Del Toro Praises Riley's Handmade Effects Over Digital
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- Guillermo del Toro praised Boots Riley on X, writing that "not enough is said about how much Boots uses hand-made things instead of digital things" after Riley shared a behind-the-scenes look at the film's Bay Area miniature chase set.
- Boots Riley confirmed on his own profile that "I Love Boosters" is shot entirely in camera, with VFX limited to compositing and cleanup — no CGI — and credited del Toro as "the maestro" he learned from.
- Mystery Meat Media, Oakland-based stop motion animators, created the people in $100,000 suits appearing near the film's end, according to Riley's breakdown.
- For scenes set in Demi Moore's fashion mogul character Christie Smith's office, Riley tilted the set 17 degrees to create a surreal sharp angle that amplifies the film's absurdist physical humor.
- To simulate an electromagnetic beam from a futuristic device, Riley used a "water hose against black" — filming white-light and red-light versions at smaller scale, with one full-scale shot against a rug, then compositing them into the final shot.
- "I Love Boosters" stars Keke Palmer, Naomi Ackie, Taylour Paige, and Poppy Liu as a crew of professional shoplifters targeting Christie's fashion empire, with supporting cast including LaKeith Stanfield, Don Cheadle, Will Poulter, Eiza González, and Jason Ritter.
Why it matters: A three-time Oscar winner publicly validating a no-CGI, practical-effects indie film during its second theatrical weekend gives Riley's low-budget approach mainstream credibility right when ticket sales matter most — Riley is explicitly urging audiences to see it in theaters "ASAP." The endorsement reframes the film as a craft-first counterpoint to digital blockbusters currently dominating the box office.
