Award Winning Weta Digital Ramps Up For AVATAR Sequels

6 Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects. 10 Academy Science and Technology Awards. 6 BAFTA Awards for Best Special Visual Effects. 6 VES Awards for Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature.

Yep. Weta Digital knows what they are doing. Peter Jackson's sandbox builds amazing things and now they are ramping up for James Cameron's AVATAR sequels. With over ~$1 billion in production budget for AVATAR and the immense success that Cameron's films enjoy, obviously, his 4 sequels will command the best in the world at what they do. Enter Weta Digital.

Says Cameron: "What Joe Letteri and Weta Digital bring to these stories is impossible to quantify. Since we made Avatar, Weta continued to prove themselves as doing the best CG animation, the most human, the most alive, the most photo-realistic effects in the world. And of course, that now means I can push them to take it even further."

Can you imagine what surprises Cameron and Weta Digital have in store for us in these movies? A lot of time has passed. A LOT. Technology has improved by leaps and bounds. I can't wait to see what these guys have built and are building.

Source: Deadline

MUST WATCH: Insane STALINGRAD VFX Reel !!

Tim here, and you need to check out insanely impressive, awesome looking STALINGRAD Visual Effects Reel! Something that's even more impressive is the amount of work that went into this VFX Reel just to show all of the layers and work that went into creating the spectacular effects seen in the film. The movie came out in 3D earlier this fall, and is directed by Fedor Bondarchuk with the 3D produced by Steve Schklair (3ality Technica; using their TS-5 rig and SIP (Stereoscopic Image Processor)), and it stars Thomas Kretschmann (KING KONG, WANTED, RESIDENT EVIL: APOCOLYPSE) and Yanina Studilina. The folks at 3ality Technica should continue to be very proud of this movie. The visual effects were done by Main Road|Post, and you can learn more about them on their Official Site: www.mrpost.ru

As of December 8, 2013 the movie has amassed $66,982,391 from the total of its Foreign releases according to Box Office Mojo. The movie is slated to hit the UK February 21, 2014 according to the release schedule of its IMDB Page. Should it nab the Best Foreign Film Oscar Nomination at the 86^th Academy Awards you can expect a North American release to occur before the final votes need to be submitted.

Here's the movie's storyline:
Written by Ilya Tilkin and Sergey Snezhkin and directed by Fedor Bondarchuk, STALINGRAD is set in 1942, when invading German troops were in control of the Volga River. A group of Soviet soldiers finds a young woman trapped behind enemy lines and works to protect her.

impressive VFX Reel IS BELOW:

The movie is performing really well overseas, and is Russia's Official Selection for entry for the Best Foreign Film Oscar Nomination at the 86^th Academy Awards.

Update On I, FRANKENSTEIN: New Image And Discussion With James McQuaide EP And VFX Supervisor!

Had a discussion with my friend James McQuaide recently about I, FRANKENSTEIN - he's Executive Producer and Visual Effects Supervisor on the movie and let me tell you this guy knows his stuff. Last time I saw him was on the set of UNDERWORLD: AWAKENING where he took me under his wing and even showed me his complex previz material for UA on an iPad. Then I had the distinct pleasure in watching them shoot what I just saw in concept.

3D is very important to James and to that end they are again implementing LIDAR (also used on UA) to accurately capture the sets of the I, FRANKENSTEIN production. I saw how they use LIDAR first hand on UA, sweeping around in a 360 degree fashion and digitally representing everything. They move the machine around to various locations on the set to capture all angles of objects too of course. The point is, Prime Focus (who are the 3D post-production conversion house for IF) will not only have the 2D footage to work with but also the LIDAR data, allowing for them to literally see behind objects on set and accurately apply depth. LIDAR not only provides 3D geometric information, but also RGB which can all be applied on the 2D optical image for post-production.

Says James on LIDAR:  "Loved it so much that we purchased a Faro Focus 3D (which we used daily on IF)."

I firmly believe this is the future of 3D conversion - LIDAR or some derivative. Mark my words.

