Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/225858
OBLIVION Release date: April 19 Production companies: Universal Pictures, Relativity Media, Monolith Pictures, Cherin Entertainment, Radical Studios Oblivion, a sci-fi/action/adventure from Joseph Kosinski, follows a man as he begins to question his mission: extracting Earth's remaining resources in a post-apocalyptic world. Impressive were the scenic shots from the Sky Tower, which were done using a 180-degree bluescreen and 20-plus front-projected cameras. The movie also features amazing digital landscapes and a multitude of digital models. "Oblivion is another one on my top films list, although this has more to do with how they shot the Sky Tower scenes with no greenscreens – that is, modern-day seamless rear projection. Beautifully done," says Crosbie, whose recent credits include The Seventh Son, The Wolverine, The Great Gatsby, and Prometheus. He also worked on the Academy Award-winning The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and was part of the team responsible for the Academy Awarding-winning visual effects on The Matrix and What Dreams May Come. Says de Boer: "Gorgeous and smart photography. A beautifully designed film." OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL Release date: March 8 Production companies: Walt Disney Pictures and Roth Films Audiences were often spellbound by the wonderful land of Oz once again, and in this version, there are 1,500 VFX shots, including those with the main digital characters China Girl and the monkey Finley. "I believe that Oz the Great and Powerful belongs in the category of most memorable VFX films this year because the China Girl's animation was so artistically crafted, showing both restraint and emotion against the backdrop of a meticulously designed fantasy world," says Stokdyk, who most recently served as VFX supervisor on the Disney film. Fragomeni describes Oz the Great and Powerful as a fun, playful example of a heightened storybook landscape in which reality and hyper-reality coexist in the same frame. "The picture does a great job of using the latest visual effects tools and techniques to take us back to one of the most beloved fantasy worlds in movie history – and then show it to us like we've never seen it before. For example, most audiences know the land of Oz as a beautiful, stage-bound, three-strip Technicolor world; here, the filmmakers respect that same fundamental vibe but fill it with stunning plant life and creatures – the same goes for the Emerald City. Likewise, the porcelain China Girl, the way her animated movement reflected an advanced version of the kind of on-set marionette performance that she would have in the original Wizard of Oz. All told, it was great to revisit Oz and meet new larger-than-life fantasy characters in an exciting new context, using modern techniques that echo the original visual languages of cinema." PACIFIC RIM Release date: July 12 Production companies: Warner Bros., Legendary Pictures, Disney DDY The VFX in Pacific Rim are large, very large. There are giant CG robotic creatures that emerge from the ocean to wreak havoc on land and in the water. "Pacific Rim, Iron Man 3, and the Man of Steel are this year's tour de forces of massive-scale VFX, all brilliantly executed to give the audience a larger-than-life visual experience," says Stokdyk. "The scope and scale of Pacific Rim's world – the sense of mythology and texture to all its details, on the macro to micro level – deliver a feeling of epic storytelling that's best experienced in a cinema. IMAX 3D was a terrific ride, but after also screening it in traditional 2D, I was able to sit back and absorb the story and visual nuances. From the large-scale creatures, futuristic machines and epic environments, every thread in the fabric of Pacific Rim reflects del Toro's passion for building worlds and populating them with fantastic and beautiful creatures – both biological and mechanical," says Fragomeni. "Beginning to end, from the oceans into the city streets, there's a tangible, fantastical aesthetic that integrates the Kaiju and Jaegers into the film's colossal battle scenes. In the look, feel, and behavior of each Jaeger and Kaiju, you see subtle but crucial touches and details. There's just the right human-built, 'roughed up' look to each Jaeger; each feels like it has a history of damage, repair, and maintenance, adding to its personality. I could go on and on, but from a holistic storytelling perspective, Pacific Rim has a bigger heart than just about any summer blockbuster I've seen." "Such a huge amount of work and consistent quality. They really managed to make the scale of these machines work. Great weight," says de Boer. "I completely enjoyed the fleshy creatures connecting with the hard machines – and in water. Great destruction scenes in Hong Kong." THE GREAT GATSBY Release date: May 10 Production companies: Warner Bros., Village Roadshow Pictures, A&E Television networks, Bazmark Films, Red Wagon Entertainment, Spectrum Films The Great Gatsby is not a film filled with explosions and wild visual effects. Nevertheless, visual effects played a vital role in bringing Baz Luhrmann's flashy vision of this period drama to theaters. "The Great Gatsby provides an interesting study of how visual effects can help storytellers create hyper-real spaces that reflect interior character emotions. The matte paintings and 3D set extensions all have a beautiful, almost painterly quality that adds to Baz's voice as a filmmaker and gives the whole film a heightened, operatic quality," says Fragomeni. "It was interesting to see how Baz approached the VFX. He used his stylized touch with the practical art direction, of course, but also extended this principle writ large to the effects, taking his signature style places it hadn't gone before, making the picture larger than life – but still offering viewers visual effects that play believably and photoreal on the big screen." Sara Bennett, VFX supervisor and head of 2D at Milk VFX, thought the environments were a great achievement. "Animal Logic did a terrific job of rebuilding 1920s New York. The film could not have been achieved without C G W N ove mb e r / D e c e mb e r 2 013 ■ 29