Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1513434
o c t o b e r • n o v e m b e r • d e c e m b e r 2 0 2 2 c g w 7 A rticial intelligence has dramatically altered the course of life on Earth in The Creator, director Gareth Edwards' epic new sci- thriller. Set in the near future, the lm depicts a reality in which a war is raging between humans and articial intelligence. Aer AI is believed to have initiated the deto- nation of a nuclear warhead over Los Angeles, the United States and its Western allies pledge to eradicate all forms of the technology to prevent the extinction of humanity. The region of New Asia resists this initiative, choosing instead to continue embracing AI within its borders. Ex-special forces agent Joshua (John David Washington) is re- cruited to locate and kill the Creator, an elusive AI architect who has developed a powerful new weapon capable of destroying all of man- kind. When Joshua and his team inltrate AI-occupied territory, they discover that the mysterious, world-annihilating weapon is actually AI in the form of a young child (Madeleine Yuna Voyles). From the very beginning, Edwards set out to cra the world of The Creator with an emphasis on realism. The crew lmed in 80 dierent locations across Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Nepal, Thailand, Viet- nam, the US, and the UK—traveling over 10,000 miles in total. The story of The Creator is brought to life with stunning visual ef- fects woven seamlessly into the surrounding world. Edwards aimed to keep performances rmly grounded, choosing not to utilize green screens or motion-capture suits. Rather than planning out all of the lm's visual eects and design elements in advance, he chose to make those decisions during post production to have more creative freedom and exibility. Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) played a major role in craing the lm's spectacular visual eects, collaborating closely with Edwards every step of the way. Before production began, Edwards traveled throughout Southeast Asia to shoot preliminary test footage that would capture the essence of the lm's unique visual palette. The footage was shot handheld in a minimalist run-and-gun style, show- casing the natural beauty of each location. He brought the test back to ILM to begin discussing ideas for visual eects. "He had a chat with John Knoll [ILM chief creative ocer], and a little mini group at ILM started layering on some ideas," VFX supervi- sor Ian Comley recalls. "It told me everything I needed to know in that it was going to be absolutely stunning locations, beautiful photogra- phy." VFX supervisor Charmaine Chan adds, "That test footage was absolutely beautiful and amazing." Because he spent the rst decade of his career as a visual eects artist, Edwards had an innate understanding of the VFX production process. "I just love the way that Gareth works with visual eects," Chan shares. This knowledge allowed him to make suggestions that maximized the visual impact of shots. "He was able to very eective- ly know where to deploy visual eects," Comley recalls. Edwards trusted the team at ILM to execute his overall vision. "I think, because of the respect and the trust that he has for us, there were many large sections of the image and the eects that we were generating that he just [gave] us free reign," Comley shares. Rather than focusing on showing o dramatic set pieces, Ed- wards preferred to use VFX to emphasize subtle details that made the world feel more cohesive. "You're le with the residual impres- sion that you could point a camera anywhere," Comley shares. "This world has depth and this sort of visual language and beauty, and it's Director Gareth Edwards focused on emphasizing realistic sci- details. The crew lmed in 80 dierent locations, traveling over 10,000 miles.