In this documentary, Katie Keenan details the intricate work that went into 1933’s King Kong film, including the pre-production process, practical effects work, and its overall significance for all of time. With photos and diagrams, audiences are able to understand what went into this movie and how Willis O’Brien transformed real life and miniature sets into single incredible shots, proving the timelessness of the film.
It took James Cameron 13 years to make the follow-up to “Avatar” (2009). That time was spent making the sequel, “Avatar: The Way of Water” (2022), even more technologically groundbreaking than its predecessor. While the first movie’s water-based scenes were actually shot on a dry set, the director and his crew built a performance-capture stage that actually worked both underwater and above the surface.
But to get the clearest reference footage possible, the cast had to learn to hold their breath for extended time periods. That way, Sigourney Weaver and Kate Winslet could act out scenes underwater without worrying about breath bubbles obscuring their faces. The crew could also translate Sam Worthington, Zoë Saldana, and Stephen Lang’s performances to their Na’vi counterparts with even more accuracy thanks to a helmet with two cameras attached to it that was first developed for “Alita: Battle Angel” (2019).
Tools created specifically for “The Way of Water” allowed the crew to see rough CG renderings of a given scene while they were filming it and helped Wētā FX more convincingly place CG and live-action elements in a scene than ever before. The VFX artists could also create even more nuanced emotions in CG with a brand-new system that allowed them to animate deep below the surface of a character’s face.
These new systems would not have existed without developments between the new “Avatar” films on Gollum in the “Hobbit” movies (2012 to 2014), Caesar in the “Planet of the Apes” trilogy (2011 to 2017), and Thanos in “Avengers: Infinity War” (2018) and “Avengers: Endgame” (2019). It’s no wonder that on “The Way of Water,” Wētā was able to create 2,225 water shots while tracking 3,198 facial performances.
‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (also known as DANIELS) sit down with visual effects artist Zak Stoltz to talk about the special and visual effects used in their astonishing new movie. The Michelle Yeoh sci-fi vehicle is capturing audiences and critics with its distinctive take on the action genre. Stoltz and DANIELS explain how their small budget forced them to get creative to create something truly unique.
Let’s discover the invisible work made by the teams of Scanline VFX on the film, Rheingold, about the life of German hip-hop rapper, entrepreneur, and ex-convict Giwar Hajabi:
The MPC Paris teams produced more than 67 VFX shots on Quentin Dupieux’s film Fumer Fait Tousser. Explosions, laser beams and CG wounds are among other things on the program of this completely crazy film, which has already been acclaimed by the critics.
Image Engine brought the spirits of past fan-favourite #Willow characters to life in the new Disney+ series. Watch our new VFX breakdown reel video and read our case study to see how our crew delivered 156 shots for the group’s new adventure: image-engine.com/portfolio/willow/
In London, where the most gifted teenage ghost-hunters venture nightly into perilous combat with deadly spirits, amidst the many corporate, adult-run agencies, one stands alone: independent of any commercial imperative or adult supervision – a tiny startup, run by two teenage boys and a newly arrived, supremely psychically gifted girl, a renegade trio destined to unravel a mystery that will change the course of history: Lockwood & Co.
Our talented #DNEG team delivered 679 shots across 22 action-packed sequences to help bring this true story to the screen, and we couldn’t be prouder of their work!
From FX to CG beetles, discover the visual effects our #DNEG team crafted on this atmospheric maritime mystery. Then, learn more about our Episodic team’s work on the show: http://bit.ly/DN1899