Here's a new shot of Alice (Milla Jovovich) in Screen Gems upcoming RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION 3D. Also starring in this 5th iteration are Sienna Guillory, Michelle Rodriguez, Colin Salmon, Shawn Roberts, Johann Urb, Boris Kodjoe, Oded Fehr, Li Bingbing and Kevin Durand.
The movie was shot in native 3D using 3ality Technica's 3D camera rigs. I'm really looking forward to seeing the results!
Here's the movie's storyline: The Umbrella Corporation’s deadly T-virus continues to ravage the Earth, transforming the global population into legions of the flesh eating Undead. The human race’s last and only hope, Alice (Milla Jovovich), awakens in the heart of Umbrella’s most clandestine operations facility and unveils more of her mysterious past as she delves further into the complex. Without a safe haven, Alice continues to hunt those responsible for the outbreak; a chase that takes her from Tokyo to New York, Washington, D.C. and Moscow, culminating in a mind-blowing revelation that will force her to rethink everything that she once thought to be true. Aided by newfound allies and familiar friends, Alice must fight to survive long enough to escape a hostile world on the brink of oblivion. The countdown has begun.
Click here for all of our RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION coverage.
RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION 3D opens on September 14.
Ok guys - here's interview #2 for the lead up to release of UNDERWORLD: AWAKENING. This time I have the pleasure to speak with one of the busiest stereographers in the world right now, Kasimir Lehto. He was Lead Stereographer on THE DARKEST HOUR and now of course the latest UNDERWORLD iteration. Kasimir also directed 6 projects and was cinematographer on 12.
Kasimir is Finnish and so English is not his first language but the interview goes very well. He is the son of another filmmaker, Pekka Lehto who directed 17 projects - mainly documentaries. Entertainment definitely runs in the family.
Keep in mind that we recorded this interview inside a cafe so there is the typical barista background noises!
Enjoy the interview...
0:30 -Kasimir just came off of shooting THE DARKEST HOUR (which was amazing!) 1:00 -On how he was attached to UNDERWORLD: AWAKENING. Kasimir was working with the same Director of Photography on THE DARKEST HOUR and he asked him to come with him to the project. 2:00 -On the Red Epics, workflow and 3ality Technica rigs. He loves the atom rigs as they are much smaller and designed for the smaller form factor of the Epics. Kasimir talks about how 3D equipment is getting more and more compact, fast and light, much less cabling and a lot less hassle in using it. 4:10 -On what exactly a Stereographer does for a production. Every project is a little bit different. The starting point is how adept are all the other crew in 3D (and how willing to learn and utilize 3D) - then the stereographer inserts his/her knowledge. On a daily basis, he starts with the 3D concepts within the script (creates a "depth script") and brings these ideas to the director and cinematographer for discussion. One of the biggest demands of the stereographer is to evangelize 3D within the film's departments - to build the excitement and educate on how to use it for their line of work. Stereographers are responsible for the quality of the film's 3D and must be willing to adapt to fast changes in the direction of the movie. 6:40 -Tips for aspiring filmmakers who want to be stereographers. His background is cinematography and he did films and commercials before getting into 3D. Kasimir's story is similar to mine and MarketSaw as he noted that Cameron was going to do AVATAR and that the digital screen revolution was poised to explode. He studied 3D full time to accomplish this. 8:10 -On co-founding a S3D company called Stereoscape. Back when they started the company there were not many 3D opportunities so they had to make it themselves. 8:35 -On 3D research projects where they measured the psychological and emotional impact of 3D on audiences. Kasimir learned 3D the way everybody should - on how audiences experience it. If they don't like something, they took note. When they did, the researchers jumped all over it and optimized their work for the end viewer. Further, with a differential analysis they determined how the creation of 3D differs from 2D. 10:20 -On moving from Finland to LA to find work in 3D. 11:00 -Potentially supervising the post production 3D for UNDERWORLD: AWAKENING. 11:40 -On using the 3ality Technica 3D rigs. 12:25 -Setting up shots in 3D with 3ality's Stereoscopic Image Processor. The SIP is an intelligent and image pair optimizing tool to assist filmmakers in real time and in all stages of production. 13:35 -On whether UNDERWORLD: AWAKENING will break the screen, rely on depth alone or a mixture of the two. He is mixing the effects - there will be some objects coming out to the audience, but depth will be there as well for full immersion. 17:10 - On the learning curve on using the Red Epics. 17:40 -On setting up 3D continuity. Keeping depth to a minimum for dramatic shots - closeup of the eyes and faces so that the audience is paying attention to that instead of how much a character's nose is coming out at them! Always reinforcing what the directors and DP are trying to achieve with their lens choices and set up.
