"Prisoner of Azkaban" is easily the best movie in the "Harry Potter" franchise. Part of that's due to how it's adapting the best book from the source material, but it's also due to how high-effort it is. Director Alfonso Cuarón, who almost didn't even make this movie, is always going the extra mile with the way he chooses to frame a scene, and you can see that clearly when we get to watch Hermione's Time-Turner in action.
When Hermione spins the Time-Turner, a lesser director would've done a close-up on Harry and Hermione as the light changes around them. But Cuarón chose to move the camera backwards through time -- not just showing the lights moving through the windows, but three hours' worth of magical tomfoolery taking place in the infirmary room where Harry and Hermione are standing. The quick glimpses of patients going in and out of the room...
When Hermione spins the Time-Turner, a lesser director would've done a close-up on Harry and Hermione as the light changes around them. But Cuarón chose to move the camera backwards through time -- not just showing the lights moving through the windows, but three hours' worth of magical tomfoolery taking place in the infirmary room where Harry and Hermione are standing. The quick glimpses of patients going in and out of the room...
- 6/2/2024
- by Michael Boyle
- Slash Film
The 46th annual Saturn Awards, which celebrate the best in genre entertainment, were handed out on Tuesday night in LA with the Star Wars franchise garnering seven prizes across such properties as Disney/Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker, Disney Xd animated series The Clone Wars and Disney Plus’ The Mandalorian. (Scroll down for full list of winners.)
Best Science Fiction Film Rise Of Skywalker was one of several movies from last year’s awards season that were included this year after the eligibility period was extended to run July 15, 2019-November 15, 2020 and allowed streaming and VOD entrants in the film categories.
Also taking multiple honors were Rian Johnson’s Lionsgate thriller Knives Out, Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood from Sony, Universal/Blumhouse’s Leigh Whannell-directed The Invisible Man, Disney’s live-action Mulan and CBS All Access’ Star Trek: Discovery. John David Washington was...
Best Science Fiction Film Rise Of Skywalker was one of several movies from last year’s awards season that were included this year after the eligibility period was extended to run July 15, 2019-November 15, 2020 and allowed streaming and VOD entrants in the film categories.
Also taking multiple honors were Rian Johnson’s Lionsgate thriller Knives Out, Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood from Sony, Universal/Blumhouse’s Leigh Whannell-directed The Invisible Man, Disney’s live-action Mulan and CBS All Access’ Star Trek: Discovery. John David Washington was...
- 10/27/2021
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
The View Conference is offering free streaming access to its 2020 program, which runs from Oct. 18-23 in Turin, Italy.
“There has been so much bad news in 2020, so I’m thrilled to be able to share some great news for a change,” said conference director Maria Elena Gutierrez. “Everyone could use some extra light and joy in their lives, so we have made the unprecedented decision to make this year’s conference completely free.” Those who register will have streaming access to the conference’s 125 online and on-site talks, workshops, master classes and panels.
“Every session will be available online, allowing anyone to attend anywhere in the world,” said Gutierrez. “This is a fantastic chance to grow the View community and to welcome into our family participants who are unable to travel to Torino or buy a full access pass.”
Keynote speakers include Pixar co-founder Ed Catmull, Industrial Light & Magic’s Dennis Muren,...
“There has been so much bad news in 2020, so I’m thrilled to be able to share some great news for a change,” said conference director Maria Elena Gutierrez. “Everyone could use some extra light and joy in their lives, so we have made the unprecedented decision to make this year’s conference completely free.” Those who register will have streaming access to the conference’s 125 online and on-site talks, workshops, master classes and panels.
“Every session will be available online, allowing anyone to attend anywhere in the world,” said Gutierrez. “This is a fantastic chance to grow the View community and to welcome into our family participants who are unable to travel to Torino or buy a full access pass.”
Keynote speakers include Pixar co-founder Ed Catmull, Industrial Light & Magic’s Dennis Muren,...
- 10/7/2020
- by Terry Flores
- Variety Film + TV
Cartoon Saloon co-founder and creative director Tomm Moore will take part in a presentation about his latest film, “Wolfwalkers,” during the 2020 View Conference, along with his co-director, Ross Stewart, and other key artists.
“Wolfwalkers,” which generated lots of buzz during the Toronto Film Festival, where it had its world premiere, is the latest film from Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon. The studio’s “The Secret of Kells” and “Song of the Sea,” both directed by Moore, were nominated for Academy Awards for animated feature. “Wolfwalkers” will stream worldwide on Apple TV Plus later this year.
Joining Moore and Stewart for the 90-minute online talk will be assistant director Mark Mullery, character designer Sandra Andersen, art director Maria Pareja and animation supervisor Svend Rothmann Bonde.
