NBCUni 9.5.23

Category Archives: 2D

Creating Titles for Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender

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Method Studios collaborated with Netflix on the recently released live-action adaptation of the series, Avatar: The Last Airbender. The series, developed by Albert Kim, follows the adventures of a young Airbender named Aang, and his friends, as they fight to end the Fire Nation’s war and bring balance to the world. Director and executive producer Jabbar Raisani approached Method Studios to create visually striking title cards for each episode — titles that not only nodded to the original animated series, but also lived up to the visuals of the new adaptation.

The team at Method Studios, led by creative director Wes Ebelhar, concepted and pitched several different directions for the title before deciding to move forward with one called Martial Arts.

“We loved the idea of abstracting the movements and ‘bending’ forms of the characters through three-dimensional brushstrokes,” says Ebelhar. “We also wanted to create separate animations to really highlight the differences between the elements of air, earth, fire and water. For example, with ‘Air,’ we created this swirling vortex, while ‘Earth’ was very angular and rigid. The 3D brushstrokes were also a perfect way to incorporate the different elemental glyphs from the opening of the original series.”

Giving life to the different elemental brushstrokes was no easy task, “We created a custom procedural setup in Houdini to generate the brushstrokes, which was vital for giving us the detail and level of control we needed. Once we had that system built, we were able to pipe in our original previz , and they matched the timing and layouts perfectly. The animations were then rendered with Redshift and brought into After Effects for compositing. The compositing ended up being a huge task as well,” explains Ebelhar. “It wasn’t enough to just have different brush animations for each element, we wanted the whole environment to feel unique for each — the Fire title should feel like its hanging above a raging bonfire, while Water should feel submerged with caustics playing across its surface.”

Ebelhar says many people were involved in bringing these titles to life and gives “a special shout out to Johnny Likens, David Derwin, Max Strizich, Alejandro Robledo Mejia, Michael Decaprio and our producer Claire Dorwart.”

Foundry Intros Modo 17.0, Bundles With Otoy OctaneRender

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Foundry has released Modo 17.0, an update to its 3D software that overhauls internal systems to provide performance increases. These enhancements help artists by providing the interactivity necessary for modern asset creation workflows, with an additional focus on quality-of-life features in multiple areas. Foundry has also bundled Otoy’s Prime version of OctaneRender, which gives artists a speed increase of up to 50x over traditional CPU renderers straight out of the box.

“With 3D asset creation becoming widely adopted, performance is paramount for the future of DCC apps,” says Greg Brown, product manager at Foundry. “Modo 17.0 sets a foundation for increased performance now plus further enhancements well into Modo’s future. Additionally, bundling the Prime version of the OctaneRender from Otoy with Modo 17.0 will speed up the entire experience, from modeling to final render, reducing performance barriers for artists.”

Artists working on Apple Silicon machines will see an additional speed increase of 50% on average, thanks to Modo’s new native macOS ARM build.

With overhauled core systems and granular performance updates to individual tools, Modo, says Foundry, is poised to re-envision 3D workflows. The Modo community can expect a return to more frequent releases for Modo in 2024, which will build on the foundation of 17.0 to further accelerate more aspects of Modo. This 3D application is tailored to enhance the capabilities of experts while also making those capabilities easier for novices to use.

Foundry has enhanced several capabilities of Modo’s powerful modeling tools, including:

  • Decal workflow — It’s now faster and easier to use decals and wrap flat images onto complex surfaces with minimal distortion and no UV creation.
  • Primitive Slice — Users can now clone multiple slices of the same shape at once, making it easier to produce complex patterns. A new Corner Radius feature rounds corners on rectangles and squares so artists can make quick adjustments without switching between presets.
  • Mesh Cleanup — With this tool, users can automatically fix broken geometry and gaps so they can stay productive and avoid interrupting the creative flow.
  • Radial Align — Radial Align turns a selection into a flat circle, but artists frequently need a partial radius and not a complete circle for things like arches. Modo 17.0 ships with the ability to create a partial radial alignment.
  • PolyHaul — PolyHaul combines many of the most used modeling tools into one streamlined tool. This means artists can spend less time jumping between separate tools, helping them to stay in the flow.

“We are thrilled to bundle OctaneRender with Modo 17.0, bringing instant access to the industry’s first and fastest unbiased GPU render engine. Our mission is to democratize high-end 3D content creation, enabling anyone with a modern GPU to create stunning motion graphics and visual effects at a fraction of the cost and time of CPU architectures. We are excited to see how Modo artists integrate OctaneRender’s GPU-accelerated rendering platform into their creative process, including the ability to scale large rendering jobs across near-unlimited decentralized GPU nodes on the Render Network,” says Otoy founder/CEO, Jules Urbach.

 

 

 

 

NBCUni 9.5.23
Pure4D

DI4D’s Updated Facial Performance Capture System, Pure4D 2.0

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DI4D, a facial capture and animation provider, has introduced Pure4D 2.0, the latest iteration of its proprietary facial performance capture solution. Pure4D has been used to produce hours of facial animation for many AAA game franchises, including Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II and III and F1 21 and 23.

F1

The Pure4D 2.0 pipeline is purpose-built to directly translate the subtleties of an actor’s facial performance onto their digital double. It delivers nuanced facial animation without the need for manual polish or complex facial rigs.

Pure4D 2.0 is built from DI4D’s proprietary facial capture technology, which combines performance data from an HMC (head-mounted camera) with high-fidelity data from a seated 4D capture system to achieve a scale and quality beyond the capabilities of traditional animation pipelines. Pure4D 2.0 is compatible with the DI4D HMC and third-party dual-camera HMCs as well as the DI4D Pro and third-party 4D capture systems.

Behind this process is DI4D’s machine learning technology, which continually learns an actor’s facial expressions, reducing subjective manual clean-up and significantly increasing both the repeatability and efficiency of the pipeline. This makes Pure4D 2.0 ideally suited to AAA video game production.

Pure4D

Call of Duty

Faithfully recreating an actor’s facial performance is key to Pure4D 2.0’s approach, making it possible to emulate the experience of watching an actor in a live-action film or theatrical performance using their digital double.

A digital double refers to an animated character that shares the exact likeness and performance of a single actor, resulting in highly realistic, performance-driven facial animation. It’s a process that preserves the art form of acting while enhancing the believability of the character.

Pure4D’s approach to facial animation has inspired a new short film, Double, starring Neil Newbon, one of the world’s most accomplished video game actors, who won Best Performance at the 2023 Game Awards. Double will use Pure4D 2.0 to capture the nuance of Newbon’s performance, driving the facial animation of his digital double. Scheduled for release during the summer, Double will highlight the increasingly valuable contribution that high-quality acting makes to video game production.

 

 

 

 

 


Ketama Collective Merges to Form Experiential Studio Bermuda

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Ketama Collective, part of the team that won the Grand Prix for Creative Data at Cannes last year, is merging with its two sister companies, Bitgeyser and Pasto, to form one integrated digital creative, production and technology resource known as Bermuda.

The new entity, which has opened a US office in Miami, spans everything from content production for brands to experiential executions and activations, extended realities, metaverse executions, meta-human creations, AI infusions and prototyping, as well as CG animation and design. It is billed by its founders as a creative technology lab that’s focused on offering proficiencies and specializations that global brands are searching for in today’s social media and experience-based landscape.

