Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1453602
30 cgw j a n u a r y • f e b r u a r y • m a r c h 2 0 2 2 ed on a motion base that was blasted by the SFX team with different types of sand, which the VFX team emulated and added scope to all the interior shots of the huge sandstorm itself, Connor notes. The DNeg team separated the sandstorm into three different sections: front facade, interior, and top. "We came up with methodologies that were the most efficient or each and blended between them when needed," says Connor. "For the big, wide exteriors, we referenced the massive sandstorm pho- tography we found in a National Geographic documentary. The sandstorm can be almost a kilometer high and several kilometers wide and deep. This required extensive R&D to design and render all the shots we see above the sandstorm itself. Each shot seen from above had to be simulated and designed to work with the sequence, as the amount of sand required huge amounts of processing time and disk space." CG Craft/Vehicles… and More Dune is fill d with various cra, from the spaceport in the Arrakis capital of Arra- keen, to the Atreides spaceships, to the dragonfly like helicopters (ornithopters), to the huge spice harvesters, and more. Once again, scale was a major hurdle for the DNeg teams. The ships were huge, and the space- port had to be massive to house those ships. And, the CG models had to be destructible in such a way that enabled pieces to fl off when they exploded during the attack. "Building to that scale was quite tricky, and then there are the heavy simulations on top of that, too," Myles points out. The ornithopter is a most unusual aircra, with Vermette's design promoting the notion of maneuverability, making audiences believe the vehicle indeed can fl . An esti- mated 11-ton partial model of the so-called orni was carried out to the desert in Jordan and suspended from a large crane. CG wings and other augmentation were later added in post. This practical model was used for a shot looking downward at the sand as the orni meets up with a harvester. Back in Bu- dapest, another partially-built physical mod- el was mounted to a hydraulic rig (giving it full 360-degree rotation) and surrounded by the sand screen. For the most part, DNeg Vancouver built the giant CG spice harvesters, strictly adher- ing to designs from Villeneuve. Meanwhile, the DNeg Montreal studio built the fla ship seen in the early part of the film the Bene Gesserit shuttle, the Atreides spaceships, and more, in addition to harvesters and orni- thopters. The group further orchestrated the attack on Arrakeen as enemy spaceships are descending and explosions are occurring all around. DNeg Vancouver assembled two so- called super teams in effects. One handled the sand, which is detailed earlier in this piece, and one handled all the explosions and destruction — small cra, large cra, and those in between. In Suspense When Villeneuve signed on to direct a new version of Dune, he decided to go big. The set pieces and stages were huge, as were the interiors, which "oentimes were so massive that VFX didn't really have to extend them much, just the tops and maybe some sides. But for the exteriors, we always had to do a lot of heavy lifting " says Connor. "Although, there was always something built that we could grab onto and analyze." Big, yes. Even the visual effects. However, as Connor points out, there were no visual effects for visual effects' sake. "Villeneuve was not interested in having something flas y, he wanted it to feel integrated and part of the story. It all had to make logical sense," he notes. "It was a very deliberate, grounded-in-reality kind of show." So, the big question on everyone's mind is, Is there a Dune part two? The film — which was held for more than a year before it was released amid the pandemic — certainly le the door wide open to that, covering just half the book. It has even been called Dune: Part One in the opening. And indeed, Warner Bros. has greenlit Part Two, expected in the fall of 2023. At a production cost of an estimated $165 million, Dune: Part One was an ambitious project, although it brought in a reported $387 million (and counting) at the box office, even with a simultaneous limited streaming release on HBO Max. And you can bet that Part Two will be just as ambitious. Karen Moltenbrey is the chief editor of CGW. Massive soware was used to create the Dune crowds. Digital artists constructed the desert city of Arrakis and covered it in sand.