How Modern Superhero Costumes Are Made!

[@tested]

Learn more about FBFX’s work at www.fbfx.co.uk/ Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is in theaters now

[@MrMakingwavesmedia]

and its as shit as this suit design LOL

[@vincecallagher7636]

Yeah, no way he did homework an hour before. Nope not possible.😇

[@Mka321]

For such a talented guy Adam is always so appreciative of other people's work. It's really nice to see.

[@CHDean]

#UltimateRespect

[@asmg25]

I think it is because he had worked on something similar and knew how hard it is to make every single detail however tiny it is. People with no knowledge of the intricacies of something wouldn't be able to appreciate how much work other people put into doing it.

[@manilkasheran2934]

Game recognizes game!

[@nathanmoss8481]

Great artist realize how difficult it is to produce wonderful works.

[@adriannespring8598]

Nerds are full nerd with legit nerds. 😂

[@keab42]

Nejad deserves so much praise for that digital work.

[@NecramoniumVideo]

Every scale one by one, thats what they call in my country, monk work!

[@xmatobujnakx]

i mean ..houdini software should do this job proceduraly without monk work ..but still insane

[@brainworm666]

@@xmatobujnakxNot really, given that they explained if they needed changes (in muscle shape for example) and why they needed variations on each scale.

[@xmatobujnakx]

​@@brainworm666 if you change muscles mesh in houdini and scales are linked on that mesh they automaticaly rearrange themselves

[@brainworm666]

@@xmatobujnakxYeah, I realise that. But this is evidently as aesthetic and practical choice here that goes beyond scales conforming to the mesh. Hence the reason why they have 17 difference versions of a scale to see what looks best and how it conforms with the underlying muscle of an actual physical Jason Momoa. I mean do you actually think a VFX house isn't familiar with Houdini? lol

[@onslaught147]

I just can't get over the fact that Adam touched the costume once and immediately knew the material it was made out of and a rough idea how it was constructed and put together. It was such a casual thing, but wow he really knows his stuff.

[@AussieJuz]

Who would have thought that someone who has used urethane all of their career would know what urethane feels like 🤯

[@skepticalbadger]

Also, he's not magic - he didn't immediately have "a rough idea of how it was constructed and put together", he was literally told that information on camera. As for urethane rubber instead, well, I'm actually surprised that Adam would think the scales were "something metallic". Urethane is industry standard for this kind of thing, has been since LoTR. @@AussieJuz

[@TheScarnak]

I agree man that's cool, adam's just on another level

[@RedAppleApe]

If you work with that stuff you’ll know it the same way I can tell you what kind of steel a part has that is in front of me you see and touch it and directly know it is this or that.

[@Alatsno]

​@@AussieJuz no need to feel insecure

[@aronseptianto8142]

the idea of doing gloss on the sharp edges and satin on the rest is such a mindblower to me. Shows how much control they have over their molds and also how much of a creative thinker they are. I know edge highlighting is a thing for a long time but doing it in such a subtle way is impressive

[@angelllortiz]

that goldfish armor is incredible. The fact that its soft blows my mind

[@wteff8586]

I love the combination of professional experience and just absolute child-like entusiasm Adam brings to these!

[@greenmansoutdoors9456]

15 seconds in to this and am amazed already by the level of detail and design

[@rgallitan]

The point at 10:10 about blending old and new techniques is so important. It reminds me of stop motion features. We tend to think of those as old-school throwbacks, acts of defiance against the digital revolution. Except it was actually the explosion of digital tools - motion control rigs, digital painting and compositing, and now 3D printing - that makes modern stop-mo features possible.

[@elizabethsloan3192]

I imagine the digital scans of the actor are a lot easier than making a body cast. As an amateur costumer, I would love to have this option!

[@JordyField]

Got a phone?

[@jonjon3829]

@@JordyField phone photogrammetry is a pile of garbage, if you ever done it you'd know.

[@jonjon3829]

3DMakerpro Seal and seal lite are affordable 3d scanners, I got the lite version for my sculps and its awesome.

[@damonroberts7372]

Not just better for the costumer, better for the actor. Even for someone who's not claustrophobic, having to breathe through straws while your face is covered in alginate must be uncomfortable.

[@billdecat855]

FIT3D is an independent studio with lots of North American locations that perform 3D scans. They're not cheap but it may be an option.

[@johnniehouston1816]

Adam, can you do more videos on Superhero Costumes? I'm interested in the how they are made from the old to the modern ones.

[@adriannespring8598]

Good thought!! Wonder Woman movies would be an awesome exploration!!

