Few CGI effects in 'Big Fish'

NEW YORK, Jan. 2 (UPI) -- Hollywood filmmaker Tim Burton says he wanted to use as few computer-generated special effects as possible in his fanciful new drama "Big Fish."

"I've worked with that stuff, but on this movie it was important to do it as live just because of the nature of the stories and it just felt like it needed a hand-made, kind of funky quality so we did as much effects live (as we could,)" the "Sleepy Hollow" and "Edward Scissorhands" director said in New York recently.

Scenes featuring the character of a kind-hearted giant were filmed using a really tall man, a short stand-in for actor Ewan McGregor, and special lenses and angles.

"Big Fish" is the story of a sensible man (Billy Crudup) trying to figure out who his tall-tale loving dad (Albert Finney) is before he dies. McGregor plays the father as an adventurous young man.

Asked if the enormous fish McGregor's character wrestles with in a pivotal scene in the film is real or computer-generated, Burton revealed: "Ewan was out there with a big rubber fish. Literally. It was like the 'Ed Wood' octopus. Like, 'Make his head move.' Doing things that way fed into, for me, the spirit of the movie. To see Ewan wrestling with a big rubber fish. We all thought it was quite funny."