According to Nico Ferrero, CEO of Bermuda (and formerly MD at Ketama), this move is a natural evolution: Ketama, Bitgeyser and Pasto have frequently collaborated on complex projects for a roster of global clients, he points out. Collectively, their work has been recognized by the industry’s leading awards shows, including a Grand Prix and Gold Lion at Cannes for Stella Artois and GUT, a Silver Lion for LATAM Airlines and McCann, and a Gold Clio for “The Tweeting Pothole” for Medcom and Ogilvy, to name a few.

As it seeks to expand its footprint in the US market after having a location in Buenos Aires, Bermuda has lined up a national sales operation. On the East Coast, Bermuda will be represented by Minerva, led by Mary Knox and Shauna Seresin. Bermuda has also signed with Marla Mossberg and N Cahoots for West Coast representation and Isabel Echeverry and Kontakto for the US Hispanic market,

Bermuda is led by a group of bilingual executives from the three merged companies whose backgrounds encompass everything from agency creative, production and software engineering to experience design and fabrication. In addition to Ferrero, the company’s leaders include chief creative director Santiago Maiz, head of production Agustín Mende, regional new business director Matias Berruezo and CFO Juan Riva.

“Bermuda has opened for business backed by a combined 30 years of experience creating digital content,” Ferrero explains. “We now have a unified team of 50 experts all under one roof: digital artists, AI engineers, animators, industrial designers, software and fabrication engineers and creative technologists who specialize in multimedia executions, as well as specialists in augmented, virtual, and mixed reality content; metaverse executions; and the use of block chain.”

The new company was born after a whirlwind 2023: In the US, experiential/digital and fabrication projects staged in New Orleans, Miami, San Diego and Chicago were created for such agencies as Area 23, David and McCann, and for clients such as Google, Mastercard and pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim. It also marked the debut of a 52-episode, five-minute show, Dino Pops, that was created in hyper-real 3D animation fully executed in Unreal Engine for NBC’s streaming platform Peacock.

As a multi-brand platform, Bermuda has developed unique experiences with personalized content for literally hundreds of products distributed in Tetra Pak packaging. To date the studio has created more than 1,000 digital experiences representing over 150 household brands marketed across 28 countries.

“Our goal is to go even bigger, with more work from the US market, as we flex our muscles across all of our disciplines,” Ferrero states. “Operating as Bermuda will allow us to produce projects on a larger scale while working in different countries at the same time and while handling more complex and challenging projects. And it allows our clients, both on the agency and brand sides, to consolidate the number of entities they have to deal with while making internal collaboration easier and more efficient.” Besides the newly opened base in Miami, Bermuda currently has its HQ in Buenos Aires and offices in L.A. and Colombia to oversee projects throughout the Americas.

As for how they came up with the name, “It’s the idea of the unknown, this mysterious world,” he says, referring obliquely to the legendary Bermuda Triangle. “When you arrive at an idea, it basically comes from a magical place. How well you execute that idea, and the process by which you do it, sums up what Bermuda means to all of us.”

 


Felix Urquiza

AFX Creative Adds Felix Urquiza as ECD

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Creative studio AFX Creative has beefed up its VFX team with the addition of executive creative director Felix Urquiza. He joins with nearly 20 years of experience in the field, working at companies like Method Studios; The Mill; and Team One, heading up the latter’s VFX/CG division TiltShift under the Team One/Publicis Groupe’s USA umbrella.

In his new role at AFX, Urquiza will lead the creative team and develop new strategies. In addition, he will work closely with the studio’s managing director, Nicole Fina, to introduce new clients to AFX and expand its services beyond what it currently offers.

“My goal is to bring a fresh perspective, something more personal and meaningful that will resonate not only with our internal teams but also our clients,” Urquiza notes. “Our work and capabilities are already there, and I am here to help take it to the next level. However, what’s more important to me is bringing an outside perspective to AFX. This will push our team and clients to a higher level of excitement and commitment, elevating our passion and vision of creativity.”

Throughout his career, having an outside perspective is what has propelled Urquiza from being a go-to VFX artist to a creative director and studio director. “I would describe my visual style as modern, clean-cut and pristine,” he explains. “Throughout my career, I have developed both technical and creative skills, and as a result, have become proficient in several areas, including building decks and treatments, writing and designing my own treatments for pitches, and leading the team.”

Early on, Urquiza was inspired to pursue VFX after seeing two James Cameron films. “When I was around 10 to 12 years old, there were two movies that blew my mind,” he recalls: “The Abyss and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. In The Abyss, there is a moment when a ‘water’ creature appears and forms into a girl’s face. I couldn’t understand how they did that. Ever since then, I have been fascinated by movies and how they bring amazing things to life using computers. In my sophomore year of high school, I took an elective for 3D graphics, and on the very first day of that class, I knew this is what I wanted to do. I started researching and connecting the dots, laid out my plan and moved to California. The rest is history.”

Urquiza has used that inspiration while working on projects for Activision, Nike, Bacardi, Samsung, Apple, Lexus, GM, Toyota and many more. In addition, he’s collaborated with agencies such as Team One, Saatchi & Saatchi, Leo Burnett, BBDO, McCann, Omnicom and Argonaut.

What he considers to be his primary career highlights include working on his first-ever film, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End; doing a shoot with Zack Snyder during the opening weekend of 300; working on the game XCOM: The Bureau and being nominated twice for a VES award.

“During my time working at places like The Mill and Method, I gained a lot of experience in understanding what it takes to achieve high-quality work and striving to be the best in the industry,” he says. “I also learned the importance of committing to providing a personalized experience for our clients. At TiltShift, I gained valuable insights into the business side of things, such as navigating holding companies and how the decision-making process impacts the overall success of a business. Drawing from these experiences, I am confident in my ability to set high standards for creative output, collaborate effectively with clients and bring strategic ideas to the table on the business end of things.”

 


Donal Nolan

Donal Nolan at Helm of Milk’s New Dublin VFX Studio

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Milk‘s new Dublin visual effects studio, announced last year, is now fully operational and already at work. One of its first projects is the NBC series Surviving Earth, co-produced by UK indie Loud Minds and Universal Television Alternative Studios. Milk has been tasked with bringing to life prehistoric creatures and environments with high-end VFX.

Donal NolanThis new studio, which is located in Dublin’s historic Grafter House, is part of Milk’s strategy to further build its European presence in order to access talent and grow its capabilities and relationships. As part of this strategy, earlier this year Milk launched a new VFX studio in Barcelona and then opened a new studio in Bordeaux, France. And in 2022, Milk acquired the independent, BAFTA Award-winning VFX studio Lola Post Production.

Leading the new Dublin studio is Donal Nolan, who has been named creative head of studio. With Milk since August 2023, Nolan brings a wealth of experience to the role, having spent his VFX career at top global studios, including Dublin’s Egg, Windmill Lane and VFX union. In 2023 he won an Irish Film and Television Award (IFTA) for VFX in 2023 for The Woman King, a Milk project. He’s also worked on projects including Thor: The Dark World (Marvel Entertainment), The Siege of Jadotville (Netflix), 28 Weeks Later (20th Century Fox), Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (Amazon), The Order (Netflix) and Child’s Play (Orion Pictures), among many others.