[@Kizmar]

I love listening to passionate people talk about things they love doing.

[@LaynieFingers]

YES!!

[@homermorisson9135]

Having to re-do all those variations of scale by hand... even if digital, this still must have required oodles of mental fortitude to not drive poor Nejad insane... mad respect, bro!

[@tgs1766]

Especially since it was basically pointless. The level of detail they were modifying was so minute, it will never show up on screen. And doesn’t affect the story one bit. All those hours-possibly days or weeks worth-of wasted time, just to satisfy some egos. Everyone has to have their opinion catered to so they feel important. Meanwhile, these guys could get the job done with very little input from others.

[@mediocreMorpheus7795]

Despite the fact that Aquaman 2 was an utter failure of a film, I am glad that Adam is highlighting the tremendous amount of work that went into it despite it's reception. I would love it if Adam did more behind the scenes stuff of all these Hollywood films because the set designers, costume designers, the make up artists, they all deserve more public recognition for their efforts even if the movie they worked on wasn't successful. When something is good, it's good and we should acknowledge it. Even if I didn't like the movie I can admit I loved a lot the designs and inspirations that were displayed.

[@Tragedyval]

which is why is stupid when people decide to bomb a movie just because of actor or actress mistake (amber heard/ezra miller ) cause there are lots of people that work in a movie, but people nvr see the big picture.

[@wyldelf2685]

​@@Tragedyvalit's more than a unsavory actor or actress , ,fans see preview and read review if costuming is incorrect or if it has noticeable crummy execution of CGI effects or if there is blatant miss-casting ( Topher Grace as VENOM ) these kind of things can be death of a movie when directors and producers don't have enough heart involved and our ONLY going for Cash Grab, , , , a lousy choice for Lex Luthor actor ruined Batman VS Superman, for me at least, when I saw the preview instantly lost any desire to see movie , ,I noticed choice for Luthor figured if director and producers dont care about their own movie , why should myself be expected to ???

[@offearth3d]

I would love to have seen the suit broken down and assembled. The sliding panels are very interesting to me.

[@jamesdudeck231]

Always cool to see what happens behind the curtains. Thanks for showing us all this!

[@FilmAcolyteReturns]

I remember Gui DaSilva talking about the Black Panther suit. He said that thing was seven layers and the first thing he did was a series of aggressive squat thrusts. He didn’t want the suit to tear while he was doing all sorts insane stunts.

[@Swenglish]

Am I insane for missing simplicity in superhero costume design? Like, I'm all about verisimilitude and the storytelling guiding the costume design, and sometimes I'm just like...how did this character get this costume? How did this character get *in* this costume? What happens if it needs fixing or replacing? Sometimes simple costumes tell a better story. Kick-Ass and Mystery Men, I think, are great examples of superhero costume design guided by the storytelling. Spider-Man's homemade costume in Homecoming is also up there for me. And in the show Superman & Lois, the best costume is the one Superman wore in the flashback of his first public appearance, the Fleischer-style one with flat colors and red trunks. It just works. All the microprint and hyper-detail and muscle contouring and so on, while flashy and fancy, often just comes off as putting aesthetics above storytelling and ends up looking like everything was made by the same Hollywood costume designers instead of people living in the world. Especially when it comes to characters who aren't kings, gods and billionaires. While I can appreciate the masterful craftsmanship that goes into making complicated costumes, I often feel like it's counterproductive to creating a world that feels lived in. With Aquaman, it's like, fair enough, he's a king of the fish people, I buy that he'd have a fancy suit, and with Iron Man, obviously the fancy suit is the whole thing, but with a lot of characters, I feel like costume design could be a lot simpler. Ms. Marvel comes to mind; her mom made *that* overnight? And Tobey Maguire Spider-Man's suit appeared in a smash cut, with a raised webbing pattern that would have been difficult to make at home in 2002 and no explanation what so ever for where it came from. That was the first time I started thinking about this.

[@ianburkard]

I was just about to type a similar post. There are not enough innovative directors and designers in the comic book film realm. Too much detail is considered to be a hallmark of quality design/storytelling. It is not. Every cosplayer can do this stuff in their garage. Design became overdone with LOTR, introducing a ridiculous amount of imbedded history into every aspect of costuming/process. It was purely self-indulgent obvious overthinking, process salesmanship. Modern movie making (2000-present) is a caricature of Spielberg and Lucas. They had no idea that nerding out over their own processes would result in a generic textbook version of their thinking becoming the norm. Every film/animation student is trained to use their (admittedly effective) visual language when telling stories. As far as superhero costuming goes, you are right that the TG Spiderman started the nonsensical trend of overbuilt comic costuming. This was the point at which everyone lost it, and it's now simply the norm. That was twenty years ago, and we have seen little visual innovation since that time.