Thank you very much Kasimir for your time and expertise! Looking forward to talking again very soon and keeping up to speed with your next project. Again, thanks to Sony Screen Gems for this opportunity and in particular Gloria Davies.
Oh and I had some lengthy discussions with actor Michael Ealy(2nd photo) who is a tremendous basketball fan, however his choice in team leaves much to be desired! Sorry Michael. :-)
Stay tuned for more interview surprises coming up! UNDERWORLD: AWAKENING opens January 20.
Hey guys - have a special treat for you this week! I want to show you why UNDERWORLD AWAKENING has placed so highly on my most anticipated list of 2012 and we'll do that by giving you several cool technical and behind-the-scenes interviews with the crew behind this project. I hope to underscore just how creative and exciting these guys are.
All of these interviews took place either in the underground garage set, the gorgeous Vancouver waterfront, the University of British Columbia or at one of the catering locations. I want to thank Sony Screen Gems for setting this all up and in particular Gloria Davies who coordinated the whole thing. Thanks Gloria!
We'll be starting with James McQuaide, Executive Producer and Visual Effects Supervisor. We were sitting at a small cafe on Vancouver's busy waterfront so please excuse any wind or background noise!
James is well known for his visual effects. Check out this list of some of his awesome films: UNDERWORLD, CRANK, UNDERWORLD: EVOLUTION, CRANK: HIGH VOLTAGE, UNDERWORLD: RISE OF THE LYCANS, GAMER, THE LINCOLN LAWYER and of course UNDERWORLD: AWAKENING. The guy knows what he is doing and it shows. Clearly he is a key ingredient to the UNDERWORLD franchise.
James and I clicked immediately as we have many things in common, not the least of which is the technology behind blockbuster movies! So have a listen to the interview...
0:32 -James introduces us to an exciting technology known as LIDAR! 4:50 -On why they went with shooting native 3D. 28 weeks of post production to deliver 800 effects shots. 5:40 -What shots needed to be done in 2D and converted. For example the Vancouver rush hour street scenes where the lycans are out in the open and running amok. The 2D rain had to be taken out for the shot and reinserted in 3D. How LIDAR helped in these circumstances after taking those scans every 20 feet of the 3 or 4 blocks of streetscape. 9:00 -Placing LIDAR 3D, geometric, RGB scene information on top of the 2D optical scenes and assisting in 3D conversion. 10:50 -Using Microsoft's Kinect technology (similar to LIDAR only it uses infrared) to present Kate's psychic connection 13:55 -On the script was being creatively rewritten on the fly but the pre-vis was almost shot frame by frame and was the driving force. 15:20 -Myth debunked: LIDAR is not expensive and does not need an outside facility. 15:55 -On not bringing in a third party 3D solutions company and shooting native all in house with an experienced stereographer (Kasimir Lehto). 17:30 -Using Red Epic cameras (bought six & renting two) and 3ality Technica 3D rigs (own 3 or 4 Atoms). No issues using the Reds or 3ality Technica rigs. Remarkably easy to use systems. Lakeshore Entertainment owns two Red Ones as well. 21:40 -The production had internal dailies (turnaround time 1 hour from a single card) using the Red Rocket (enables 4K and 5K decoding in realtime). It was done through Outpost stations with a couple of Red Rocket cards in it. All of this was viewable with two on set 65" 3D televisions in a segregated black tent. 25:10 -On the possibility of "hourlies" or a collection of hourlies as opposed to "dailies". 25:45 -On Red Epics 5K resolution and a higher framerate for the finale of the film. The two Red Epics are genlocked at 72 frames per second. Then they got a build from Red that allows 120 frames per second at 5K! Compression then goes from 5:1 to 12:1 or 13:1. 28:00 - Introducing 3D to others in the crew / talent. They used the Sony 3D Professional Workshop that eliminates much of the fear behind the format. 29:10 -Admiration for AVATAR and how good 3D is easily forgotten by the audience while watching it. 31:25 -They may have released at a higher framerate if Peter Jackson or James Cameron had of announced their intended rate by the start date of the UNDERWORLD production. 32:10 -On testing some footage at the Vancouver Science Center IMAX theater and the possibility of a 5K 3D image.
