The sound effects team initially tried to create Godzilla's distinctive shriek by using animal roars that had been tweaked through editing. They sampled all kinds of birds and mammals, but nothing seemed to be a suitable match for the reptilian noises such a monster would make. Akira Ifukube, who was responsible for composing the theme song for "Godzilla," then proposed stepping away from using animal samples and offered an alternative solution. The composer took a string off of his contrabass and rubbed it with gloves soaked in pine tar. The eerie screech fit the menacing appearance of Godzilla perfectly. Ifukube passed away in 2006, but 2014 marks the 100th anniversary of his birth.
While most special-effects movies in Hollywood were shot with stop-motion animation techniques at the time, the directors of "Godzilla" opted to use human-size Godzilla costumes to reduce production costs. The prototype Godzilla suit, originally made with rubber, weighed about 150 kg. They remade it with plastic, but the suit still weighed 60 kg at the time of shooting and stuntmen found it difficult to walk with any control.
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