Here’s How Sinners Got To Make A Twin Out of Michael B. Jordan

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Summary

  • Sinners‘ VFX supervisor explains the twinning effect using classic split-screen and a multi-camera harness rig.
  • Despite achieving seamless results, the techniques used are not new and have been utilized in films for years.
  • Sinners‘ success lies in the convincing realism of two Michael B. Jordans and a minimal drop in box office revenue.

Viewers of Ryan Coogler’s movie Sinners, or any other film that showcases the same actor playing multiple roles, often wonder about the technique used to create this dual portrayal. The VFX supervisor of the vampire horror-thriller has provided an explanation for this curiosity.

As a cinephile, I’d rephrase it like this: “In this movie, titled ‘Sinners,’ I find myself captivated by the dual performance of Michael B. Jordan, portraying twin brothers Smoke and Stack. They decide to open a juke joint in their hometown, but things take a dark turn when a mysterious vampire outbreak erupts, causing chaos within the community. The film made a powerful debut, earning $45.6 million domestically and an additional $15.6 million from 71 international markets. This impressive showing dethroned ‘A Minecraft Movie’ as the U.S.’s box office king. Furthermore, Jordan Peele’s ‘Nope’ ($44.4 million) was overtaken as the strongest domestic debut for an original horror film, although Peele still holds the highest record with his movie ‘US’ ($70.3 million).

As a supporter, I had the privilege of chatting with Michael Ralla, VFX supervisor for Sinners, on the Academy Originals YouTube channel – the official channel of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In our discussion, Michael revealed how Michael B. Jordan was able to play twins in the film. It’s a blend of the classic split screen/stationary camera method—where the actor portrays each role in different parts of the frame while the camera remains still, and the footage is later combined—and a multi-camera harness rig.

As a cinephile, I’ll let you in on our creative process for capturing those stunning shots in our film. For about half of them, we opted for an old-school split screen technique where we filmed Michael B. Jordan twice and merged the two takes seamlessly. The remaining shots or scenes featuring intense physical interactions between the twins were handled using a unique setup we call ‘The Halo Rig’. This innovative rig is essentially a harness equipped with ten, or sometimes even twelve cameras, revolving around the actor’s head. By doing so, we could not only capture his facial expressions but also his head movements, which were then skillfully transferred onto a stunt double.

Sinners’ Twinning Techniques Aren’t Revolutionary

They’ve Been in Use For A Long Time, So Don’t Expect Any Visual Effects Accolades

While both methods produce smooth outcomes, neither is particularly groundbreaking. As early as 1898, split screens were employed by Georges Méliès in The Corsican Brothers, and they gained fame in The Parent Trap (1998). Digital duplicates were first utilized for Ronald Colman in The Prisoner of Zenda (1937) and Eddie Murphy in The Nutty Professor (1996). A similar technique was used in Logan (2017) for the X-24 clone.

Just like with any special visual effects, the aim is to create a lifelike authenticity that leaves viewers who aren’t familiar with Michael B. Jordan believing they’re looking at his twin. Having two Michael B. Jordans in a movie offers fans of the actor a double dose of enjoyment, which could be one of many reasons for its extraordinary longevity. On this note, the film saw only a -6% decline in its second weekend in North America, making it one of the gentlest drops for R-rated movies—or any genre at all—in recent Hollywood history.

Michael Ralla, on his end, has already constructed a truly remarkable collection of work that any aspiring VFX artist could envision as their ultimate goal. His talent has been showcased in numerous roles within some of the biggest box office hits, such as “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”, “John Wick: Chapter 4”, “Pacific Rim”, “Divergent”, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”, “Thor: The Dark World”, and “The Avengers”.

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2025-05-24 21:04