When Samuel L. Jackson, on the set of Snakes on a Plane, asked Rick Lazzarini if his carefully built silicone snakes were “delicate,” Lazzarini was unsure about what Jackson meant.

“I wondered to myself, ‘Delicate?’ Well, no, it won't shatter to pieces if you handle it." 

Under the impression that the actor would simply grab the snake from his partner’s lap and toss it aside, as was called for in the script, Lazzarini answered: "No, Sam, it's not delicate."

Sam said, “Good," according to Rick, and then proceeded to rehearse the scene. But rather than sticking with the plan, the actor grabbed the rubber snake and, without mercy, repeatedly flogged it against a stair railing.

“With great and furious vengeance,” according to Lazzarini, is how Jackson handled the replica, which cost several thousand dollars to make. “WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! ...then he tossed the snake away.”

Lazzarini, aware of the many hours and cost that had gone into making the snake replica, was taken aback.

“I was open mouthed, in shock,” said Lazzarini. "'Holy Crap!’" I thought to myself. ‘He asked if it was delicate, not ‘can I beat the living (expletive) out of this snake?’"

But much to his surprise, the snake was not damaged.

“It took those whacks and probably 15 more before he was done and still, no problem,” said Lazzarini. “I guess we built it right!”

Lazzarini, along with his crew of animatronics and FX prop makers at The Character Shop, were responsible for the replica and animatronic snakes for the production of Snakes on a Plane. Working quickly and skillfully, the shop was able to produce realistic looking snake replicas that allowed such scenes to be filmed without harming either snakes or people.

Making Fake Snakes

For scenes in which filming real snakes would have been impractical, the shop created a variety of rubber replica and animatronic snakes. The process began with sculpting the snakes, creating models that would later be used to make molds. The Character Shop team crafted the snakes’ heads by hand, carving out each individual scale with meticulous care.

But for the snakes’ bodies, they employed a shortcut method aided by real snakes. Jules Sylvester, the movie’s snake wrangler, provided skins that were shed from his animals. The snakeskin was then applied to the body sculpture, providing a realistic texture that normally would have taken days of hand carving.

The sculptures were then used to create fiberglass-jacketed molds, in which tinted, plasticized silicone was cast. After removing them from the molds, they trimmed the snakes and patched any bubbles that had formed. The team then finished the snakes by painting them and adding the eyes, fangs and mouth detail.

Repurposing a Motorcycle Chain

The animatronic replicas were more complex, requiring a built-in apparatus to allow realistic movement. Each animatronic snake had a custom armature inside, a mechanism that consisted of a motorcycle chain and attachment points for the puppetry rods.

“The motorcycle chain allowed a synthetic verisimilitude that was analogous to a real snake’s multi-vertebrae spine,” explained Lazzarini. “Once again, rather than custom constructing each and every spinal column, we repurposed an existing item to help with the time crunch we were under.”

That time crunch resulted from the production’s request that the snakes be provided in an exceptionally short period of time.

“We originally requested three months to fabricate all the snakes with the original director,” said Lazzarini, (referring to Ronny Yu, who later bowed out) “settled on eight weeks and then were subsequently given only six weeks to begin delivering a good number of snakes. It was a very intense build in a short amount of time.”

Snakes on a Set

Most of the animatronic snakes’ movements resulted from rod puppetry, a system that uses rods to create movement in the puppet. Using thin steel rods connected to the motorcycle chain “skeleton,” the puppeteers could have the snakes poise, coil and strike on cue. The rods were either kept out of the camera’s frame completely or later removed in post.

A few of the snakes had special “tentacle” mechanisms, which were controlled by cable creating a realistic writhing effect. They were also used during a scene in which both oxygen masks and snakes fall from the ceiling, and the snakes lift their heads to face and attack the passengers.

Animatronics vs. Other Methods

Some may wonder why a filmmaker would decide to go through so much trouble for what are essentially sophisticated puppets. One reason is to prevent harm to the real snakes, a practice that is not only humane but necessary to acquire the American Humane Association’s “No Animals Were Harmed” seal of approval for films using live animals.

Also, live animals create difficulties for directors because, as Lazzarini pointed out, animals don’t always take direction well. “It's up to the snake if he wants to attack something that day” he said. “If he doesn't, you don't get your shot.”

So why not have the snakes be completely CG? After all, computer animated characters can be made to do anything, provided an adequate budget and time are available. Also, CG characters needn’t be hindered by mechanics or gravity. “You can break the laws of physics with CG,” said Lazzarini. “You can show a dinosaur running, and it doesn't have any rigs to remove. That's a real plus.”

But CG characters tend to have a certain appearance that doesn’t always meld well with real ones. And these characters aren’t there when the scene is actually filmed, making some actors and directors uncomfortable.

But animatronics have their own issues that annoy some directors, such as rods, cords and cables that interfere with production. Still, Lazzarini feels animatronics can aid in getting a better performance from the actors than with CG. Animatronics have, according to Lazzarini, a certain “charm factor” that allows for easier interaction with people.

“People immediately relate to them as characters, and interact with them,” said Lazzarini. They can also take direction while on set, albeit through their puppeteers. “Want it faster, slower, louder, less bold, more campy? You'll see it in the next take, and the other actors can react to that.”

Combination is Key

Often, the most desired effect comes from a combination of CG characters, live animals and animatronics, as was used in Snakes on a Plane.

“The key is to mix it up and use each of these techniques and tools for its optimum strength,” said Lazzarini. “Done properly, the audience won't be able to pinpoint and focus on what technique you're using.  Like a magician's audience being distracted at key moments, they'll be too busy being swept up in the moment, convinced that the character you've created is believable.”


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