What LIDAR seems to be able to do is dramatically improve post production conversion of 2D to 3D scenes (be it for 1 scene or a whole movie) so that the guesswork is eliminated from spacial and color considerations. This is one of the main reasons why it is important to have the director present for conversions before LIDAR! The director would have to recall why he shot it a certain way and most of the time it included spacial and color considerations. With LIDAR, you get a confident representation of the scene - even better than the director's memory. It adds reality to conversions that can sometimes stretch the truth a great deal.
And of course with the 3D Red Epics at 5K & 120 frames per second (at times) and the stability & versatility of the 3ality Technica 3D rigs, you have one heckuva cool, technically shot film.
Can you see why I am so excited about how this film was shot and how it will look?
I was able to see all of this technology in action and in great detail. I saw what they were shooting pre-vis wise and then the scenes in action. Very cool stuff indeed.
Thanks so much for your time James and I'm looking forward to the next time we talk!
Stay tuned for more interviews coming up - including the film's stereographer Kasimir Lehto!
UNDERWORLD: AWAKENING opens January 20. Check. It. OUT.
If you have been following my coverage of PRIEST from the beginning, then I think you know that I am looking forward to its release a great deal. I have to say that the visual effects professionals working on this production are some of the best in the industry, and top of mind here is Visual Effects Producer Jenny Fulle. More on PRIEST in a moment.
Jenny has started her own visual effects company called The Creative-Cartelthat I think has found an ideal niche in Hollywood - an outsourced visual effects department. Here is what makes her company stand out: They will contract with a production to work with the director and examine each shot in the movie to determine the best possible visual effects shop to tackle it. Each shop has their own areas of expertise. Sometimes a shot may require an ILM or WETA, but other times it can be a small boutique shop. The Creative-Cartel then manages it all. They have their own infrastructure in place that is carried through from project to project.
But here's the rub:The Creative-Cartel (TCC) also does this for S3D conversion needs! They will shop around for the best conversion companies to do particular shots and then will oversee the piecing together of these components into one cohesive movie that is seamless to the viewer. Brilliant.
The end result is that the studio will achieve 2 or 3 times more special effects for their money with TCC than if they had to hire, build, produce, tear down and release for each production. Make sense? It sure does.
Which leads us to PRIEST. Sony Screen Gems doesn't normally do effects laden films and yet they felt that they could tackle this genre with the assistance of TCC and to me it looks like a slam dunk.
I am really liking the world they have created for the priest warriors and vampires, and they are not your standard vampires! Actually I can see hints of past work from both Jenny and Scott in the trailers: The vampires have minute similarities to the creatures in I AM LEGEND (She did FX for that movie too) and the atmosphere of PRIEST reminds me a small bit of LEGION (Stewart directed). The feelings are subtle but adds to the air of the production for me as I simply was floored by I AM LEGEND.One of my favorites (in fact I just watched it again last night!).
