4. Testing times

Getting District 9 moving was partly thanks to Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, partly to Alive In Joburg’s existence as proof Blomkamp could make it work… And a lot of experimentation and brainstorming to find the right ideas for every part of the film.

For a start, the director wanted to blend Joburg’s docu-style with cinematic gloss, switching from the mockumentary footage to the narrative story mid-film.

“There was no precedent for that and I didn't know if it would work,” he told us.

“But I definitely wanted the feeling of real footage - news feed and documentary cameras.

“And I knew I wanted a story as compelling as I could make it, which meant I needed traditional filmmaking techniques to shoot the more emotional parts, so I just decided that it's going to be both.

“It seems to work, though - if you don't pay attention, you don't really realise it. By the end of the film it was all cinematic.

“But getting that to work freaked me out, I had a few panic attacks over if it was going to work.”

For the central role of Wikus, a favour was returned as Blomkamp hired Sharlto Copley to play the lead.

As a test, the two shot some of the opening scenes of the film with Copley finding the character.

“A small amount of power goes a long way with Wikus – he’s an ordinary guy who likes to wield power in a bureaucratic way,” says Copley.  

“That’s why MNU promotes him – they want a guy who will do things in an orderly, proper way.”

It was originally only supposed to be a simple test, but Jackson sparked to Copley’s performance so much that he insisted he be the star.



And the creatures? Though they were almost entirely CG, Blomkamp knew he needed a focus for the rest of the cast.

The job of “playing” the aliens went to his Alive In Joburg production designer Jason Cope.

 “Actually, I play about ten different characters,” says Cope.  

“It was quite a thing to wake up and say, ‘Which creature will I be today?’  

“My mom was very excited when I got the part.  She asked, ‘What are you doing?’  I said, ‘I’m playing a community of intergalactic beings in the townships.’  

She couldn’t quite get her head around it.”

“Neill had a very clear idea about what he wanted from the non-humans,” Cope continues.  

“During the rehearsal process, we got a feel for what he liked, but he also gave me a lot of freedom, within certain boundaries.  

I wouldn’t act too much like an animal or an insect, but I’m definitely not acting human, either.”

But they – and their ship – still needed a style…

Next: The look of District 9