Nolan is well-versed in building creative teams and welcomes the opportunity to grow Milk Dublin’s emerging business while continuing to call on VFX talent within the industry in Ireland. He is joined by VFX supervisor Ciaran Crowley, who has also been named part of the leadership team at the Dublin studio.

 


Sunday Ticket

Creating Sounds for NFL Sunday Ticket Super Bowl Spot

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Recreating what a flying football player might sound like as a bird when it lets loose with a caw isn’t your usual Super Bowl spot brief… but that was the heart of what Alt_Mix had to do when coming up with the sound design for Migration, the NFL Sunday Ticket ad that ran right before kickoff of Super Bowl LVIII.

Conceived by YouTube Creative Studio and produced by MJZ, the spot shows what happens when football players take to the skies in their annual, end of season migration. YouTube Creative Studio turned to Alt_Mix , a New York-based audio post studio founded by veteran mixer Cory Melious, for the second year in a row to provide complete audio mixing and sound design services for their Super Bowl commercial.

Sunday TicketMigration opens with a birder watcher raising binoculars to his eyes. “Beautiful, isn’t it,” he says softly as an orchestral score from music studio Walker rises in the background and we hear the far-off cawing of the flying gridsters. “Each year they must follow the path of migration, but never fear, they’ll be back,” he says as we see the players swooping in to grab a fish from a lake or alighting gently just outside a cabin.

Alt_Mix handled all aspects of the spot’s final audio, including sound design from the ground up, voiceover recording and mix.

The greatest challenge was figuring out what a football playing “birdman” should sound like. “There was a lot of testing and experimentation in coming up with just the right sound to their calls,” says Melious, who’s something of an amateur birder himself. “The creative team had a really good idea of what they wanted us to achieve, and it was our job to help them articulate that with sound. We did lots of variations, and in the end, we mixed humans making bird sounds with actual bird calls to get just the right pitch and tone.”

The spot features a number of players, such as D’Andre Swift, the running back for the Philadelphia Eagles; Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews; and Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett. Also appearing at the end of the spot, watching Sunday Ticket in the cabin scene, are the popular YouTube Creators Deestroying, Pierson Wodzynski and Sean Evans.

There was an interesting interplay between the artists doing the edit (Joint), effects and finishing (Blacksmith) and the soundscape his studio created, Melious adds. “They recognized that the sound had to be strong in order to sell the idea of a football player-sized bird that migrates.

For instance, they were editing the Tyler Lockett scene with no sound on him. “But once they laid the soundtrack on, it became a laugh-out-loud moment,” says Melious. “For the story to work, we needed to connect the details seen in the visuals to make them believable, so we worked really hard to bring those tiny movements alive with sound, like when the tree branch snapped after a player landed on it, or the dust and debris kicked up when they landed by the cabin. It’s all about elevating the viewers’ experience.”

 

Podcast 12.4
Pixel 8

Bespoke Digital Helps Launch Google’s Mint Pixel 8

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Creative studio Bespoke Digital continues to grow its innovative approach to content production with its latest for tech giant Google and the Pixel 8, marking its third consecutive launch collaboration with the brand.

Bespoke’s team of CG artists, editors and colorists, handled every facet of the project, from inception to post, as well as the final behind-the-scenes film. Because of the scope of the job, the studio worked for months on the execution. Along with Brooklyn-based artist Ricardo Gonzalez, aka It’s A Living, who hails from Durango, Mexico, Bespoke teased the expansion of Google’s color options for its Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, culminating in a live mural event in SoHo.

Pixel 8The deliverables for this Google Mint Pixel 8 launch included the aforementioned behind-the-scenes film; social media assets; original CG animation for 250 digital-out-of-home electronic kiosks across Manhattan and Brooklyn; an artist-painted static billboard at 389 Canal Street; commercial teasers (including CG elements), editorial; sound; color grading; sourcing and coordinating the artist; production of 100 custom phone cases for a giveaway and 100 custom paint canvases for a painting class at the event; locations and permits; media recording; live-streaming; and the art installation at the Google store.

“Having worked in advertising for a number of years, I find it exciting to witness the evolution beyond conventional commercials, seamlessly transitioning into the realm of experiential marketing,” says Eui-Jip Hwang, Bespoke’s EP on the project. “Our journey has not merely involved crafting traditional CG commercials; rather, we’ve pushed the boundaries, crafting immersive experiences that redefine advertising creation, revolutionizing how it is consumed.”

In terms of tools, Bespoke called on Adobe Photoshop for retouching, Adobe Premiere for editing, Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve for color grading, SideFX Houdini for 3D and Adobe After Effects for animation.
Podcast 12.4

Behind the Title: BlueBolt VFX Supervisor David Scott

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David Scott is a visual effects supervisor at London-based BlueBolt, an independent studio that provides VFX for television and film.

“It’s run by a great bunch of industry pros, a lot of whom I’d worked with before in previous companies, like MPC,” explains Scott. “What is nice about being in a smaller company is the scope of work you get to do and the types of films and projects you work on. Your involvement in it is much more than in bigger studios, where things are much more departmentalized. Plus, you get to know almost everyone in the company, which is definitely not the case in bigger ones.”

Let’s hear more from Scott…

What does the role of VFX supervisor entail?
My primary responsibility is to ensure that the director’s vision and expectations are brought to fruition. The process can start during preproduction, where we break down the script, discuss approach to shooting and identify where VFX may be required. Collaborating closely with the production team, we plan the shoot to capture the necessary elements for the shots.

David Scott

The Great

Once the shoot concludes, my focus shifts to the post phase at BlueBolt. Here, we discuss the specific requirements for each shot and plan our approach. Throughout the VFX process, we maintain regular reviews with the director. Our involvement extends into the digital intermediate stage, ensuring our contribution until the final shot is graded and officially locked. It’s a comprehensive journey from initial concepts to final shots, with constant collaboration to achieve the desired look.

What would surprise people the most about what falls under that title?
The number of meetings and reviews each shot has before it’s presented as final.

How long have you been working in VFX, and in what kind of roles?
I have been working in VFX for 20 years. I’ve worked in different companies throughout my career, mainly in London but also for a number of years in New Zealand. I started in the rotoscoping department, moving into prep and then compositing. Within compositing, I’ve been a lead and a comp supervisor, and for the past three years I’ve been VFX supervising.

The Great

How has the VFX industry changed in the time you’ve been working? The good and the bad.
So many aspects have changed, but the first thing that comes to mind is that the scale and complexity of projects has grown massively throughout my career in VFX. Before, a 300-shot show would book out a whole facility, whereas now the larger VFX houses can handle multiple shows, each with thousands of shots.

The upside is that we’re tackling more ambitious projects, pushing the boundaries of what’s visually possible. However, the downside, is that timeframes haven’t kept pace with this expansion. The challenge lies in delivering high-quality work within the same, if not tighter, schedules.

Do you like being on-set for shots? What are the benefits?
There’s a unique energy and immediacy to the on-set environment. Being there allows for instant problem-solving, better collaboration with the production team and an intuitive understanding of the director’s vision. It’s all about soaking it up and ensuring the VFX fits seamlessly into the shots.

What do you see as a big trend that is happening now or maybe is on the verge of happening? Is it AI? If so, what are your thoughts on how it could be used for the good and not the bad in VFX?
Absolutely, AI and machine learning are undeniably making a significant impact on the world of VFX. While headline-grabbing applications like deepfakes and de-aging are understandably in the spotlight, the benefit of AI across the whole VFX workflow will bring massive gains.

