Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/612975
n o v e m b e r . d e c e m b e r 2 0 1 5 c g w 1 9 Visual Effects A N T- M A N RELEASE DATE: July 17 PRODUCTION COMPANY: Marvel Studios Ant-Man may be one of the smallest superheroes, if not the smallest, yet the visual effects used to "shrink" the character in the movie are huge, especially in the finale when the character gets smaller and smaller and transitions between worlds, one more minuscule than the previous. Throughout the movie, 10 visual effects facilities creat- ed Ant-Man's various illusions, which were a hit with audiences – as was the film itself. A V E N G E R S : A G E O F U LT R O N RELEASE DATE: May 1 PRODUCTION COMPANY: Marvel Studios Marvel and Director Joss Whedon once again brought a collection of superheroes to life on the big screen, captivating audiences with superpowers bolstered by visual effects from ILM and Trixter, along with previsualization from The Third Floor. ILM again handled a far more amped-up Hulk and Iron Man in this movie, introduced the complex robot villain Ultron Prime, and destroyed a small city by ripping it from the ground – which, according to ILM, represented one of its most elaborate digital environments to date. When you are dealing with superheroes on the screen, you know that the VFX will be demanding and will parallel the capabilities of the characters. C H A P P I E RELEASE DATE: March 6 PRODUCTION COMPANIES: Columbia Pictures, Media Rights Capital, LStar Capital, Simon Kinberg Productions, Genre Films, Alpha Core, Olin Studio, Sony Pictures Entertainment Director Neill Blomkamp immerses us again into a dys- topian society in Johannesburg, where the police use robots to quash criminal activity. When gangsters get hold of a robot they name Chappie, they are unaware that this bot can think and create. His new owners give him a dual personality, placing him on a tipping scale between good and bad, as a policeman and a criminal. In the movie, Chappie and the other robots are CG characters created at Image Engine, though life for the generic robot began as a 3D printed model. The final model contained 2,740 objects. C I N D E R E L L A RELEASE DATE: March 13 PRODUCTION COMPANIES: Allison Shearmur Productions, Beagle Pug Films, Genre Films, Walt Disney Pictures Most of the characters in the remake of the classic Cinderella are live actors, but some – her helpful critters – are digital characters, created by the Moving-Picture Company. The studio completed a number of shots with fully raytraced hair, while turning the CG mice into CG horses, a lizard and goose into footmen, and a pumpkin into a carriage. Also, artists generated the exterior locations in CGI or used a combination of plates and CGI. C R I M S O N P E A K RELEASE DATE: October 16 PRODUCTION COMPANY: Legendary Pictures Director Guillermo del Toro takes audiences inside a Gothic nightmare as a budding author's curiosity gets the best of her in a house that appears to be alive. A lot of the film was made using practical rather than digital ef- fects. Yet, not every ghoulish mo- ment could be created without the use of high-end visual effects. While the film is a long shot for an award, anything can happen. E V E R E S T RELEASE DATE: September 25 PRODUCTION COMPANIES: Working Title Films, RVK Studios, Walden Media, Universal Pictures Based on a true story, the film chronicles the struggle for survival as climbers start their final ascent toward the summit of Mount Everest when a violent storm strikes. Visual effects artists struggled, as well, to re-create the environments that claimed the life of so many over the years. In fact, the VFX are being called "arguably the best part of the film," putting audiences on the mountain. The effects had to be invisible, real- istic, and accurate since Everest is one of the most recognizable mountain regions in the world. A wide gamut of techniques were used, including photogrammetry, LIDAR scans, greenscreen shots, matte paintings, plates, CG envi- ronments, and much more. F U R I O U S 7 RELEASE DATE: April 3 PRODUCTION COMPANIES: Universal Pictures, Media Rights Capital, China Film Co., One Race Films, Original Film, Dent- su, Fast 7 Productions The action and stunt work in Furious 7 is intense. Aer all, this latest release in the popular franchise is a memorable one, and not all because of the VFX along the roadway. What has people talking about most is ANT-MAN AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON CHAPPIE