[@Swenglish]

@@ianburkard The honeycomb patterns are everywhere now. Hundreds of tiny hexagons on everything. I hope that trend fades. It's just clutter and makes everything look generic. Big blocks of flat colors are nothing to be ashamed of. It works for Peacemaker. His shirt is mostly just red fabric. Not red with honeycomb microprint and muscle contouring, just red. It works. No need to over-complicate things.

[@Swenglish]

@@ianburkard It depends, I think. I mean, there are already good examples of current costumes that don't try too hard. Peacemaker, the Hawkeyes, Deadpool... I was actually quite impressed by the simplicity of the Batgirl suit from that movie that got scrapped; it just looked like a modified motorcycle suit, which makes sense for that character. Like, the philosophy exists. It just needs to become the bigger trend, and the honeycomb microprint overdesign trend needs to fade away.

[@Ajay-vm5kz]

Without details, superhero costumes would look bland. Plus, I like to draw detailed suits cos they're challenging

[@AerialTheShamen]

​@@ianburkardAnd in 15 years AI will have made 95% of Hollywood blockbuster actors and props obsolete anyway. Competing a 300 mio US$ movie to 90% of that quality for 1k to 10k $ won't leave much choice and hopefully will bring humans back to good storytelling instead of drowning everything in SFX.

[@941asland]

So this is why movies are so expensive and are devastating to the studios when they flop. This suit probably cost more than the entire godzilla minus one movie.

[@CloneMalone]

I wouldn't really say so. These things cost a lot, yes, but the true overwhelming costs come from poor planning and lack of vision. Minus One was so cheap because the director knew exactly how everything was going to look and how the VFX team was going to do it. He negated the need for so many things like reshoots and endless post-production trial and error simply because he was also the VFX supervisor. Recently, Superhero films have had tons of rewrites, reshoots, and "fix it in post" mentalities which tend to cause huge cost ballooning.

[@X_TheWolf_X]

they need more behind the scenes stuff like this! this is neat

[@elainegallagher6015]

I love the way the highlights pop out on the bevels of the suit, totally going to use that on minis now

[@MeettheTings]

It's so good seeing the other side of how much hard work it takes to create a film!

[@kevinlucas8437]

These superhero costumes are incredible !!!

[@magpieMOB]

For those who want to learn more: the technique referred to as adding powder pigments into the mould before pouring/injecting plastic or rubber is sometimes called "Cold Casting" (especially when the powders are metallic, as it gives the impression of cast metal but...y'know...cold) - so look for more information on Cold Casting if you want to try it yourself!

[@ianburkard]

Cold casting is decades old. The first time that I became aware of it was in the late 80s, when lots of fake bronzes and ivories become an issue.

[@celestialtoystore]

Cold casting is adding powdered metal into the resin then burnishing the cast afterwards with fine wire wool to bring out the metal effect.

[@ianburkard]

Agreed, cold casting is generally this, lots of metallic powder added to resin. The name is just salesmanship really... a way to confuse customers into thinking that they're getting something higher quality than standard resin. Brushing a mold with metallic before you pour is not cold casting. @@celestialtoystore

[@matthewsbernier]

The show Gilded Age has a lot of dresses with what look like very expensive embroidery, even up close, but which I imagine must be something like silkscreened superhero fabric, and I'd LOVE if Tested could visit and see how on Earth they made those dresses look so expensive and hand-worked to camera.

[@Movidude74]

I cannot speak to the materials, but the corsets were real

[@leemarsh3569]

Really nice people at SBFX and fantastic quality work😊

[@hazonku]

I love that they took what we've been doing in the cosplay & 3D printing scene since like 2017 and just took that to the next level with a Marvelous sim so everything just fits right. larger scale printers are only just now getting cheap enough that some of us are able to do that in large chunks of fabric but nothing near the whole pattern. It's still a lotta clipping fabric to a bed, running a print, then moving it and just sorta hoping things line up right once it's altogether and finally worn.

[@incrediblemrlew836]

The skill involved here is impressive and their screen printer is top notch. Screen printing high density on top a digital print and on a stretchy thin fabric sounds like a nightmare. Props to the designer who had to map the 2D design on the 3D scan, that software sounds expensive.