Continues James: "We shot and posted it all in Australia (including all VFX). Think it's pretty great. Comes out in January. We're in the process of converting it with Prime Focus and it's looking very good. All of the VFX facilities have provided layers, effects, etc. to ensure that the 3D is spot-on - we have quite a few enormous VFX shots that would be a nightmare to convert without elements. We also LIDAR-ed most every set which is, again, aiding the accuracy of the conversion."

"...Prime Focus has the advantage of working on a picture that is not in flux; they've been working for months now and have (1-2 months) still to go; it was an imperative before we committed to the conversion that there was sufficient time; I, FRANKENSTEIN is a terrific picture and deserves the kind of conversion quality that only time can buy."

By the way, they're already talking about an I, FRANKENSTEIN sequel so I'm expecting Lionsgate is very happy with the results thus far. Can't wait to see it! More when I get it.  

Stay tuned for the upcoming I, FRANKENSTEIN trailer dropping on Friday!

I. FRANKENSTEIN opens in 3D on January 24, 2014.

Image Source: Machinima

Three Great BTS Videos of THE HOBBIT Visual Effects!

Hey all, Tim here, and I came upon an article written for the LA Times Hero Complex that has an interview with THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY visual effects supervisor Joe Letteri. I've embedded the videos below, but you can also view them along with reading the full interview here.

The interview may be familiar to MarketSaw readers, but the videos are amazing. They show great behind the scenes processes used by WETA Digital to bring the amazing digital characters in THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY to life. It's a task just bringing Gollum to life, but to also have to bring the Goblin King and Azog to life along with all the other digital characters is an amazing feat for one film. A job well done.

It should be noted that besides being nominated for their visual effects work on THE HOBBIT: AUJ, WETA is also nominated for their contributions to Prometheus and The Avengers, however AUJ is the only one that had all the work done in one place... at WETA. WETA's work on THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY is my pick for Best Visual Effects at the Academy Awards for this last year.
 

THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY is still in theaters in 2D, 3D, IMAX 3D, and HFR 3D. It's on route to make $1 Billion at the worldwide box office. If you haven't had the opportunity to check it out yet, there's no better time than now.

**UPDATED - Is This A Jaeger From PACIFIC RIM?

**POTENTIAL SPOILERS**

**UPDATE: Apparently not. Guillermo has stated that this clip has nothing to do with PACIFIC RIM. Oh well. Still nice.

WHOA. A very nice spoiler if it's true and certainly the footage is bound to have some pedigree from Guillermo del Toro's PACIFIC RIM due to the nature of the visual FX company Mirada and the guy who owns it: Guillermo del Toro.

Due to the nature of the video and the screencaps I have posted for you, you are risking a pristine viewing experience by going further. You have been warned.

Hit the jump for more...

Half Of Oscar's VFX Nominations Are S3D Films...

This year's crop of nominations for best visual effects from The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has 3D very well represented. In fact half of the nods have been given to S3D movies!

Here is the list of nominations for Oscar in VFX:

- CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER (3D)
- HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 (3D)
- HUGO (3D)
- PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES (3D)
- TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON (3D)
- MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - GHOST PROTOCOL
- REAL STEEL
- RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES
- THE TREE OF LIFE
- X-MEN: FIRST CLASS

Academy members in VFX will be able to watch 10 minute clips of all these movies on January 19 where they will select the final five movies to compete for the actual Oscar. These five final nominations will be announced on January 24 for the big Oscar show on February 26, which is a big day in itself as it's yours truly's birthday. :-)

Could we have an all 3D final for VFX Oscar? It's possible of course, but PLANET OF THE APES, REAL STEEL and X-MEN look pretty darn good.

So which one do you think will win? For me, it's TRANSFORMERS. Let's face it, the whole movie is one big Michael Bay dissertation on effects. And for what it is, it doesn't get much better. Some of those 3D scenes had my mouth agape!