David Scott

The Great

As these technologies develop, there’s immense potential for efficiency enhancement, optimizing the day-to-day processes. When integrated thoughtfully, AI has the power to become a valuable ally, boosting productivity and increasing creativity in the VFX industry.

Did a particular film inspire you along this path in entertainment?
There are so many from my childhood, but the standout is Who Framed Roger Rabbit. I remember they promoted it with a lot of behind-the-scenes information about the technology and techniques used, which I found so fascinating.

Where do you find inspiration?
My inspiration comes from everywhere. Reference is key when tackling shots, so I enjoy delving into stock footage sites, exploring YouTube and referencing other movies.

What’s your favorite part of the job?
I love that every show comes with its own set of challenges to solve, both technical and creative. Working with so many talented people, sharing ideas and developing them together is my favorite part.

If you didn’t have this job, what would you be doing instead?
Definitely graphic design. I studied graphic design at college and worked doing that for four years before making the jump into VFX.

David Scott

The Great

Can you name some recent work?
I’m currently working on Nosferatu. Previous work includes, The Northman, The Great (Season 3), Avengers: Endgame and James Bond’s No Time to Die.

What tools do you use day to day?
Most of my day is spent in RV reviewing shots and in ShotGrid for everything else show-related. And if I need to work on specific shots, I’ll use Nuke for compositing.

Finally, what do you do to de-stress from it all?
When I’m mid-project, I find it hard to fully switch off, so exercise becomes key to relieve the stress. And if I have free time, the weather is good and the stars align, then I’ll play some golf.

Foundry Flix 7.0

Foundry Releases Flix 7.0 for Streamlined Preproduction

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Foundry has launched Flix 7.0, an update to its preproduction software that helps studios develop stories by managing editorial round-tripping, storyboard revisions, file versioning and more.

Now offering integration with Autodesk Maya, Flix 7.0 enables both 2D and 3D artists to collaborate from anywhere globally using Flix as a central story hub. Snapshots and playblasts can be imported from Maya into Flix 7.0 as panels, then round-tripped to and from editorial. Flix manages naming, storing and organizing all files, as well as allows teams to provide feedback or revisit older ideas as the story is refined.

Foundry Flix 7.0

While Flix also connects to Adobe Photoshop and Toon Boom Storyboard Pro, the Maya integration provides the ability for layout and storyboard teams to work in tandem. These teams can now collaborate concurrently to identify areas for improvement in the story such as timing issues before they become too complicated and expensive to change later in production. 2D artists can bring Flix’s Maya panels into their drawing tool of choice so that they can trace over the viewport for faster storyboarding. 3D artists can reference 2D storyboard panels from Flix directly in Maya when building complex scenes or character models, providing additional time savings.

Flix 7.0 simplifies building new extensions with a new Remote Client API. This API allows studios to create custom tools that integrate with Flix using the same API as the built-in extensions for Maya and Photoshop. Documentation and example code for the Remote Client API are provided to help studios build custom integrations with their choice tools or to create entirely custom workflows. Flix 7.0’s new extension management system enables studio supervisors to test, update and audit all extensions, with the added ability to deploy them across production from a single place.

Flix 7.0 offers single sign-on (SSO), so IT teams can authenticate Flix users through their studio’s existing SSO platform to centrally manage secure access to story development assets to both staff and freelancers. Flix also supports multi-factor authentication to provide an added layer of security.

Other new features in Flix 7.0 include:

  • New metadata system — Scene data is now stored directly on each Flix panel. For example, for Maya users, global cameras, locators and file path data will be recorded for assets selected in the viewer.
  • Enhanced Adobe Premiere plugin — A multitude of updates and a new UI for the Flix Premiere Adapter eliminates limitations of previous versions, providing an efficient editorial workflow.
  • Photoshop plugin redesign — The Photoshop extension has been rebuilt, bringing users new UI customization options.
  • Updated notification preferences — The ability to turn off automatic email updates each time a panel is published or changed.

 

Jamm Adds Supervising Lighting TD Glen Swetez

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VFX and color studio Jamm has added lighting expert Glen Swetez to its growing team in Los Angeles. Swetez will serve as supervising lighting technical director after performing a similar role at multiple visual effects companies in London throughout his career.

Swetez joins from ILM, where he was a senior lighting TD. He brings a wealth of experience, from his early days as a CG artist at MPC to his role as lighting lead for studios such as The Mill and DNeg.

Swetez’s credits include Ex-Machina, Avengers Endgame and ABBA, Voyage.

In his new post at Jamm, Swetez will lead lighters across numerous projects that span the shop’s portfolio.

Beyond his professional achievements, Swetez is excited about moving his family across the pond, as they transition from London to the sun-soaked landscape of Los Angeles. “We didn’t know we were sun lovers until we made the move,” he says. “While I enjoyed living in London, I am looking forward to working in a smaller studio that creates the same caliber, high-end visuals.”

 

 

 

Visual Effects: VES Award Nominees Announced

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The Visual Effects Society (VES) has announced the nominees for its 22nd Annual VES Awards, which recognize visual effects artistry and innovation in features, animation, television, commercials and video games. The awards also recognize the VFX supervisors, VFX producers and hands-on artists who bring this work to life. Awards will be presented on February 21 at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles.

The Creator leads the feature film field with seven nominations, and the animated Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has seven nominations as well. Leading in the episodic category with nominations is The Last of Us, which has six.

Nominees in 25 categories were selected by VES members at 39 in-person and virtual nomination events conducted worldwide over a 36-hour continuous process. The VES Awards nominations protocol included a review of each award submission, including before-and-afters, by a minimum of three different judging panels. Participating VES members on the panels represented 25 countries.

The nominees for the 22ndAnnual VES Awards in 25 categories are as follows:

OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

Ben Snow

Diana Giorgiutti

Khalid Almeerani

Scott Benza

Sam Conway

 

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Stephane Ceretti

Susan Pickett

Alexis Wajsbrot

Guy Williams

Dan Sudick

 

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

Andrew Whitehurst

Kathy Siegel

Robert Weaver

Julian Hutchens

Alistair Williams

 

Oppenheimer

Andrew Jackson

Mike Chambers, VES

Giacomo Mineo

Dave Drzewiecki

Scot Fisher

 

The Creator

Jay Cooper

Julian Levi

Ian Comley

Charmaine Chan

Neil Corbould, VES

 

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE

 

John Wick: Chapter 4

Janelle Croshaw Ralla

Reina Sparks

Jonathan Rothbart

Javier Roca

Gerd Nefzer

 

Killers of the Flower Moon

Pablo Helman

Brian Barlettani

Sam Bassett

Brandon Keys McLaughlin

 

Napoleon

Charley Henley

Sarah Tulloch

Luc-Ewen Martin-Fenouillet

Simone Coco

Neil Corbould, VES

 

Nyad

Jake Braver

Fiona Campbell Westgate

Christopher White

Mohsen Mousavi

 

Society of the Snow

Félix Bergés

Micaela Gagliano

Laura Pedro

Ezequiel Larrú

Pau Costa

 

OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE

 

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget

Jon Biggins

Jim Lewis

Charles Copping

Matthew Perry

 

