How Stranger Things' SFX Artists Created Vecna | Vanity Fair 

I love the fact that Vecna has two different sized hands. Just like a clock.

I 100% thought they used another actor to voice Vecna. Hearing Jamie talk in his voice while in the makeup chair genuinely gave me chills.

THE WAY THEY DIDN'T CGI VECNA IS SO AWESOME. MY RESPECT FOR THE CREATIVITY AND EFFORT FOR THIS SHOW 😭

Jamie's performance is no doubt phenomenal, but knowing the fact that it took six+ hours everyday all just to turn him into Vecna and that Jamie didn't even say a word complaining about the costume and how challenging it is not only to play in it but simply move and do some basic stuff, just proves he is more than a 'great' actor. Props to him!

I remember hearing Jamie cried after his last scene, and for only being on set for around 20 days he really connected with this role. By seeing the process you can tell why. He literally watched himself transform into a different being for 8 hours a day like an Animorph book or something

Vecna's practical effects are incredible. What Jamie went through is insane though. Hearing his deeper Vecna voice in costume is neat

The voice isn’t edited??? That’s very impressive

Hollywood in general should start using more of a mix between pratical effects and CGI really great job on how Vecna came out.

Jamie deserves every award there would be to give for this season. He did an absolutely outstanding job as Vecna, not only acting as him but going through the creation process of the SFX as well.

At this point I’m convinced they built an actual upside down

Major kudos to the prop department on creating a scary Vecna costume. It definitely must have been super uncomfortable for Jamie to wear, though!

I wish he danced as Vecna in the makeup room, the meme potential would be massive

I really hope that Vecna continues to be the main villain for season 5. It really feels as though the kids are in danger with him. He’s a great addition to the lore/story!!

I honestly thought Jamie just wore a motion tracking suit and animators drew Vecna on top of him because this prosthetic looks so unreal. Props to all the makeup/SFX artists for making such a cool character design come to life.

The fact that Jamie did the Vecna voice got me-😭 Also this makes me so proud and more appreciating of the people behind the scenes to make everything onset flawless.

Loved that they got Robert England as the father on the show, with Vecna being Freddy's spiritual son/successor. Using guilt instead of fear to taunt his victims.

I think it's amazing that Vecna was 100 procent Jamie! He could've easily asked for a body double to do these straining scenes with the costume on, but he did it all by himself, even the voice!

Vecna is one of hollywood's best villans. mad respect to stranger things and the people behind it! honestly can't wait for vol.2

I did not know Jamie actually was under the Vecna suit AND he did the voice for Vecna. Wow he’s amazing. He deserves an Emmy for sure.

The fact that Jamie wasn’t in any of the press tours or interviews because of spoilers is so sad because he is a great actor and deserves all the respect

Y’all need to realize that practical effects are indeed time consuming and expensive but they’re also well worth it to a certain extent. The Duffer Brothers wanted to go this direction with Vecna because it would allow the actors to see this scary monstrous creature and their reactions to it would be a lot more natural rather than staring at a ball pretending something is there. For those saying VFX is a lot cheaper. It’s actually not.

Creel’s eyes are so well done, it was really tough to look at when I was watching that episode

Man the props department did an amazing job with Vecna! I hope they win some awards bc they deserve it

JAMIE AS VECNA IS EVERYTHING CAUSE HE’S FINALLY GETTING THE RECOGNITION HE DESERVES

Vecna snatched that glossy everyday look 💅🏾💕 our dark king💀

When I saw Vecna, I thought “Man, I don’t envy the actor who had to wear *that* prosthetic.” I had no idea he was the same actor who played One. It’s even more impressive that Vecna’s creepy voice is mostly his!

5:08 whoa, so he really was doing the voice. I thought it was just his regular voice run through a barrage of filters, but it looks like at least that deep, guttural growl was naturally produced.

I really did think that they has a voiceover! I did not have a single clue that Jamie really did talk. Its so incredibly amazing to hear and see that an actor who has a rather light voice can get it to be so deep and mysterious.. It is so incredible and I can't imagine another actor ever play this role. The Duffer brothers really outdid themselves! And on top of it all, Jamie is such a good actor and I really think that he should have more movies where he is the lead role..- Jamie has such talent and when he gets a role, he really gets himself and his mindset to be that very different person, his personality completely changes and you cant recognize the sweet and fun guy we see in the interviews! This is such a cool thing to watch, the progress that they all had to go through to make such a realistic creature- make him come to life, it is so amazingly done, making Vecna come to life and get him to look so real. Making us see the hate and possibly the pain Vecna might have felt, it all becomes so real! -Well I don't think anyone is going to read this, but this is something I needed to say when I got the chance. This has been a good season of Stranger Things, and I really hope to see more of the cast and Jamie/Vecna...:)

Not only did they do such a great job with Jamie but I also think that they did an absolutely phenomenal job on Robert. It always made me kind of uncomfortable when I saw his eyes because of the goo or whatever but I think that's what really makes it sell for me. The fact that they can do so well with these guys' makeup is just incredible!

