VFX

SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN: John Moffatt – VFX Supervisor – Double Negative

Posted by Vincent Frei in Snow White and the Huntsman, VFX Supervisor, tags: Double Negative, Snow White and the Huntsman, VFX Supervisor

John Moffat joined Double Negative in 1998 and participated on most projects of the studio such as PITCH BLACK, ENEMY AT THE GATES, THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK or ATONEMENT. He also participated on several HARRY POTTER which he oversaw the effects of the last 3 episodes.

To read the interview, click here

// Original version: English

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26072012

MIRROR MIRROR: Jay Randall – VFX Supervisor – BarXseven

Posted by Vincent Frei in Mirror Mirror, VFX Supervisor, tags: BarXseven, Mirror Mirror, VFX Supervisor

Jay Randall is back on The Art of VFX after he had explained his work on IMMORTALS. This time, he tells us the challenges on this new collaboration with director Tarsem and its MIRROR MIRROR.

To read the interview, click here

// Original version: English

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24072012

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: Boris Schmidt – VFX Supervisor – Pixomondo

Posted by Vincent Frei in The Amazing Spider-Man, VFX Supervisor, tags: Pixomondo, The Amazing Spider-Man, VFX Supervisor

Boris Schmidt joined Pixomondo in 1999 and worked on many projects such as 2012, THE LAST AIRBENDER or SUCKER PUNCH. For RED TAILS, he will be VFX Supervisor as well as for THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN. He talks about the challenges faced on this show and the collaboration with Sony Pictures Imageworks.

To read the interview, click here

// Original version: English

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19072012

PROMETHEUS: David Sheldon-Hicks – Creative Director & Co-founder – Territory Studio

Posted by Vincent Frei in Prometheus, Creative Director, tags: Creative Director, Prometheus, Territory Studio

Prior to founding Territory Studio in 2012 with Lee Fasciani and Nick Glover, David Sheldon-Hicks worked on projects like CASINO ROYALE or THE DARK KNIGHT but also on CALL OF DUTY: WORLD AT WAR and MODERN WARFARE 2.

To read the interview, click here

// Original version: English

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17072012

PROMETHEUS: Charley Henley – VFX Supervisor – MPC

Posted by Vincent Frei in Prometheus, VFX Supervisor, tags: MPC, Prometheus, VFX Supervisor

Charley Henley began his career in VFX at Mill Film, including working on GLADIATOR. He then joined MPC and worked on numerous projects including LARA CROFT: TOMB RAIDER, 3 HARRY POTTER, 2 NARNIA but also ALIEN VS. PREDATOR, X-MEN: THE LAST STAND or DORIAN GRAY.

To read the interview, click here

// Original version: English

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12072012

ROCK OF AGES: Jay Barton – VFX Supervisor – Digital Domain

Posted by Vincent Frei in Rock of Ages, VFX Supervisor, tags: Digital Domain, Rock of Ages, VFX Supervisor

Jay Barton worked over 14 years at Digital Domain and participated in many projects such as STAR TREK: NEMESIS or TRON LEGACY. He oversaw the effects of X-MEN FIRST CLASS. He speaks here about the invisible effects for ROCK OF AGES.

To read the interview, click here

// Original version: English

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09072012

SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN: Angela Barson – VFX Supervisor & Director – BlueBolt

Posted by Vincent Frei in Snow White and the Huntsman, VFX Supervisor, tags: BlueBolt, Snow White and the Huntsman,VFX Supervisor

Since his last appearance on The Art of VFX for GAME OF THRONES, Angela Barson worked on films like SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS and THE IRON LADY and also on the TV series GREAT EXPECTATIONS. She talks here about the many challenges for SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN.

To read the interview, click here

// Original version: English

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04072012

BATTLESHIP: Chris Harvey – VFX Supervisor – Image Engine

Posted by Vincent Frei in Battleship, VFX Supervisor, tags: Battleship, Image Engine, VFX Supervisor

After he talked about his work on TRON LEGACY, Chris Harvey then joined Image Engine and explains to us his work on BATTLESHIP.