Elemental

Peter Sohn

Denise Ream

Sanjay Bakshi

Stephen Marshall

 

Nimona

Archie Donato

Yancy Lindquist

Theodore Ty

Anthony Kemp

 

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Alan Hawkins

Christian Hejnal

Michael Lasker

Matt Hausman

 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

Matthieu Rouxel

Marie Balland

Jacques Daigle

Vincent Leroy

 

OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL EPISODE

 

Ahsoka; Season 1; Dreams and Madness

Richard Bluff

Jakris Smittant

Paul Kavanagh

Enrico Damm

Scott Fisher

 

Loki; Season 2; Glorious Purpose

Christopher Townsend

Allison Paul

Matthew Twyford

Christopher Smallfield

John William Van Der Pool

 

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters

Sean Konrad

Jessica Smith

Jed Glassford

Khalid Almeerani

Paul Benjamin

 

The Last of Us; Season 1; Infected

Alex Wang

Sean Nowlan

Stephen James

Simon Jung

Joel Whist

 

The Mandalorian; Season 3; The Return

Grady Cofer

Abbigail Keller

Victor Schutz IV

Cameron Neilson

Scott Fisher

 

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL EPISODE

 

A Murder at The End of the World; Season 1; Crypt

Aaron Raff

Tavis Larkham

Douglas Stichbury

Mat Ellin

 

Citadel; Season 1; Secrets in Night Need Early Rains

Wesley Froud

Scott Shapiro

Aladino Debert

Greg Teegarden

 

Ted Lasso: Season 3; Mom City

Gretchen Bangs

Bill Parker

Lenny Wilson

 

The Crown; Season 6; Dis-Moi Oui

Ben Turner

Reece Ewing

Oliver Bersey

Joe Cork

 

Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty; Season 2; BEAT LA

Raymond McIntyre Jr.

Victor DiMichina

Javier Menéndez Platas

Damien Stantina

 

OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A REAL-TIME PROJECT

 

Alan Wake 2

Janne Pulkkinen

Johannes Richter

Daniel Kończyk

Damian Olechowski

 

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty

Jakub Knapik

Paweł Mielniczuk

Maciej Włodarkiewicz

Kacper Niepokólczycki

 

Immortals of Aveum

Joseph Hall

Kevin Boyle

Dave Bogan

Julia Lichtblau

 

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Jacinda Chew

Jeannette Lee

Bryanna Lindsey

Alan Weider

 

Mortal Kombat 1

Christopher Chapman

Scott Quinn

James DeSousa

Jeff Palmer

Matt Gilmore

 

OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A COMMERCIAL

 

Accenture; Changing Tree

Simon French

Vic Lovejoy

David Filipe

Matteo La Motta

 

Apple; Air Pods Pro; Quiet The Noise

Iain Murray

Oscar Wendt

Dean Robinson

Sergio Morales Paz

 

Coca-Cola; Masterpiece

Ryan Knowles

Antonia Vlasto

Gregory McKneally

Dan Yargici

 

Jean Paul Gaultier; Divine Perfume

Stéphane Pivron

Cécile Hubin

Guillaume Dadaglio

Mathias Barday

 

Virgin Media; Goat Glider

Ben Cronin

George Reid

Sam Driscoll

Christian Baker

 

OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A SPECIAL VENUE PROJECT

 

Hypersphere 360; SeaWorld Abu Dhabi

Daren Ulmer

Cedar Connor

Lindsey Sprague

Ryan Kravetz

 

Postcard From Earth

Aruna Inversin

Eric Wilson

Corey Turner

Bill George

 

Rembrandt Immersive Artwork

Andrew McNamara

Sebastian Read

Andrew Kinnear

Sam Matthews

 

The Marvels: Goose the Flerken Cat

Tim Kafka

Mari Suarez

Toya Drechsler

Sebastian Niño Florez

 

Zootopia: Hot Pursuit

Blaine Kennison

Jeanne Angel

Darin Hollings

Aaron Arendt

 

OUTSTANDING ANIMATED CHARACTER IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom; Topo the Octopus

Thomas Ward

Andrew Butler

Felix Slinger-Thompson

Jacob Burstein

 

Godzilla Minus One; Godzilla

Kosuke Taguchi

Takashi Yamazaki

 

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3; Rocket

Nathan McConnel

Andrea De Martis

Antony Magdalinidis

Rachel Williams

 

Wonka; Oompa Loompa

Dale Newton

Kunal Ayer

Valentina Ercolani

Gabor Foner

 

OUTSTANDING ANIMATED CHARACTER IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE

 

Elemental; Ember

Gwendelyn Enderoglu

Jared Fong

Jonathan Hoffman

Patrick Witting

 

Elemental; Wade

Max Gilbert

Jacob Kuenzel

Dave Strick

Benjamin Su

 

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse; Spot

Christopher Mangnall

Craig Feifarek

Humberto Rosa

Nideep Varghese

 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem; Superfly

Gregory Coelho

Anne-Claire Leroux

Simon Cuisinier

Olivier Pierre

 

OUTSTANDING ANIMATED CHARACTER IN AN EPISODE, COMMERCIAL, GAME CINEMATIC OR REAL-TIME PROJECT

 

Diablo IV; Inarius and Lilith Cinematic; Lilith

Matt Onheiber

Jason Huang

Maia Neubig

 

Shadow and Bone; Season 2; No Funerals; Nichevo’ya the Shadow Monster

José María del Fresno

Matthieu Poirey

Carlos Puigdollers

Guillermo Ramos

 

The Last of Us; Endure & Survive; Bloater

Gino Acevedo

Max Telfer

Pascal Raimbault

Fabio Leporelli

 

The Nevers; It’s a Good Day; Robot Dog

Christian Leitner

Bernd Nalbach

Sebastian Plank

Martin Wellstein

 

Virgin Media; Goat Glider; The Goat

Sam Driscoll

Kanishk Chouhan

Suvi Jokiniemi

Chloe Dawe

 

OUTSTANDING CREATED ENVIRONMENT IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE

 

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3; Knowhere

Omar Alejandro Lavrador Ibanez

Fabien Julvecourt

Klaudio Ladavac

Benjamin Patterson

 

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny; Underwater Wreck Environment

Johan Gabrielsson

Adrian Tsang

Stefan Andersson

Martin Eneroth

 

John Wick: Chapter 4; Place de L’Étoile

Manuel Gaudreau

Fabrice Vienne

Vignesh Ravi

Laurent Makowski

 

The Creator; Floating Village

John Seru

Guy Williams

Vincent Techer

Timothée Maron

 

OUTSTANDING CREATED ENVIRONMENT IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE

 

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget; Chicken Island

Charles Copping

Matthew Perry

Jim Lewis

Jon Biggins

 

Elemental; Element City

Chris Bernardi

Brandon Montell

David Shavers

Ting Zhang

 

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse; Mumbattan City

Taehyun Park

YJ Lee

Pepe Orozco

Kelly Han

 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem; Midtown Manhattan

Olivier Mitonneau

Eddy Frechou

Guillaume Chevet

Arnaud Philippe-Giraux

 

OUTSTANDING CREATED ENVIRONMENT IN AN EPISODE, COMMERCIAL, GAME CINEMATIC OR REAL-TIME PROJECT

 

Loki; Season 2: 1983; World’s Fair White City

Christian Waite

Ben Aickin

Francesco Ferraresi

Pieter Warmington

 