There's no way I could wear prosthetics like that, at all, nevermind for hours and hours. I think I'd have a panic attack with all that stuck to me.

I love how they took this approach instead of just immediately resorting to CGI

I'm betting that Jamie's hand didn't hurt after wearing the prosthetic hand compared to everyone else's because he's a guitar player

i need to see jamie in full vecna get up but not in character at all 😭

i’ve been following jamie’s acting career since 2013 and have seen him preform with his band several times since then. when i heard he was going to be in stranger things i knew there had to be more to his character than they were suggesting. i’m so happy he’s finally getting the recognition he deserves!

The actor who played Henry/Vecna did an incredible job... especially the scenes of him in human form in the lab. Incredibly unsettling the way he spoke to eleven, I felt seriously bad for him at first too, very manipulative and convincing.

Imagine carrying 22-33lbs of prosthetics on your head and shoulders (and more weight throughout each body part),have dentures and white contacts after 8hours of application and still having to put your energy into acting 💀

It's been something of an unspoken rule since the beginning of Stranger Things that practical effects should be used as much as possible. I'd imagine this actually makes certain scenes harder to set up and film but we hugely appreciate the mammoth effort that goes into production. Can't say I'm surprised that Robert Englund was making suggestions to the artists when they were making him up as Victor Creel. A huge part of his acting career has involved prosthetics and make-up, so it would be weird if he hasn't learned a thing or two about it!

Vecna is really intriguing and terrifying to look at in the show. Also Robert Englund make up looked real good!

No wonder Vecna looked so good! It really works well when it's not a 100% CG. It's a great mix of practical and digital effects

Jamie is insane for this, huge props to him

Jamie made THAT voice himself?!!! Incredible!!!!! I thought they added some special effects in addition to his real voice!!

So awesome that they created Vecna with actual practical effects and prosthetics. Don't think he would have been as genuinely terrifying if he'd just been CGI. The fact it's real and is also played by Jamie Campbell Bower, gives it way more authenticity. Like he's a creature that could actually be real.

"because of the character, Jamie liked to listen to some quite aggressive, quite intense, death metal, it would be quite hard core" I think that may just be his taste in music considering he was the lead guitarist/ vocalist in Counterfeit...😂

Hear me out: Vecna is going to go down as one of the most iconic villains ever, especially if they use him more after this season.

CGI can never replace how good practical effects look, glad they went with them for this character. It's also better for the actors performance when he's actually there looking like that and they aren't reacting to a person in a green suit with a funny helmet and sensors all over them. Some of the actors were genuinely scared when working with him, Millie Bobby Brown actually cried the first time she did a scene with him because it freaked her out so much.

Hearing about all this with how Jamie handled it, he is an absolute beast. It's amazing how commited he is and how he didn't complain or anything negative. Kudos to you Jamie.

Mad respect for everyone involved in this. Such an amazing villian, so terrifying!

Incredible practical effects mixed with an amazing performance. It will stand the test of time unlike CGI only monsters

Talk about a dieing art being kept alive. This crew is amazing and I hope to see them tackle other projects in the future.

This is why Face Off was one of my favorite shows. Such an amazing, beautiful artwork to do what these individuals do.

I literally thought it was CGI watching the show, but seeing how they used SFX make up like they used to do is so refreshing.

Jamie was completely unrecognizable and did such an amazing job, but I love how they managed to get Robert to play Victor Creel. The duffer brothers must’ve been squealing like little girls when they found out he was on board. He’s such a staple actor in the horror genre.

The power of Art & how they bring it on screen with such perfection. Just amazing. :)

I KNEW IT WAS HIS VOICE knowing Jamie's voice is naturally deep to deepen it shouldn't be that hard to do for him which makes it so awesome

I knew Jamie was under the prosthetic but I had no idea he was the voice of Vecna!! That's awesome

Bro I genuinely thought Vecna was animated when I first started watching. When I learned that it was an actual person playing him it totally wrinkled my brain. Like the talent some people have is ridiculous.

And this is why practical effects are so important. Too much cgi would've made this character less terrifying so this was a perfect balance.

It's not just that they literally got the same people that did the Night King, it's not just that they made a completely malleable suit paired with only the right amount of CGI needed, it's not only that they actually used the same actor for both Vecna and Henry, it's that they did it all. They literally did everything right to create something horrifically beautiful. Dude hats off like beyond hats off.

