In Brian Duffield's adaptation of Daniel Kraus's survival thriller Whalefall, protagonist Jay Gardiner, portrayed by Austin Abrams, finds himself swallowed by a sperm whale during a scuba dive. To bring this harrowing scenario to life, the filmmakers prioritized realism, constructing a 35-foot-long whale head and four distinct stomach sets designed to be jostled, climbed, and filled with simulated digestive fluids. Production designer Ramsey Avery emphasized the importance of Abrams's physical reactions to these environments. "All that motion on camera is motion that we’re making. It’s not animated. That means Austin’s body is responding to real action in real time," Avery told Polygon. One set was mounted on a rig to simulate rocking, while another functioned like a washing machine cylinder for tumbling effects. A seesaw-rigged set allowed Abrams to be soaked in methylcellulose, a goop designed to mimic whale stomach acid. For the giant squid that attacks Jay, puppets with embedded wires and internal rigs were used to create squirming, tentacle movements that could wrap around the actor.
The whale's throat was constructed from porous, antibacterial foam to prevent mold, and large kiddie pools were employed to contain water spillage on set, a significant logistical challenge for the production. "Any time you introduce the idea of water on a set, the producers give you the hairy eyeball," Avery noted. "Water is just like the hardest thing to manipulate. It's even harder than snow."
Scientific Accuracy Guided Creature Design
The filming process was intensely claustrophobic, with Abrams, two cameras, a sound boom, and a puppeteer confined to a small six-by-eight-foot space. Visual effects supervisor Guillaume Rocheron augmented the practical effects by adding extra tentacles digitally, as not all physical elements could fit. The set's dimensions were based on scientific measurements of an 80-foot sperm whale. "We knew how big a stomach was based on the length of a whale," Avery explained. "We did multiple scale tests of the squid to see which was the right size that worked best in the stomach with a guy who was the size of Austin."
Avery collaborated with Dr. Joy Reidenberg, a comparative anatomy research scientist, who provided insights from whale dissections to inform the construction of elements like a six-foot-long whale tongue and the teeth Jay attempts to climb. Marine biologist Dr. Steve Haddock advised on the design of the bioluminescent jellyfish used for lighting, suggesting species that would provide appropriate illumination. The prop jellyfish featured a programmable LED within silicone to simulate flickering light.
Due to the fluid nature of the whale stomach environment, traditional storyboarding was limited. Director Brian Duffield and director of photography Aaron Morton often worked directly on set to capture photographic references for sequences. Abrams prepared by learning to scuba dive and swimming with sperm whales in the Caribbean. He performed most of his own underwater stunts, including scenes in a 60-foot-wide tank. The nine-month production involved overcoming challenges such as preventing paint from degrading in chlorinated water and simulating rapid movement within confined spaces using hydraulic lifts. "It was super challenging, but the movie kind of lived or died based on whether the whale stomach really worked," Avery reflected. "But Austin needed that environment to be able to act in."