Here's what the creators of "How to Train Your Dragon" came up with

🐲 When you watch Marvel movies, you get used to actors performing to nothing.

We all know the behind-the-scenes magic: a hero stands in front of a green screen, heroically fighting a tennis ball on a stick that will later be turned into a monster. In the new "How to Train Your Dragon" movie, the dragons are also made with CGI, but the creators went a step further to get genuine emotions from the actors.

The problem: How do you act out a friendship with thin air?

Imagine having to show a whole range of feelings for a character who isn't on set. It's difficult. To ensure the main Viking hero wasn't just staring into space but genuinely "interacting" with the dragon, the team came up with a brilliant move.

The solution: A life-sized, real-time puppet.

Instead of an empty space or a simple stand-in, a full-fledged "partner" appeared on the film set—a huge dragon puppet.

• Real size. The puppet was made to the same scale as the final CGI character. If the story required the dragon's head to be next to the hero's face, the actor on set would see a detailed monster's face of the appropriate size right in front of them.
• Teamwork. This wasn't just a statue. Several people controlled the puppet: one was responsible for the body and tail movements, another for the facial expressions—the movement of the eyes and mouth.
• Live interaction. As a result, the dragon on set "came to life." This allowed the actor not to invent a reaction, but to genuinely interact with the character: to see its gaze, dodge its movements, and act out emotions in response to the actions of a "living" creature.

This approach not only helps to technically frame the shot but also to achieve a more convincing performance from the actor.