Edgar Wright’s ‘Unintentional’ Cameo in ‘Baby Driver’ Required VFX to Remain in the Film
Zack Sharf
Edgar Wright is hardly the first director to make a blink-and-you’ll-miss-him cameo in one of his movies, although he might be one of the first to unintentionally crash his own shot and require VFX to keep him in the movie. Wright confirmed on Twitter he has a very tiny cameo in the opening credits of “Baby Driver,” but his appearance wasn’t exactly meant to happen.
Wright’s reflection can be seen in the music shop’s window when the camera stops and Ansel Elgort’s Baby imitates playing a trumpet. Wright never intended to be in the shot, though his reflection was picked up in the window as he walked down the street.
In real life, Wright was walking in front of Elgort and looking at a monitor of the footage being recorded. Wright decided to keep himself in the shot, although he needed help from VFX company DNEG to digitally remove the monitor and replace it with a cell phone so it would look like Wright was just an everyday pedestrian.
The cameo can be seen in the gif below, although you’ll have to squint and pay very close attention to the shot. Wright is the silhouette whose reflection is walking just ahead of Ansel Elgort. Wright’s appearance is the second unexpected cameo in an Oscar-nominated film to be revealed in recent weeks. Guillermo del Toro appears in “The Shape of Water” as the fish creature’s breath.
“Baby Driver” is nominated for three Oscars this year, including Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Film Editing. The Academy Awards air Sunday, March 4.
This GIF captures my unintentional cameo in ‘Baby Driver’, caught in the shop window reflection. We decided to leave me in rather than digitally remove. The @dneg wizards turned my monitor into an iPhone too. pic.twitter.com/aIeJSX5F6M
— edgarwright (@edgarwright) February 26, 2018