Ingenuity Engine Delivers Smokin’ Stereo VFX for A VERY HAROLD & KUMAR 3D CHRISTMAS

Stoner comedy fans have a new reason to celebrate this holiday season, with the release of the first major 3D feature in the genre, A VERY HAROLD & KUMAR 3D CHRISTMAS. For his directorial debut, Todd Strauss-Schulson looked to visual effects company Ingenuity Engine to help him create self-aware 3D gags and over-the-top visuals that deliver the kind of high art fans of the genre hunger for.

Working with production VFX Supervisor David Goldberg, Ingenuity Engine VFX Supervisors David Lebensfeld and Grant Miller created 125 visual effects shots that take Harold and Kumar across New York City to find a Christmas tree, stumbling into trouble (and Neil Patrick Harris!) at every turn. The effects encompass everything from a 100% computer generated (CG) flaming Christmas tree exploding out of a window to 3D egg throwing and Nativity scene gags, CG robot drumline dance numbers and more.

While Ingenuity Engine had plenty of VFX experience through its years of commercial, music video and TV series work, “Harold & Kumar” marked the company’s first major studio feature, and its first stereo 3D project. Since camera metadata was not recorded on set, Miller and Lebensfeld developed a tool to preview the stereo depth of visual effects shots using proxy geometry in the Foundry’s Nuke compositor. Using NVIDIA’s 3D Vision for stereo review on their existing Quadro-equipped workstations, this methodology allowed artists to accurately match the depth in the live action plates in an interactive preview. The stereo camera and geometry were then transferred from Nuke to Autodesk 3ds Max animation software for final rendering.

The shot of the Christmas tree catching fire, which kicks off Harold & Kumar’s quest, was particularly challenging. “Initially they were going to shoot a real tree on a stage, but by doing it all CG we saved the filmmakers a 2-day shoot, fire permits and tens of thousands of dollars,” said Lebensfeld.

The following shot of the flaming tree exploding through a window (featured in the movie’s trailer) was originally shot live, but then re-created in 100% CG to enable it to ‘hang’ in the air for a different look. Using their stereo preview tools, Ingenuity Engine artists initially created the scene in Nuke, matching the live action depth and post-vizing the animation. Artists then transferred the scene to 3ds Max where they created an entirely CG tree, shattering glass and sparks. The explosive effect was topped off with CG fire created in FumeFX.

“Being able to review proper full-color stereo on our artist workstations here was huge,” said Miller. “We were able to create the 3D shots with fewer rounds of notes and review depth in real time with the director.”

Lebensfeld added, “Because we use small teams of multi-disciplined artists, we’re nimble and able to adopt new methodologies and implement new software really quickly. Our approach has always been to work smart and fast, and focus on really helping the production. Operational flexibility is key.”

About Ingenuity Engine
Ingenuity Engine is Hollywood-based visual effects and design studio founded in 2004. The company has a reputation for nimbleness and creative experimentation, and has provided VFX and creative post for hundreds of commercials and music videos; serving top brands including Mazda, Sears, Asics, Coca-Cola and more and garnering MTV Music Video Awards for their work. Ingenuity Engine’s VFX credits include television episodics Parks & Recreation and Happy Endings and the feature film A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas. The company is in production on the upcoming feature Detention from director Joseph Kahn. www.ievfx.com

"Journey To The Center Of The World" Makes Semi Finals For Oscar's Visual Effects Bakeoff

This is great news for 3D fans everywhere: JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH has just made it to the semi-finals of the Academy's visual effects bakeoff!

According to Variety, the Walden, New Line and Warner sci-fi family movie surpassed the efforts of other well known and lucrative blockbusters "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull", "Cloverfield" and "Hancock" to be considered for the covented award.

Joining JOURNEY for the Oscar consideration are "Australia," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Dark Knight," "Hellboy II," "Iron Man," and "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor."

Apparently the Academy will have to set up a digital 3D projector in the main Goldwyn Theater as it has not been updated yet.

Variety reports: "At the bakeoff, the seven semi-finalists for the Oscar will present 15-minute reels of visual effects highlights and have a few minutes to answer questions from the Acad's visual effects branch. Immediately afterward the members cast their votes for the three nominees."

If you are interested, the bake off is open to the public and being held Jan. 15 at 7:30 p.m. - no admission charge.