VFX Archives – Page 2 of 14

Feb102018 by Ashish MitraNo Comments

Ajax Media Tech in the midst of plaudits for its work in Tik Tik Tik

VFX

Ajax Media Tech, one of the many visual effects companies in India that was jostling for attention in a crowded space is drawing plaudits from cinegoers these days with the kind of VFX work it has dished out in the Jayam Ravi-starrer Tik Tik Tik that has been dubbed as the first Indian space film and that too all in just five months. Until now, the visual effects industry in India has grown largely on overseas work. But, more and more filmmakers, and not just those working on big banners, are looking at leveraging a home-grown industry that can produce quality work. But, pricing remains a thorny issue in the film world where star salaries are seen dominating budgets. When the makers of Tik Tik Tik approached Ajax Media Tech about producing the CGI believed to be around 90 minutes long,...

Jan182018 by Ashish MitraNo Comments

Three artists from Rising Sun Pictures nominated for VES Award

VFX

Three artists from Rising Sun Pictures have been nominated for a Visual Effects Society (VES) Award for their work in Marvel Studios’ summer blockbuster Thor: Ragnarok. They are CG supervisor Hubert Maston, lighting technical director Arthur Moody, On-set VFX/Concept/Pre-vis Adam Paschke and Virtual Production supervisor Casey Schatz. They have been nominated for Best Virtual Cinematography for the film’s “Val’s Flashback” sequence. The team will travel to Los Angeles where the winners will be announced at the 16th Annual VES Awards Ceremony on February 13 in Beverly Hills. Val’s Flashback, which plays out in artful slow motion under glittering light, describes a fatal encounter between Valkyrie warriors and Hela, the Asgardian Goddess of Death. The female warriors, riding winged st

Jan162018 by Ashish MitraNo Comments

Rodeo FX creates 96 VFX shots of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle

VFX

Visual effects powerhouse Rodeo FX was asked to create 96 shots of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle including some of the most iconic creatures in the movie. The sequel to the 1995 family classic takes the story of a board game that’s come to life and brings it to the digital age by transforming a group of teens into avatars and trapping them inside a video game jungle where the only way out is to beat the game. To help create an alternate game world, Rodeo FX’s creature expertise was brought in. “Director Jake Kasdan wanted the creatures to feel cursed so our team held back from making them too realistic” said VFX Supervisor Alexandre Lafortune, of Rodeo FX. “The Hippo is a great example of a creature that would have appeared scary if we had made it look real, so we made it bigger and f

Jan112018 by Ashish MitraNo Comments

Throwback Thursday: Five best VFX-ridden films that are strong contenders for the Oscar award

VFX

This time, we have shifted our attention to the art of VFX. And considering the upcoming Oscar awards in which one award would be given to a film with the best VFX, we ran through the list of VFX-ridden films and drew out the best five among them who stand to qualify. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recently came out with a list of the 20 films still in the running for this year’s Oscar for Best Visual Effects. The shortlist includes Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water and Rian Johnson’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi superhero tentpoles like Wonder Woman, Logan and Thor: Ragnarok. A possible final five This time around the front runner of the awards are not one but two films. They are War for the Planet of the Apes and Blade Runner 2049. Anot

Jan112018 by Ashish MitraNo Comments

ASC nominates visual-effects driven film, TV shows for 32nd annual ASC awards

VFX

The American Society of Cinematographers has nominated visual-effects driven features and TV shows including Blade Runner 2049, The Shape of Water and Game of Thrones among many others as the nominees for the 32nd annual ASC Awards for Outstanding Achievement. This year’s nominees are: Theatrical Releases Roger Deakins, ASC, BSC for Blade Runner 2049 Bruno Delbonnel, ASC, AFC for Darkest Hour Hoyte van Hoytema, ASC, FSF, NSC for Dunkirk Dan Laustsen, ASC, DFF for The Shape of Water Rachel Morrison, ASC for Mudbound Spotlight Award Máté Herbai, HSC for On Body and Soul Mikhail Krichman, RGC for Loveless Mart Taniel for November Episode of a Series for Non-Commercial Television Gonzalo Amat for The Man in the High Castle (“Land O’ Smiles") on Amazon Adriano Goldman, ASC

