look at the “Tree of the Dead” prop, currently for sale right now on our site!
The depiction of violence presented in the 300 is a mix of photographed reality and stylized visual effects, and this piece is a perfect example of that. When seen on screen the tree is large and looming, depicting the gore and death that the movie is ripe with. At first glance, as with most of the scenes in the film, you think the entire piece was done via CGI, but taking a closer look you realize that the detailed slashes, stab wounds, blood and death were done with very intricate miniatures that were later enhances with visual effects.
Each body is actually a very intricate miniature, made of silicone and depicting two different styles of male and female. With hand punched pair, facial expressions and even detailed genitalia these pieces were made specifically to depict the horrific death the film is all about.
After the scene was storyboarded to depict the scene in the graphic novel, the model makers went to work, making detailed clay miniatures and maquette which eventually led to the creation of the versions seen on screen that were then mocked up on the detailed tree miniature and filmed, where they would later be enhanced via visual effects for the final version seen on screen.
With the advent of CGI and visual effects taking over on screen you don’t really think items like this are still made, but this art is still represented in film and very valuable to collectors.
