Tag: vfxblog

Dan Trachtenberg’s highly secretive 10 Cloverfield Lane surprised audiences when it was released in March with its tense horror-thriller plot and surprise ending (btw, spoilers!). The JJ Abrams / Bad Robot-produced film mainly plays out in a doomsday bunker until the main character Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) finally encounters a mysterious space ship and alien creature above ground. Bad Robot’s in-house VFX unit Kelvin Optical completed these complicated effects as well as many other invisible shots. vfxblog talked to visual effects supervisor Luke McDonald, who also detailed deleted scenes and some unexpected effects duties. Continue reading The secrets behind Bad Robot’s vfx for ’10 Cloverfield Lane’

MPC CG supervisor James Rustad details the visual effects required for Angel and Archangel’s wings in X-Men: Apocalypse. Continue reading vfx_shot: Taking flight

French filmmakers Alexandre Poncet with Gilles Penso are obsessed with movie monsters. But when the duo searched the Hollywood landscape for a film that chronicled the fascinating world of creature effects and model making in sci-fi, horror and fantasy films, they simply could not find a good one. So they did what any intrepid documentarians would do – they made that film themselves.

The result is Creature Designers – The Frankenstein Complex, an insight into some of the most revered monster makers around; artists such as Rick Baker, Mike Elizalde, Alec Gillis, Chris Walas, Tom Woodruff Jr., Greg Nicotero, John Rosengrant, Richard Taylor, Phil Tippett and many others. A number of Hollywood directors who share an equal love of movie monsters also lend their considerable weight to the doco, including Guillermo del Toro, John Landis and Joe Dante. Even Kevin Smith is in there.

Enjoy vfxblog’s Q&A with the directors and their journey in making the film. Continue reading The enduring allure of the Hollywood monster

It’s amazing sometimes to think how accessible SIGGRAPH is as a conference. SIGGRAPH is a research conference, first and foremost, but that doesn’t mean only researchers can learn and participate. In fact, one of the best parts of the computer graphics event is the mix of sessions and experience, many based on recent releases of massive feature films and games. That’s exactly what the Production Sessions are about. Here’s a run down of what’s in store, starting on Sunday 24 July in Anaheim.

Continue reading The SIGGRAPH 2016 production sessions are huge