[@BabsButcher]

I would love to hear more about making the superhero suits stunts friendly. It's so important that the double can do everything comfortably and I'd love to know how design can change with that in mind

[@Double_Vision]

Having worked on the Polar Bear fur sims which are an evolution of this method it's what we used to employ for extra VFX work for each shot on that show.

[@DenkyManner]

Most modern superhero costumes look way over designed. They look premium, unlike many previous costumes, but too busy. However, the golden aquaman suit looks amazing. Shame about the movies!

[@wdavis81x]

Lovely suits. As an Aquaman enjoyer getting into indie dev and having to talk about materials this was fun to watch!

[@tsancio]

The first observation: Jason Momoa is big.

[@benhughes6507]

The costume's and sets we're the best thing about this movie, in fact that's true of most superhero films recently!!

[@erinkarp]

This is an insane level of detail!

[@davidmercadel9300]

Seeing this gets me really excited for the new Superman Legacy suit!!

[@KianneofTroi]

Such a shame they didn't listen to the customers.. all this hard work that went in to this movie that wont be seen because of one person! :(. i feel so sorry for all the artists that worked behind the camera that did amazing stuff like this..

[@LoveDoctorNL]

I was fully expecting Adam to wear these going into this video

[@froydinger]

not a fan of Aquaman, but it's great seeing practical costumes! Happy to see less CG when it isn't needed.

[@scribblingjoe]

I think Adam Savage is a pretty good superhero name. I guess depending on your superpower/s you could be Atom Savage.

[@Y2JFan94]

Great costumes and great movie!

[@ekojar3047]

That screen printing idea is incredible!

[@CesarIsaacPerez]

Suits look amazing!

[@Steve-vf7se]

I love the MAN OF STEEL costume made, it's so cool. I also love how the material and the logo look different. So here in the AQUAMAN version, I like it. The scales and the boots are unique, it's all good. The real actor had the body for these 2 suit ups, nice

[@jaxuys]

Wow, loved getting insights into this. Thank you Adam!

[@benperry835]

Let's be real - they could have chosen any of those 17 scales and it would have made no difference 😂

[@Budaniel]

I love how on every costume they look at, the first thing everyone does is feel up the pecs. I mean, I get it - it's a wide, flat expanse of material to check for fit/texture/sculpting/etc - but it's still funny to see.

[@richardabia9735]

I can't wait for this movie. I am upset that Mera will not be in it more, and the STUPID reboot that DC is doing, but I Love Aquaman and Adam Savage being interested is enough to make me a little more curious.

[@MobiusTrigger7]

the real heros of these films

[@thereallightwarrior906]

The right pectoral region has a couple of tiles slightly out of position. Is that because he has his right arm raised? Looks spectacular- great work, gentleman!

[@D3str0]

10:59 the thirth guy is having the best time in his life clearly...

[@geiroveeilertsen7112]

I love how the lighting in the room is just two "mother & daughter"-lamps 😊

[@bradmullaerialphotography]

Wether you like a film or not, there’s some great stuff going on behind the scenes. Production crews work hard to create stuff like this and then the studio completely shits on it with rushing release dates or having poor writing.

[@tjthehobopainter9173]

On one hand it is amazing work. At the same time, the digital aspect makes everything look kinda same-y imo.

[@TerryTrowbridge]

They did do a great job on Aquaman's costume, wish Patrick Wilson would have been Aquaman though.

[@classmst89]

Their eye for detail is INSANE! They literally showes us every variation of the scales and im like "they all look exactly the same" 😂😅

[@dannysunay4386]

These are magnificent!!!😊😊😊😊❤❤❤❤

[@remx3541]

Make a batsuit with that black suit material looks so cool

[@Wico90YT]

The most ridiculous thing is. Cosplayers recreating this stuff at 1% of the budget

[@AerialTheShamen]

but perhaps while needing 100 times its working time.

[@ninjaeddy1717]

That orange suit is beautiful

[@Jimmy_Moon]

@ 9:28 Like balloons with graphics printed on them.

[@buzza9563]

My favorite character of Jason's is still Ronon Dex. (Stargate Atlantis) He had a badass weapon.

[@ShaneTallon88]

This is so crazy cool

[@TheRealMrCods]

Amazing work. 👍

[@rhatikeo]

the suit is so damn well designed i can imagine it being a high tech chainmail scale suit

[@PanoptesDreams]

As cool as this is with all the hard work. It really explains why I hate a lot of modern supe costumes: They all just look like plastic! It takes away from any authenticity. I genuinely hate it, because it takes all the hard work that goes into making these amazing pieces of work and spits on it.