Jan22018 by Ashish MitraNo Comments

Academy shortlists 10 films for VFX category of the 90th Academy Awards

VFX

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced that 10 films remain in the running in the visual effects category for the 90th Academy Awards. The executive committee of the Academy came out with the shortlist. The films are listed below in alphabetical order: Alien: Covenant Blade Runner 2049 Dunkirk Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Kong: Skull Island Okja The Shape of Water Star Wars: The Last Jedi Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets War for the Planet of the Apes All members of the Visual Effects Branch will now be asked to view 10-minute excerpts from each of the shortlisted films on January 6. Following the screenings, the members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration. Nominations f

Dec272017 by Ashish MitraNo Comments

Rodeo FX showcases its work of Blade Runner 2049

VFX

Visual effects house Rodeo FX has by way of a new reel has showcased its work for director Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049. The artists of Rodeo FX completed 75 visual effects shots of this particular sequel of Ridley Scott’s classic in their Montreal and Los Angeles studios. Art director and concept artist Deak Ferrand worked on the conceptualisation with Villeneuve in the Los Angeles studio of Rodeo FX. “The first Blade Runner released in 1982 was a classic sci-fi film and I’m proud to have been involved myself as a VFX supervisor for Rodeo FX on this sequel, which will undoubtedly also leave its mark,” exclaimed Rodeo FX VFX supervisor Sébastien Moreau. “It is a privilege to once again work on a Denis Villeneuve movie and showcase Quebec’s talent on this major project,” he add

Dec232017 by Ashish MitraNo Comments

Work of VFX facility Iloura stands out in Jumanji

Studio, VFX

Sony Pictures’ Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is right now being shown in theatres. In the film, a group of teens find themselves inside a high-stakes jungle battle where beating the game is a matter of survival. The film has Iloura serving as a principal VFX facility for the film with contributions including the albino rhino sequence in which the heroes played by Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black and Karen Gillan get trapped in a ravine after their helicopter is damaged. The three must now find a way to outrun a herd of stampeding rhinos. The sequence is almost entirely CG and among the most complex sequences in Iloura’s history. Explaining the same, Iloura VFX Supervisor Glenn Melenhorst said, “The ravine environment was completely CG, and in terms of sheer assets it was

Dec192017 by Ashish MitraNo Comments

Academy narrows down visual effects Oscar shortlist to ten

VFX

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has narrowed down the visual effects Oscar shortlist from twenty films to ten. The shortlisted films chosen by the Academy’s visual effects branch executive committee are: Alien: Covenant, Blade Runner 2049, Dunkirk, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Kong: Skull Island, Okja, The Shape of Water, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets and War for the Planet of the Apes. All members of the Visual Effects Branch will now gather to view 10-minute excerpts from each of the shortlisted films on January 6. Following this view, the members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration. The nominations for the 90th Academy Awards will be announced on January 23, next year.

Dec182017 by Ashish MitraNo Comments

CHEAT formalises final DI for Channel 4’s graphic novel adaptation at DaVinci Resolve Studio

VFX

Blackmagic Design recently announced that the final Digital Intermediate (DI) for Channel 4’s graphic novel adaptation The End of The F•••ing World was completed in DaVinci Resolve Studio by London post house CHEAT. Adapted from Charles Forsman’s graphic novel, the episodic television series follows two awkward teenagers who start up an unlikely romance on a road trip to escape their unhappy home lives. With just ten days to grade eight episodes, CHEAT’s Toby Tomkins needed to develop a rich, Americana look that would not only complement the dark narrative but would also work across a range of locations and timescales. “Our references were films such as Revolutionary Road and No Country for Old Men, which have richness and denseness to them, with skin tones almost a leathery red, a