My jaw dropped when I heard him muttering in the Vecna voice. He can REALLY transform. And kudos for him doing it entirely physically covered - body, teeth, and all.

I was absolutely convinced it was Robert Englund voicing Vecna until halfway through my second viewing of season 4 and I was absolutely FLOORED to find out it wasn't him.

I hope they have some sort of footage where Jamie is doing his Vecna voice in his costume and then the AD comes in to ask if he wants coffee and Jamie would become Jamie again. I think it would be interesting to see the contrast between the character and the actor.

Jamie needs an emmy for this right now🤦🏻‍♂️

i never knew jamie was the one doing the deep voice too omg that was insane

as soon as i saw one in the laboratory i was like, “is that jamie campbell bower??” everyone on here is commenting about how great of a performance he did, but not a lot of people realize just how much. not only was he doing a voice for vecna, but he was doing an american accent on top of it all. jamie is british. his american accent, even just as one and not vecna, was incredible.

omg. I would love to see outtakes/bloopers with Vecna.

Love hearing a professional passionately talk about their craft

The dedication, calculations, passion, and love that go into creating these prosthetics are truly outstanding, everyone who had a hand in crafting Vecna's terrifying look y'all have my utmost respect and admiration. Stranger Things 4 lived up to my wildest expectations and I'm so thrilled for Vol 2!

The makeup artist fangirling over Robert is adorable.

how can jamies voice go that deep its crazy

I love how much the SFX artist raves about Jamie

Vecna isn't only iconic, it's legendary. Love how dark this season is.

One of the best examples of a great collaboration between artists and an actor to bring a creature/being to life. Some performances can be limited because the aesthetics of a person can interrupt the suspension of disbelief. Looks may even pigeon hole actors into roles so it is amazing to hear Jamie be able to transcend and show his skill.

Barrie Gower is great, however he isn't a VFX artist. He's a Prosthetic Makeup Designer. There were definitely VFX involved in bringing Vecna to life, but his job was all about the practical effects. Which look amazing!

No matter how many times and different versions of this whole process I watch. I'm so amazed and impressed by the efforts put in. The whole team behind it, Jamie, the other show staffs.. Respect..🙌

they should do a video on how the characters had to be killed/crunched and bts on it.

Jamie Campbell Bower is so talented to pull this off. I hope he gets more roles

I am super impressed with the whole team... ideas.. putting it together and also for Jamie to carry it....!!!

I was so so excited to find out this was SFX and not CG !! I hope this special art never dies. Vecna is truly is a masterpiece

The fact Jamie didn't need a voice modifier is amazing

Jamie is so awesome and the design team is so amazing. So much respect that this isn't all CGI.

he’s one of the best villains ever created.

This actor better go places , wow🤯

jamie is such a talented actor. so impressive. he really deserves all the recognition he’s been getting lately.

i can’t believe jamie did vecnas voice

I didn’t even realize it was Jamie made up as vecna. I thought they’d used a different actor for the vecna parts.

I really respect that they used mostly practical!

I’m going to be honest. When he appears on the screen for the first time, I was extremely scared. And it reminded me of when I was a kid and how I would be scared of certain things. And for each time the character came into view, I would think what I would do in that scenario. That’s how much it scared me. I couldn’t handle that in real life. I would start hyperventilating and crying- seriously. Congrats of scaring the crap out of me.

this stuff is so interesting. the craftsmanship that goes into doing this is insane. it's art.

You guys did an amazing job with both characters, immediately when I saw them I could tell how well they were done practically with minor digital. Loved them both.

Props to everyone involved in this process, they absolutely killed it!

I’ve been waiting for this video! It’s so fascinating! Jamie Campbell Bower did a fantastic job, ST4 is incredible! Can’t wait for V2!!

I never expected that to be Jamie’s actual voice.

Props to the SFX artists and Jamie for this masterpiece.

I love that jamie used death metal to get into character. His vecna voice is almost a death growl and it's awesome!

Vecna was the best part of this season 😍😍😍😍 i was SHOOK when i saw him walking and laughing with that makeup on, i legit thought it was someone else in a green suit and a lot of special effects lmao

Seriously this show is just unmatched.

Vecna's glossy makeup look routine 💅❤❤

Amazing job! IMO practical effects will always look better than CGI, so I'm very happy they decided to go this way. And kudos to Jamie for going through with it!

Definitely makes sense Jamie is a metal fan. It wasn't out yet when they were filming but the new Meshuggah album reminds me of Vecna so much.

LOVE practical effects and seeing the behind the scenes of how Vecna and Victor Creel were made. Can't get enough Stranger Things content right now!