To read the interview, click here

// Original version: English

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03072012

PROMETHEUS: Paul Butterworth – VFX Supervisor – Fuel VFX

Posted by Vincent Frei in Prometheus, VFX Supervisor, tags: Fuel VFX, Prometheus, VFX Supervisor

Last year, Paul Butterworth talked to us about his work on THOR. This time he explains the wonderful work of Fuel VFX on the film that marks the return to the SF of Ridley Scott, PROMETHEUS.

To read the interview, click here

// Original version: English

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28062012

SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN: Henry Hobson – Creative Director – The Mill

Posted by Vincent Frei in Snow White and the Huntsman, Creative Director, tags: Creative Director, Snow White and the Huntsman, The Mill

After he talked about his work on RANGO, Henry Hobson has worked on projects like THE HANGOVER PART II, FRIGHT NIGHT or THE THING. He returns to The Art of VFX to explain his work on SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN.

To read the interview, click here

// Original version: English

MIRROR MIRROR: Jay Randall – VFX Supervisor – BarXseven

Posted by Vincent Frei in Mirror Mirror, VFX Supervisor, tags: BarXseven, Mirror Mirror, VFX Supervisor

It’s your second collaboration with director Tarsem. Can you tell us more about that?
Getting invited to work with Tarsem again was great. We were still working on the post production for IMMORTALS when MIRROR MIRROR started shooting so I was bouncing back and forth between the two films. It was a busy summer.

How did you collaborates with Production VFX Supervisor Tom Wood?
Tom Wood was a pleasure to work with. He has great creativity and a good eye. I would gladly work with him again.

What did you do on this movie?
We did the beauty treatment sequence which required us to make a cg bumble bee that stings Julia Roberts in the lips. We turned Nathan Lane into a cockroach. We also did a bunch of cg bull whips and a cg bird plus, we made Julia Roberts look 90 years old.

How did you proceed for the older Queen?
Julia had a dots painted all over her face which we tracked. We got lucky because she didn’t move her head a lot while she was talking so we were able to do the shots entirely in Nuke. We made a matte paintings of an old woman and applied them to her face. We used a black and white light maps to enhance the shading and texture. Once we came up with the right formula we were able to do a bunch of shots fairly quickly.

Can you tell us more about the CG Bees?
The cg bees were filmed with a macro lens. They were inches from the camera.
Whenever something is that big on screen, every detail can be seen. We had to spend a lot of time massaging the fur and textures to get it to look good.

Did you create the face in CG to have better interaction and the the lips change?
We had a 3d head that we used in Maya to help with the animation but in the end, the lips were a 2d effect.

Did you create a dummy for the filming of the CG Bees?
We actually had bees on set that we filmed as reference. That day we had lots of insects on set for the beauty treatment.

How did you design the transformation of Brighton into a cockroach?
The Brighton cockroach transformation was a two step process. First we modelled the transformation at halfway into the transition. It had cockroach arms and legs and Brightons head and body. We projected his head and face onto the model. Then we blended that with a final cockroach model that matched the little guy that we shot on set. They wanted that shot for the trailer and only gave us a few days. We had to work like crazy to get the trailer shot done on time.

What was the biggest challenge on this project and how did you achieve it?
The biggest challenge was getting the Queens face to look 90 years old. We did many iterations of different looks before Tarsem was happy with the look. The hard part was preserving Julia’s performance while still getting the look we needed.

Was there a shot or a sequence that prevented you from sleep?
The bird was fairly difficult due to the short schedule. The studio omitted the shot halfway through post. Then, with not much time left, they brought it back so we had to really scramble.

How long have you worked on this film?
I did three months on set and then three months of post, so six months.

How many shots have you done?
BarXseven did 74 shots.

What was the size of your team?
We were 12 people.

What is your next project?
I am currently shooting THE SMURFS 2.

A big thanks for your time.

// WANT TO KNOW MORE?

- BarXseven: Dedicated page about MIRROR MIRROR on BarXseven website.