I will say that I have not seen any absolutely finished 3D from the movie yet, and the fact that there was no stereographer on set to assist with setting scenes and shooting (yes, even in 2D) concerns me. But that concern is greatly mitigated by the fact that Jenny Fulle is looking after all of that. My fingers are crossed for a great conversion!
Jenny talks about her company and of course her work on PRIEST in the interview - I invite you to listen to the whole conversation... Here's a breakdown of what we covered:
1:20 -On working with director Scott Stewart for PRIEST
5:00 - How she accomplished "suspension of disbelief" on such a complex film
5:45 -Jenny talks about her new company and what they offer the industry
9:00 -Very cool story on how she got her start in Hollywood - at 18, she was hired as a janitor for Lucasfilm!
10:20 -Tips to anyone wanting a career doing what she does in visual effects
11:30 -What's next for her? She is finishing up effects and 3D conversion for GHOST RIDER 2 and also has work on TED
Hope you enjoyed it! PRIEST opens on May 13. Here's the official website.
We have the latest PRIEST trailer for you! This one has a ton of action in it to give you a taste of that component of the Scott Stewart directed tentpole.
I am scheduled to interview the Visual Effects Founder / Producer on the movie, Jenny Fulle tomorrow and will upload that conversation ASAP! Really looking forward to discussing what they have accomplished with the project. It looks amazing. If you have any questions for her, let me know and I will try to include. Of course time is limited.
Here's the storyline: ‘Priest’, a post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller, is set in an alternate world — one ravaged by centuries of war between man and vampires. The story revolves around a legendary Warrior Priest (Paul Bettany) from the last Vampire War who now lives in obscurity among the other downtrodden human inhabitants in walled-in dystopian cities ruled by the Church.
When his niece (Lily Collins) is abducted by a murderous pack of vampires, Priest breaks his sacred vows to venture out on a quest to find her before they turn her into one of them. He is joined on his crusade by his niece’s boyfriend (Cam Gigandet), a trigger-fingered young wasteland sheriff, and a former Warrior Priestess (Maggie Q) who possesses otherworldly fighting skills.
Guys - you need to watch this animated prequel to PRIEST to get an understanding of what is happening in that universe. It is very well done in fact.
Animator Genndy Tartakovsky (Samurai Jack) created the three minute piece and it is very much worth your time to watch as it allows you to see why priests were important and what their current status is for society. I won't go into more detail as it would spoil the clip for you.
Studio: Sony Screen Gems Genre: Thriller Director: Scott Stewart Producers: Michael De Luca, Joshua Donen, Mitchell Peck, Sam Raimi Screenplay: Cory Goodman Cast: Paul Bettany, Cam Gigandet, Maggie Q, Karl Urban, Lily Collins, Christopher Plummer, Stephen Moyer Rating: PRIEST has been rated PG-13 by the MPAA for the following rating reasons: INTENSE SEQUENCES OF VIOLENCE AND ACTION, DISTURBING IMAGES AND BRIEF STRONG LANGUAGE. Release: May 13
Here's the movie's storyline: PRIEST, a post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller, is set in an alternate world—one ravaged by centuries of war between man and vampires. The story revolves around a legendary Warrior Priest (Paul Bettany) from the last Vampire War who now lives in obscurity among the other downtrodden human inhabitants in walled-in dystopian cities ruled by the Church. When his niece (Lily Collins) is abducted by a murderous pack of vampires, Priest breaks his sacred vows to venture out on an obsessive quest to find her before they turn her into one of them. He is joined on his crusade by his niece's boyfriend (Cam Gigandet), a trigger-fingered young wasteland sheriff, and a former Warrior Priestess (Maggie Q) who possesses otherworldly fighting skills.
Man, this is shaping up to be a huge hit in my view! More when I get it!!