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds; The Broken Circle

Nathaniel Larouche

Owen Deveney

Mujia Liao

Alex Morin

 

The Last Of Us; Look for the Light; Salt Lake City

Pascal Raimbault

Nick Cattell

Jasper Hayward

Kristine -Joeann Jasper

 

The Last of Us: Post-Outbreak Boston

Melaina Mace

Adrien Lambert

Juan Carlos Barquet

Christopher Anciaume

 

OUTSTANDING VIRTUAL CINEMATOGRAPHY IN A CG PROJECT

 

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Joanna Davison

Cheyana Wilkinson

Michael Cozens

Jason Desjarlais

 

Migration

Guylo Homsy

Damien Bapst

Antoine Collet

David Dangin

 

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Rich Turner

Randolph Lizarda

Daniela Campos Little

Thomas Campos

 

The Creator

Roel Coucke

Christopher Potter

Amanda Johnstone-Batt

Jeremy Bloch

 

OUTSTANDING MODEL IN A PHOTOREAL OR ANIMATED PROJECT

 

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3; The Arête

Kenneth Johansson

Jason Galeon

Tim Civil

Artur Vil

 

Peter Pan & Wendy; Jolly Roger

Patrick Comtois

Thomas Gallardo

Harrison Stark

David Thibodeau

 

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse; Spider HQ

Dongick David Sheen

Mark JeongWoong Lee

Mikaela Bantog

René Völker

 

The Creator; Nomad

Oliver Kane

Mat Monro

Florence Green

Serban Ungureanu

 

OUTSTANDING EFFECTS SIMULATIONS IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE

 

Napoleon

Koen Hofmeester

Gianmichele Mariani

Clair Bellens

Hernan Llano Duque

 

Nyad; Stormy Waters

Korbinian Meier

Sindy Saalfeld

David Michielsen

Andreas Vrhovsek

 

The Creator

Ludovic Ramisandraina

Raul Essig

Mathieu Chardonnet

Lewis Taylor

 

The Nun 2

Laurent Creusot

Sebastien Podsiadlo

Michael Moercant

Benjamin Saurine

 

OUTSTANDING EFFECTS SIMULATIONS IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE

 

Elemental

Kristopher Campbell

Greg Gladstone

Jon Reisch

Kylie Wijsmuller

 

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Pav Grochola

Filippo Maccari

Naoki Kato

Nicola Finizio

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

Louis Marsaud

Paul-Etienne Bourde

Serge Martin

Marine Pommereul

 

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Simon Pate

Christophe Vazquez

Milo Riccarand

 

OUTSTANDING EFFECTS SIMULATIONS IN AN EPISODE, COMMERCIAL, GAME CINEMATIC OR REAL-TIME PROJECT

 

Citadel; Secrets in Night Need Early Rains; Ocean Water

James Reid

Mathew Rotman

Filipp Elizarov

Nardeep Chander

 

Invasion; Season 2; A Voice from the Other Side

Zybrand Jacobs

Alex Marlow

Tim Jenkinson

Tobias Grønbeck Andersen

 

Loki; Season 2; Science/Fiction; Spaghettification

Rafael Camacho

Jonathan Lyddon-Towl

Julien Legay

Benedikt Roettger

 

The Mandalorian; Season 3; Lake Monster Attack Water
Travis Harkleroad

Florian Wietzel

Rick Hankins

Aron Bonar

 

Willow; Children of the Wyrm; Crone Duststorm and Magical Effects

Michael Cashmore

Robert Zeltsch

Jiyong Shin

Audun Ase

 

OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING & LIGHTING IN A FEATURE

 

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Indah Maretha

Beck Veitch

Nathan Abbot

Steve McGillen

 

John Wick: Chapter 4; Apartment Massacre Videogame Style

Javier Roca

Julien Forest

Thomas Bourdis

Dominik Kirouac

 

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Bret St.Clair

Kieron Cheuk-Chi Lo

Kelly Christophers

Rowan Young

 

The Creator; Bar

Phil Prates

Min Kim

Nisarg Suthar

Toshiko Miura

 

The Creator; Spaceships

Ben O-Brien

Juan Espigares Enriquez

Wesley Roberts

Hayes Brien

 

OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING & LIGHTING IN AN EPISODE

 

The Last of Us; Endure and Survive; Infected Horde Battle

Matthew Lumb

Ben Roberts

Ben Campbell

Quentin Hema

 

The Last of Us; Infected; Boston

Casey Gorton

Francesco Dell’Anna

Vaclav Kubant

Natalia Valbuena

 

The Mandalorian; Season 3; The Return

Sam Wirch

Tory Mercer

Donny Rausch

Erich Ippen

 

Willow; Children of the Wyrm

Jeremy Sawyer

Steve Hardy

Martin Tardif

Miguel Macaya Ten

 

OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING & LIGHTING IN A COMMERCIAL

 

Accenture; Changing Tree

David Filipe

Matteo La Motta

Jordan Dunstall

Taran Spear

 

Coca-Cola; Masterpiece

Ryan Knowles

Greg Mckneally

Taran Spear

Jordan Dunstall

 

Smirnoff; Cocktail

Vittorio Barabani

Peter Hodsman

Giacomo Verri

Marc Greyvenstein

 

Starfield

Jimmy Bullard

Ajit Menon

Ruairi Twohig

Karim Moussa

 

OUTSTANDING SPECIAL (PRACTICAL) EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL PROJECT

I’m a Virgo

John McLeod

Scott Kirvan

Alec Gillis

Carl Miller

 

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One

Neil Corbould, VES

Ray Ferguson

Keith Dawson

Chris Motjuoadi

 

Oppenheimer

Scott Fisher

James Rollins

Mario Vanillo

 

Society of the Snow

Pau Costa

Carlos Laguna

Guillermo F. Aldunate

Eloy Cervera

 

EMERGING TECHNOLOGY AWARD

 

Blue Beetle; Machine Learning Cloth

JohnMark Gibbons

Allen Ruilova

Momme Carl

David Minor

 

Elemental; Volumetric Neural Style Transfer

Vinicius C. Azevedo

Byungsoo Kim

Raphael Ortiz

Paul Kanyuk

 

The Flash; Volumetric Capture

Stephan Trojansky

Thomas Ganshorn

Oliver Pilarski

Lukas Lepicovsky

 

Wish; Dynamic Screen Space Textures for Coherent Stylization

Brent Burley

Daniel Teece

Brian J. Green

 

OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A STUDENT PROJECT

 

Au 8ème Jour

Flavie Carin

Agathe Sénéchal

Alicia Massez

Elise Debruyne

 

L’Animal Sauce Ail

Aurélien Duchez

Ysaline Debut

Diane Mazella

Camille Rostan

 

Loup y es-tu ?

Célina Lebon

Louise Laurent

Emma Fessart

Annouck François

Silhouette

Alexis Lafuente

Antoni Nicolaï

Chloé Stricher

Elliot Dreuille

The Marvels

Rising Sun Pictures’ VFX Destroy and Rebuild for The Marvels

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For The Marvels, a new superhero offering from Marvel Studios, Australia’s Rising Sun Pictures was tasked with creating a vast city on the planet Hala, home to the Kree Empire and its artificial intelligence ruler, the Supreme Intelligence.

