Computer Graphics World

July-Aug-Sept 2022

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j u ly • a u g u s t • s e p t e m b e r 2 0 2 2 c g w 4 1 aligned with his creative vision." A mix of particularly challenging visual effects helps make inexpli- cable otherworldly occurrences based in reality all the more powerful. Digital doppelgänger One of the most difficult sequences combining animation with a practical stunt sees Vance (Brady Hepner), one of The Grabber's pre- vious victims, forcefully pulled back from the real world into the spirit world. On the day of the shoot, Johnson supervised the set-up and action as an actor outfitted in stunt rigging is jolted into a dark void, ensuring that the practical footage met Legion's specifications. The CG phase of the shot began with Legion making a 3D body scan of the actor, retopologizing the geometry, and then putting the textures onto the 'digital' Vance. Animation enabled artists to ma- nipulate the digital double of the 'ghost child' and achieve the 'rag- doll' physics needed to replicate natural movements. Clothing and hair were simulated to match the actor, and then practical footage and digital assets were seamlessly integrated into the final shot. While the director's brief, likening his vision of the shot to some- one getting sucked out of an airplane, gave Legion the benefit of very specific direction, animation-wise, it was a tough ask. "The challenge was making the digital doppelgänger look like he's physically out of control while still directing the animation of his movement," explains Smalley. "And, at the same time, the high-ve- locity effect had to be slow enough to clearly see that the character was flying out of the basement, beyond the confines of the real world and into a dark void." "It was a tricky sequence," adds Hattin. "Having that underlying practical effects with a human actor to combine with the animation enabled us to create an authentic looking final shot." Rebuilding camera moves "In another complex scene, the biggest challenge was rebuilding camera moves with CGI, and precisely adjusting timing to create a single shot with smooth transitions between the interior floors of a house," says Hattin. "Digitally taking over the camera moves enabled us to combine footage of the house with computer-gen- erated interiors and maintain a slow, constant speed as the shot moves from floor to floor. Many a late night was spent working with the film's editor, Frédéric Thoraval, just trying to add a frame here and take away a frame there — until the sequence finally worked for him editorially." CGI and animation replace practical gags Legion stepped in with a digital solution during post-production when it was discovered that a shot designed as a practical stunt us- ing monofilament to move a cord didn't work. Artists digitally rebuilt the cord and rigged it to animate along a similar path as it makes its way through a rolled-up carpet and weaves in-between the bars on a window. Simulated dust was added as the cord pulls against the bars to help sell the authentic look of the derelict basement. "The visual effects for The Black Phone keep the supernatural events on the fringe of reality, heightening the sense of anticipat- ing and fear without crossing over into a magical visual effects language," notes Hattin. "Working with Scott and our artists to establish that feel and the look of each of the visual effects was a very satisfying creative process." VFX Legion created all the visual effects for The Black Phone re- motely, using a variety of tools including Autodesk Maya, Foundry's Nuke, SideFX Houdini, and Maxon Redshi. ¢

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