Bringing Thing to Life

The hit Netflix series Wednesday is back for its second season and so is the team behind one of its freakiest characters: Thing. Thing is a disembodied hand played by magician Victor Dorobantu. But as good as Dorobantu is at close-up magic, movie magic is what makes Thing 100% believable.

Tom Turnbull makes that magic happen. He’s the show’s visual effects (VFX) supervisor. While shooting, his team uses practical effects. These are physical changes to the set like creative lighting, strategic positioning of props, and other tricks. For one scene, they cut a hole into a book bag so Thing could emerge from it!

The hit Netflix series Wednesday is back for its second season. So is the team behind one of its creepiest characters: Thing. Thing is a hand with no body. He’s played by magician Victor Dorobantu. But it takes some movie magic to make Thing look real.

Tom Turnbull makes that happen. He’s in charge of visual effects (VFX) for the show. His team uses practical effects while they’re filming. These are physical changes to the set like creative lighting and props. For one scene, they cut a hole in a book bag for Dorobantu’s arm. Then Thing could come out the other side! 

Most of the time, though, the toughest variable Turnbull is solving for is how to hide Dorobantu—the human on the end of Thing’s wrist. Dorobantu squishes into tight spaces and awkward positions to keep the rest of his body out of each shot. For a scene in the new season, Thing has to go through a doggy door. “That would be fine if he was just Thing, but he’s attached to Victor!” says Turnbull. He solved this problem by breaking apart the wall to allow Dorobantu through.

After shooting, Turnbull’s team starts creating digital effects on computers. They use editing tools to make Thing’s finger movements smoother. But one of their biggest tasks is digitally deleting the rest of Dorobantu’s body. That’s why he wears a blue suit and sleeves: The solid color makes it easier for the VFX team to know what parts to remove from the shot.

Most of the time, though, it’s harder to hide Dorobantu’s body. He often squeezes into tight spaces and awkward positions to keep himself out of the shot. For a scene in the new season, Thing crawls through a doggy door. “That would be fine if he was just Thing,” says Turnbull. “But he’s attached to Victor!” Turnbull’s solution? Breaking apart the wall so Dorobantu could step through.

After shooting, Turnbull’s team works on digital effects. They use computer tools to make Thing’s finger movements look extra smooth. They also delete the rest of Dorobantu’s body. That’s why he wears a blue suit and sleeves while filming. The solid color makes it easier for the VFX team to know what to remove.

Turnbull’s team spends months fine-tuning every frame to create Thing and Wednesday’s shared world. “Thing is the work of many, many, many people,” Turnbull says. “An incredible amount of care goes into literally every frame.”

Turnbull’s team spends months fine-tuning every scene where Thing appears. “Thing is the work of many, many, many people,” Turnbull says. “An incredible amount of care goes into literally every frame.”