Yes! This movie is rapidly moving up my must see list to the top five for 2011! You should mark it on your calendars too: March 4, 2011 - Sony's PRIEST hits 3D theaters.
It seems like a cool mix of futuristic warrior priests and zombies that somewhat resemble the I AM LEGEND virus induced creatures. The imagery looks fascinating!
The storyline centers on a Priest set in a world ravaged by centuries of war between man and vampires. Paul Bettany is Priest, a legendary warrior priest during the last Vampire War, who now lives in obscurity among the other human inhabitants in walled-in dystopian cities controlled by the Church. But when his 18-year-old niece is abducted by a murderous pack of vampires in the desolate wastelands outside, Priest breaks his sacred vows and ventures out to find her and seek vengeance upon those responsible, especially their brutal leader (Karl Urban). Priest is joined on his crusade by his niece’s boyfriend, Hicks (Cam Gigandet), a local outpost sheriff, and Priestess (Maggie Q), a member of his former legion of vampire-killers who has otherworldly fighting skills.
Check it out:
I'll be first in line! Paul Bettany looks brilliant for this...
I wasn't expecting this type of vampire at all! Sony's PRIEST is full of surprises. Paul Bettany looks awesome in the role and the creatures he battles looks very similar to the I AM LEGEND strain.
An apocalyptic and futuristic vision of not only how vampire slaying has progressed but how the church deals with it.
A warrior priest (Paul Bettany) disobeys Church law by teaming with a young sheriff (Cam Gigandet) and a beautiful priestess (Maggie Q). The three band together to track down a band of renegade vampires who have kidnapped the priest's niece before they turn her into one of them.
Director: Scott Stewart Writer: Cory Goodman Studio: Screen Gems Cast: Paul Bettany, Karl Urban, Cam Gigandet
Release: May 13, 2011
What do you think? It is not in high resolution yet, but still enjoyable. Almost looks like another planet at times! PRIEST is being converted - BUT they are taking their time and Sony has a lot riding on the success of 3D so you can look forward to good things I am sure. For me, this trailer has only increased my interest in the movie and I am looking forward to seeing more!
We have some new shots from Screen Gems' new 3D movie PRIEST (via Slashfilm). Looks like a lot of fire and brimstone which is exactly how I imagined it to be. Paul Bettany continues to impress, visually at least, with the role of a legendary warrior priest during the last Vampire War.
Click photos to enlarge...
The storyline is as follows:When his 18-year-old niece is abducted by a murderous pack of vampires in the desolate wastelands outside, Priest breaks his sacred vows and ventures out to find her and seek vengeance upon those responsible, especially their brutal leader (Karl Urban). Priest is joined on his crusade by his niece’s boyfriend, Hicks (Cam Gigandet), a local outpost sheriff, and Priestess (Maggie Q), a member of his former legion of vampire-killers who has otherworldly fighting skills.
Bettany's character looks like he must have gone through hell and back. These photos further underscore my feeling that this movie is going to seriously rock. Be sure to click through to Slashfilm to view some more shots!
SAME DAY UPDATE: Just found three more great set photos!(JustJared) ENJOY!!
Hey guys - I am so looking forward to this movie! What kind of priest wears a tattoo of a cross on his face? I mean, right in the middle of his face? A WARRIOR PRIEST that's who! :-)
Click photos for larger images.
Here is the official storyline: Priest is set in a world ravaged by centuries of war between man and vampires. Paul Bettany is Priest, a legendary warrior priest during the last Vampire War, who now lives in obscurity among the other human inhabitants in walled-in dystopian cities controlled by the Church. But when his 18-year-old niece is abducted by a murderous pack of vampires in the desolate wastelands outside, Priest breaks his sacred vows and ventures out to find her and seek vengeance upon those responsible, especially their brutal leader (Karl Urban). Priest is joined on his crusade by his niece’s boyfriend, Hicks (Cam Gigandet), a local outpost sheriff, and Priestess (Maggie Q), a member of his former legion of vampire-killers who has otherworldly fighting skills.