Artists created both a representation of the futuristic city at the height of its power and as a devastated ruin. The studio also produced the film’s opening and closing sequences showing the implosion and rebirth of Hala’s sun.

The sequel to the 2019 blockbuster Captain Marvel, The Marvels, directed by Nia DaCosta, marks the return of Carol Danvers’ Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) who has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree and taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence. Rising Sun Pictures worked under production VFX supervisor Tara DeMarco.

First appearing in a flashback, Hala’s capital is a densely packed urban environment of towering skyscrapers and elegant homes arrayed along a crystal-blue ocean. “The skyline suggests Manhattan as it might look in some distant future,” says Rising Sun Pictures VFX supervisor Jamie Macdougall. “It’s filled with beautiful architecture and surrounded by lush forest.”

The studio developed the look of the city from concept art provided by the production. “We extrapolated on the drawings to produce a cityscape of thousands of buildings,” notes CG supervisor Prema Paetsch. “Our first task was to define the city’s superstructure and then fill it with a logical distribution of office buildings, elevated roadways, residential structures and landmarks. We also added human-scale detail such as doors and windows, rooftop gardens and trees. The challenge was to sell the size and scope of the city and to make it stylistically consistent without repeating patterns.”

“It’s one of the largest environments we’ve ever built,” notes Macdougall. “And it has enough detail to be viewed from any camera angle or perspective. It’s seen in flyovers. The camera also drops down to street level so that you can look into individual homes and offices and see things like lighting fixtures and furniture.”

Artists used particle effects to further bring the city to life. “We designed systems that could be attached to tiny vehicles to make them move along roads and skyways in a logical manner,” notes comp supervisor Neill Barrack. “A similar technique was used to make birds fly gracefully past camera.”

The MarvelsThe flashback ends with Captain Marvel destroying the city, including an immense green building housing the Supreme Intelligence. “We see her attacking the Supreme Intelligence, which appears as a giant, anthropomorphic computer,” Macdougall explains. “It explodes, with the blast spreading across the city. The next time we see the city, it’s a smoldering ruin. There is no water. The atmosphere has turned to poisonous smog. Its sun is dying.”

Artists added subtleties to suggest that the city has decayed over several decades. “Buildings are weathered, grimy and dirty,” says Paetsch. “What used to be clear glass is smudged. Metal objects have rusted. We added skeleton trees to rooftop gardens, withered plants to balconies. Smoke lingers in the air. Everything is dark and gloomy.”

Paetsch adds that working with an asset so large was challenging. They addressed that issue by making the city modular. “We had a large team working on the environment together,” he explains. “We managed the load by distributing subassets and substructures to individual artists across several departments. The environments team focused on the procedural, rule-based design, while the assets team focused on bespoke hero structures that are seen close-up and needed very specific designs. We ultimately had hundreds of subassets that could be checked out as modules and checked back in to the master system. The core of it all was a distribution logic that placed individual structures into the larger expanse in a defined order.”

Near the end of the film, Captain Marvel uses her powers to restore the city to its former splendor. “Massive winds blow through, bringing fresh air and pushing out the smog. Water is pumped in,” states Macdougall. “The buildings are still destroyed, but it’s evident the planet is on the mend.”

Equally impressive are the solar collapse and restoration that bookend the film. Macdougall notes that the production had a science advisor who provided insight into how stars die. “Quite a lot of thought went into how it should happen,” he recalls. “As the star dies and loses its fuel, it grows bigger and bigger before gravity kicks in, and it implodes. This process occurs over vast time frames, but since the imminent death of the sun is an important story point, our task was to take this concept and imagine it in a way that conveyed urgency. It provides weight and drama to Captain Marvel’s mission.”

At the end of the film, the process is reversed. Captain Marvel uses her expanded powers to restart the sun. Paetsch says that it was important that this spectacular transformation also appear convincing. “It took a lot of conceptual work and experimentation with different approaches to three-dimensional simulations,” he recalls. “There were multiple layers, complex details and structures within structures, all of which are moving.”

The MarvelsHe adds that they also had to integrate Captain Marvel into the scene. “She disappears into the sun, which is heated to millions of degrees, and our job was to make the audience believe that she is causing its regeneration to happen,” notes Barrack. “You see her energy beams emanating through the gaps and rippling across the solar surface as the crumbling structure fixes itself. It becomes smooth and beautifully bright. The team did a marvelous job in creating something that has never been seen before.”

The restoration of the sun gives way to a climactic view of the Hala capital once again bathed in light. “Hero shots like these are a wonderful opportunity for our team to shine,” concludes Macdougall. “Both the cityscape and the solar sequences were massive in size and scope. They challenged our ability to solve problems and gave us a chance to flex our creative muscles. The results look fantastic.”

Robin Lamontagne   

Behind the Title: Outpost VFX Supervisor Robin Lamontagne           

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Robin Lamontagne is a VFX supervisor at Outpost VFX, which has four studios spread across the UK, Montreal and Mumbai. They work on film and episodics, including Napoleon, Silo, The Wheel of Time and The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

Based in Montreal, Lamontagne has almost a decade in the industry, amassing multiple VES Award nominations along the way. He was previously at Rodeo FX, Method and Atomic Fiction, among other studios.

He has contributed to shows such as Ad Astra, Extraction and For All Mankind but is maybe best known for his work on Season 2 of The Witcher, where he oversaw a numbe of technically challenging CG sequences. These included the fight scene between Geralt and the full-CG Myriapod, a huge centipede-like creature with a mammalian head, multiple arms and slimy tentacles, all of which had to interact seamlessly with talent.

Let’s find out more…

What does your role as a VFX supervisor entail?
The VFX supervisor on the vendor side is the person in charge of making sure the digital effects for a project hit the mark. They collaborate with clients, hash out the budget details, and then lead a team of digital artists to get the job done.

Robin Lamontagne   

The Little Mermaid

They handle the technical side, ensure the client’s vision is met, and oversee the team as they create the visual magic that ends up on screen. Whether it’s crafting epic battle scenes or bringing fantastical creatures to life, the VFX supervisor at a VFX studio is the one steering the ship to make it all happen.

What would surprise people the most about what falls under that title?
There are a number of soft skills a VFX supervisor needs to keep the team motivated and working in the same creative direction, not only so they can follow the client’s vision, but so they can also bring their own ideas and creativity to the project.

I think it all mostly comes down to having a sense of ownership over the work. The more we can communicate notes and guidelines in a way that allows the team to feel comfortable sharing ideas, or trying something out rather than placing this pixel on that dot, the better. And I believe it’s up to the VFX supervisor to nurture and encourage that mentality.

How long have you been working in VFX, and in what kind of roles?
I’ve touched a wide variety of departments across my VFX career. I started almost 10 years ago as a data wrangler, then quickly moved to editorial doing modeling tasks after-hours to help push the show forward and help myself transition to an artist position. I then went on to be a CG generalist, assets lead, CG supervisor and finally VFX supervisor.

How has the VFX industry changed in the time you’ve been working? What’s been good? What’s been bad?
The VFX scene has been a real rollercoaster since I got into it. On the upside, we’ve gotten crazy good at making movie magic. Seriously, sometimes even I can’t tell what’s real and what we’ve cooked up in post, which is amazing.

