The effects in Stardust might not push the state of the art, but clever techniques made it possible to create an 800-shot well-designed fantasy film that holds its own, even with a less-than-magical budget.... »
If you’ve seen Live Free or Die Hard — or even if you’ve just seen the trailers, which emphasize the film’s trademark outlandish action sequences — you may think of the various stunts, including the “money shot” involving a car tumbling through the air and smashing into the hoods of two more cars traveling on the ground, as a veritable CG-fest. But you’d be wrong.... »
When the potential for inclement weather pushed production for this idyllic location spot touting U.K. chain Tesco’s farm-fresh milk up by a day, editor Steve Gandolfi found himself working without the usual video playback system. In a pinch, they worked up a system: 35mm footage was loaded into the Avid via MiniDV, and extensive handwritten notes were made to keep track of timecode. The shoot wrapped late Sunday and aired the following Saturday. We asked Gandolfi via email for details on the seat-of-your-pants shoot.... »
“I’ve heard stories,” said Jeff Roth, VP of Post at Focus Features, “about DPs sitting in a little black tent getting the look of the movie instead of actually shooting the movie.”... »
Rainmaker’s Visual Effects Supervisor Mark Breakspear led the 150-person team that filled 3D stadiums with digital crowds and gave the four main actors Olympic-class skating moves — or rather, convinced the audience these skaters, not their stunt doubles, could perform an Olympian’s triple salchows, double axels, spins, lifts, and spirals.... »
When New York's Nailgun* took on a 15-second cinema spot for Mercury, it had no way of knowing that the project would lead to a whole new way of working. ... »
When the Pittsburgh Zoo wanted to promote a new polar-bear exhibit, it turned to local VFX studio Animal and director Michael Killen for a spot that used seamless VFX to plant a surprise in the Ohio River — a real polar bear that has local swimmers scrambling for the shore.... »