In case you have not seen it yet, here is a behind-the-scenes clip from Entertainment Tonight Canada from earlier this year:
Guys, this movie is going to kick some butt. I have a really good feeling about it - hopefully I am right! The movie will indeed be a conversion, but I am working on something that should fill you in some more about the inner workings of the project while we wait for its release.
Jim here. There has been a whole whack of new 3D announcements in the last day or so and this confirmation is definitely one of the best pieces of news I have heard.Seth Rogen's THE GREEN HORNET will indeed be converted to 3D as reported by Collider, and they will be moving the actioner from December 22, 2010 to January 14, 2011 to avoid the 3D traffic jam over the holiday season.
I am a huge Seth Rogen fan so I am really looking forward to this one. Interesting to have two green heroes released in the same year! GREEN LANTERN hits 3D screens on June 17, 2011.
Jim here. It has been a very busy week in S3D! Now comes word from erc BoxOffice (via ComingSoon) that Sony Screen Gems will be pushing back the Paul Bettany / Karl Urban thriller PRIEST from August 20 to January 14, 2011 to allow it to be released in S3D.
The movie is about a warrior priest (Bettany) who disobeys Church law by teaming with a young sheriff (Cam Gigandet) and a beautiful priestess (Maggie Q). The three band together to track down a band of renegade vampires who have kidnapped the priest's niece before they turn her into one of them.
ComingSoon also said that UNDERWORLD4 has been delayed as well from January 21, 2011 to September 23, 2011 - and then very casually said that it appears it will no longer be shot in 3D. HUH? That does not hold water with me at all - they did not give a source for this rumor either, unless it is erc BoxOffice.
More on this when I can gather it. Looking forward to PRIEST - it sounds like a great comic book to bring over to S3D!
Jim here. First, right off the bat you should know that all Sony Playstation 3 systems are upgradeable to S3D through a firmware update (delivered right over the Internet). That is coming VERY soon. Sony will be offering 3D tools to help developers meet the demand for stereoscopic gaming. If the XBOX 360 cannot challenge the PS3 in 3D, momentum will be switching.
Second - Sony is bringing in S3D for their Blu-ray technology and players (standards are being worked out right now for a potential Fall 2010 release) AND for their HDTVs.
Third - Sony is now suddenly a MAJOR player in theatrical digital 3D projection and plans on installing 3000 4K 3D digital projectors through agreements like this one with RealD.
Fourth - Sony is extremely active in producing stereoscopic 3D movies and will continue to do so. CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS proved a great deal. SPIDER-MAN 4 will be 3D. RESIDENT EVIL: AFTERLIFE (shooting as we speak) and UNDERWORLD 4 will be 3D. And so on.
So let's review: 3D Gaming. 3D Home Entertainment. 3D Cinema Projection. 3D Movies. Yep! I would say these guys are serious!
With such a large and influential company like Sony "betting the bank" on 3D with their long and illustrous history behind them, it is very safe to say 3D is becoming part of our world. Intimately. And very soon.
Sony's goal is nothing short of "lead the 3D market". I would not bet against them. HD-DVD anyone? Keep it on MarketSaw for breaking news on Sony and other companies making the switch to S3D!!
Jim here. Word from our friends over at ShockTilYouDrop is that Sony's Screen Gems is going to be shooting UNDERWORLD 4 in 3D after the successful third movie in the franchise made over $90 million worldwide. Not bad for a $35 million budget.
No word on casting, but hopefully Michael Sheen (loved him as David Frost!) and Bill Nighy make it back from the last one.
Release is slated for a January 2011 timeframe.
The franchise got a needed boost with the prequel I believe. It has powered up the storyline and makes subsequent iterations that much easier to present. I would love to see sweeping vistas in 3D for the fourth movie - instead of being relegated to only a few set locations in the prequel. Bring back Kate somehow too.