[@TheOneSoulMate_]

Very cool! Amazing!

[@strozombie.01]

The blue AQUAMAN suit is made the same way the Cavill's Superman suit is made. A chromed muscle latex under-suit with a thin stretchy fabric over it.

[@donrozwick7367]

thank you for sharing

[@theangrymarmot8336]

I like seeing how this stuff is made - but man am I absolutely burned out / tired of "superhero" movies. I stopped watching them years ago due to over-saturation of the genre.

[@NoOrdinaryRabbit93]

Would love to see Adam visit something like Bad Wolf Studios in Cardiff to see how a studio on a comparatively small budget can continue to produce the work they do.

[@Teasebag]

16+ revisions for scale shapes is either why films like this cost $250m or why special and vfx effects houses go out of business

[@AerialTheShamen]

15 years later AI will have made 95% of Hollywood blockbuster actors and props obsolete anyway. Competing a 300 mio US$ movie to 90% of that quality for 1k to 10k $ won't leave much choice and hopefully will bring humans back to good storytelling instead of drowning everything in SFX.

[@curtisbme]

Amazing detail. If I were going to be the actor in any of these suits I'd want it to be build around me wearing one of those shirts with water cooling loop in it so you can do some takes and get hooked up to a chilled loop asap.

[@crtified1001]

For a more analog, DIY take on what's possible, check out Australia's Barry Armstead (BuildsByBaz) and his amazing Iron Man suit, which he uses to raise funds for health and charity. And his full scale Battlestar Galactica Viper build is something else.

[@ConnorHolland]

I like the hexagon printed fabric very much, but personally dislike the look of painted rubber/plastic for 'metal' pieces, especially the gold belt shown here. Surely Jason is strong enough to wear a real metal belt? If its too pointy to be comfortable then it should be redesigned just like a real piece of clothing would, especially the buckle that's very close to a vulnerable area of the body!

[@cable7152]

I really hope these guy's aren't getting underpaid, they work their asses off and make pieces of art.

[@hwelch2]

Where's Edna Mode's office?

[@muleskinnerfilms6719]

Again, a great piece

[@el_covfefe]

I think they did the chrome budy suit with JL Superman

[@madzangels]

Not to take anything away from these costumes, but further blows my mind when you look at the high end arrmoury of Knights when you consider all the tech and materiais available for someone in our time

[@shaggycan]

The Tory & Kari Mythbusters laundry detergent ad was attached to this video. 😂

[@GatesMondovics]

Great video love all things superhero although I prefer marvel my top four are Superman Spider-Man Batman and Daredevil my favorite memory is seeing spiderman in theaters when I was 10 with mom and dad best memory ever

[@milesbiglin1281]

Both of those costumes are amazing💯💯, it’s such an absolute waste of opportunity with Jason mamoa leaving as Aquaman. Hope he continues to be Aquaman in the future

[@barryallenflash1]

Fantastic work guys! Now, when you are free, you can help me work on MY next Reverse Flash costume...lol

[@chrispenn1544]

Nejad Khedarun deserved to talk a little bit more, it was kind of awkward seeing him just standing.

[@7gpanda744]

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@heywardfi]

The dark suit honestly looks like a scuba pro dive suit

[@15Kilo]

Bigger serratus and last would have look a little better. But yes it looks awesome! And metallic

[@JinxNightcore]

Very cool💕💕💕

[@kjpphotography4764]

Great costumes. I wish you would have looked at Black Manta's.

[@nathkrupa3463]

Great video sir 👍

[@hanif-pl5hd]

both suits are gorgeous, much better than the JL version imo

[@williamirvine7071]

AMAZING

[@tolkienfan1972]

Awesome

[@rhatikeo]

a mold of the suit that can stretch would work way better kinda like how they made the ben grimm the Thing suit from fantastic 4

[@BradK02]

The abs changed from the first costume to the second one. Its very different, no continuation 😁

[@chrislaws4785]

I would honestly LOVE to have this type of job just making things for movies and TV shows. I mean it is literally just the grown up version of playing as a kid pretending that a few pieces of scrap is a scifi laser pistol or that a towel is a cape.

[@cheutho]

Hexagons are the bestagons!

[@robertosalvatore1211]

What would you study at university (college) to learn skills like this? It’s so cool!

[@djericanthony]

Oh I have this problem with dealing with building props all the time. Ability to make minute changes complicates the completion of the product.