Whalefall put Austin Abrams inside compact, realistic whale-stomach sets, then filmed those stomach scenes in story order. Director Brian Duffield said the sets were no larger than they appear onscreen, leaving Abrams tightly enclosed for the survival thriller.
The production built the whale interiors with help from Wētā Workshop. Duffield described Abrams as being locked inside a strange “egg,” which gave the movie its claustrophobic feel without relying on an oversized space.
Filming the stomach sequences chronologically helped Abrams follow Jay Gardiner’s changing state from one scene to the next. He said that approach let him keep track of where the character had just been instead of jumping to a completely different point in the ordeal.
The new production details arrive one day before Whalefall opens in theaters on October 16. Abrams plays a diver swallowed by a sperm whale while searching for his father’s remains.
Source: D23.