On the flip side, we’ve been seeing a few more films downplaying the VFX work in their marketing campaigns; VFX teams are creating epic visuals that support the filmmaking process, and it’s sometimes made to sound as though everything was done in-camera. We should all be shouting from the rooftops about the cool stuff we’re doing, not hiding it in my opinion.

Robin Lamontagne   

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters

So it’s been a journey. We’ve upped our game big time, but there’s still the challenge of having our work recognized for the integral part of filmmaking that it now is.

Did a particular film inspire you along this path in entertainment?
I couldn’t name one film in particular, but I always really liked the cool-looking stuff. And VFX became my way of contributing to the coolest stuff I could ever imagine.

Did you go to film school?
I did not! I went to a couple of CG schools, which gave me the base I needed, and I made up the rest practicing on my own time and absorbing as much as I could from the people I worked with.

What’s your favorite part of the job?
There’s quite a few. I love when a show starts and you get to discover the plates, establish workflows and plan out the show. There’s also something incredibly thrilling about sending the last few shots; it brings an adrenaline rush that is hard to replicate.

If you didn’t have this job, what would you be doing instead?
That’s an interesting question. Had streaming been as big as it is now when I was younger, I might’ve ended up doing that. Otherwise, probably videogames or something completely different like woodworking.

Can you name some recent work?
I recently wrapped on Monarch: Legacy of Monsters while at Outpost VFX and previously worked on Black Adam, The Little Mermaid and The Witcher Season 2.

What tools do you use day to day?
ShotGrid, RV, Maya and Nuke are my daily drivers.

Where do you find inspiration now?
It varies a lot depending on the show. If my kids are the target audience age, I will push myself to create something I know they would enjoy, because the thought of watching it with them is really the only inspiration I need. Otherwise to me, it’s all about making cool things, looking for the “ohhh” moment. That’s what keeps me inspired and pushing forward.

What do you do to de-stress from it all?
Running around with the kids definitely helps forget about the day’s stress, and when that doesn’t work, I’ll hop back on the computer a little bit to play some videogames with my brother.

Lobo Uses AI to Create Animated Open for Ciclope Festival

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Creative production, design, animation and mixed media studio Lobo created an animated open for Ciclope Festival 2023, which took place in November in Berlin. Blending traditional concepts with AI-enhanced animation techniques, Lobo produced a kaleidoscope of colors and images designed to show off the artistry on display at this year’s show.

The Ciclope Festival is a three-day live event focusing on the advertising and entertainment industries. The recurring theme each year is craft, with 2023 emphasizing artificial intelligence.

“We are all talking about how AI will influence our work and our lives,” explains Francisco Condorelli, founder/organizer of Ciclope. “Lobo developed its titles around that idea using machine learning technology.”

The process began with the creation of 3D models using Autodesk Maya. These initial structures and visual elements were used to craft the basic environment and figures of the animation. Lobo then used Stable Diffusion.

At the core of this process was the use of LoRA, a method known for its efficiency in adapting large neural network models for specific tasks. In this project, LoRA was called on to learn from unique and original artworks created by Lobo’s artists. This method allowed the AI to capture the creative essence and stylistic details of these pieces, effectively using these insights to refine and enhance the 3D models. Through LoRA, the team was able to integrate artistic nuances into the animation, ensuring what they say was a seamless blend of art and technology.

After using LoRA, Lobo used ControlNet as a precision-guiding tool. LoRA meticulously oversaw the translation of artistic vision into the animated models, ensuring each nuance was accurately reflected. This system was key in aligning the final animations with the intended aesthetic objectives, enabling a faithful and resonant representation of the artists’ original concepts.

Lobo is no stranger to incorporating advanced technology in its work. For the Google Pixel Show 2023, Lobo was commissioned to produce a teaser for the event. Uniting five of its directors, Lobo brainstormed challenging concepts inspired by the arrival of AI-based image-making technologies. The subsequent short used different styles and techniques, from the figurative to the completely abstract, but they all shared the use of AI tools.

For Unfair City, a short film created with BBDO Dublin, Lobo used AI to highlight the growing inequality of homelessness.

However, the expanding use of artificial intelligence remains just one tool in Lobo’s tool box.

For VR Vaccine, Lobo was tasked with alleviating a child’s fear of taking vaccine shots. By creating an immersive fantasy world, Lobo was able to position the child as the hero of her own story, using the vaccine as a shield to protect the realm from invaders. The use of a headset and smartphone was integral in creating this environment.

Lobo was also engaged to launch the new Volvo S60. Using WebAR, Lobo simulated a virtual store, including car customizations, test drive scheduling and financing simulations.

 

V-Ray 6 for 3ds Max, Update 2, Adds MaterialX Support for USD

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Chaos has launched V-Ray 6 for 3ds Max, Update 2, offering new and enhanced support for some of VFX’s most popular file standards. With new support for MaterialX, artists can now complete their USD pipeline, enabling smooth rendering and shader exchanges across teams and tools. Support for the latest USD for 3ds Max version has also been added, bringing users up to date with the tool’s full capabilities.

This continues a USD/V-Ray development process that began with the release of V-Ray 5 for SideFX Houdini and Autodesk Maya in 2021. Since then, Chaos has embraced the standard, so artists can easily share and update assets while using its raytracing technology.

Speed Updates Include:

  • Chaos Cloud One-Click Submit – Users can now access Chaos Cloud rendering in a click, all without leaving 3ds Max or waiting for a scene to export.
  • Faster .vrscene Exports – Users can get up to 20x faster exports and far smaller file sizes on scenes with immense scattering data. This improvement also accelerates V-Ray GPU’s time to the first pixel.
  • Unified V-Ray Lister for 3ds Max – All lights and cameras can now be managed from a single location with this new Lister update. An enhanced user interface will also help users explore new features for bulk adjustments, filtering, searching and more.

V-Ray GPU Updates:

  • V-Ray Enmesh – Complex geometric patterns can be quickly created over object surfaces to make detailed panels, fences, fabrics and more in an automated and memory-efficient way.
  • Faster Animation Rendering – Image sequences can now be rendered up to 4x faster, accelerating everything from AEC marketing to high-end visual effects, as V-Ray GPU now caches bitmaps between frames.

More Realistic Scattering:

  • Groups Hierarchy – In Chaos Scatter, you can now distribute multiple objects in a group or hierarchy with just a couple of clicks.
  • Altitude Variance – Users can now control object distribution based on surface height, helping them achieve natural altitude variances for their vegetation.
  • Scatter Orientation – The orientation of scattered items can be adjusted by rotating away or toward a selected object for added realism and control.

V-Ray Frame Buffer (VFB) Improvements:

  • Chromatic Aberration – This new post effect helps artists explore distinctive looks and color fringing directly within the VFB, without a third-party application.
  • Custom Background Color – Color corrections now include a solid background option, removing the need to load an image.

Lighting:

  • IES Light Models in Chaos Cosmos – Chaos’ ever-expanding library of ready-to-render assets now helps artists import 3D light models, including IES profiles, in a few clicks. Interiors can now be illuminated faster than ever before.

Pricing and Availability

V-Ray 6 for 3ds Max, Update 2 is available for 3ds Max versions 2019 – 2024. All V-Ray subscription plans work for all supported host applications, including 3ds Max, Cinema 4D, Houdini, Maya, Nuke, Revit, Rhino, SketchUp and Unreal.