“We are lucky to be able to enjoy the work of such wonderful storytellers as Cartoon Saloon,” said conference director Maria Elena Gutierrez. “Their exquisite films...
“Wolfwalkers,” which generated lots of buzz during the Toronto Film Festival, where it had its world premiere, is the latest film from Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon. The studio’s “The Secret of Kells” and “Song of the Sea,” both directed by Moore, were nominated for Academy Awards for animated feature. “Wolfwalkers” will stream worldwide on Apple TV Plus later this year.
Joining Moore and Stewart for the 90-minute online talk will be assistant director Mark Mullery, character designer Sandra Andersen, art director Maria Pareja and animation supervisor Svend Rothmann Bonde.
“We are lucky to be able to enjoy the work of such wonderful storytellers as Cartoon Saloon,” said conference director Maria Elena Gutierrez. “Their exquisite films...
- 9/23/2020
- by Terry Flores
- Variety Film + TV
Osnat Shurer, producer of Disney’s upcoming animated feature “Raya and the Last Dragon,” will give a virtual talk at the 2020 View Conference, based in Turin, Italy. Her session will be live-streamed to a global audience on Tuesday, Oct. 20, beginning at 10 a.m. Pt.
Shurer, who joined Disney Animation in 2012 as vice president of development, also produced “Moana,” which was nominated for an Oscar for best animated feature in 2017. During her virtual talk, she’ll discuss the cultural consultancy work she undertook with the Oceanic Story Trust for “Moana” as well as her work on “Raya,” set to be released in March of 2021, and other topics.
“It will be fascinating to hear Osnat speak about gender representation,” said View Conference director Maria Elena Gutierrez. “She has produced films featuring strong female characters with her team at Disney, depicting women as warriors. This is true of ‘Moana,’ and I have an...
Shurer, who joined Disney Animation in 2012 as vice president of development, also produced “Moana,” which was nominated for an Oscar for best animated feature in 2017. During her virtual talk, she’ll discuss the cultural consultancy work she undertook with the Oceanic Story Trust for “Moana” as well as her work on “Raya,” set to be released in March of 2021, and other topics.
“It will be fascinating to hear Osnat speak about gender representation,” said View Conference director Maria Elena Gutierrez. “She has produced films featuring strong female characters with her team at Disney, depicting women as warriors. This is true of ‘Moana,’ and I have an...
- 9/3/2020
- by Terry Flores
- Variety Film + TV
Peter Ramsey, co-director of Oscar-winning “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” will be the next speaker in the View Conference’s free PreVIEW series of virtual conversations ahead of the October gathering.
Ramsey will speaking with Escape Studios’ deputy dean and director Saint John Walker on Saturday, Aug. 29, beginning at 10 a.m. Pt. He’ll be discussing the his work on the acclaimed film as well as other aspects of his long showbiz career.
In addition to Sony Pictures Animation’s “Spider-Verse,” Ramsey directed DreamWorks Animation’s “Rise of the Guardians” and the Halloween TV special “Monsters vs. Aliens: Pumpkins From Outer Space,” and was a story artist on a number of other Dwa projects. His experience also includes work as a storyboard artist on a number of live-action features, including “Independence Day,” “Fight Club,” “Being John Malkovich,” “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” and “Minority Report.”
“Peter is a master storyteller,” says View Conference director Maria Elena Gutierrez.
Ramsey will speaking with Escape Studios’ deputy dean and director Saint John Walker on Saturday, Aug. 29, beginning at 10 a.m. Pt. He’ll be discussing the his work on the acclaimed film as well as other aspects of his long showbiz career.
In addition to Sony Pictures Animation’s “Spider-Verse,” Ramsey directed DreamWorks Animation’s “Rise of the Guardians” and the Halloween TV special “Monsters vs. Aliens: Pumpkins From Outer Space,” and was a story artist on a number of other Dwa projects. His experience also includes work as a storyboard artist on a number of live-action features, including “Independence Day,” “Fight Club,” “Being John Malkovich,” “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” and “Minority Report.”
“Peter is a master storyteller,” says View Conference director Maria Elena Gutierrez.
- 8/24/2020
- by Terry Flores
- Variety Film + TV
Pixar co-founder Ed Catmull will give a keynote address at the 2020 View Conference in October and Tomm Moore, co-director of the upcoming Apple TV Plus animated feature “Wolfwalkers,” will also be speaking at the event, which will be a mix of virtual and in-person talks and masterclasses this year, due to the ongoing global Covid-19 pandemic.
Catmull will be giving a keynote address that will touch on many aspects of his 33 years with Pixar and the ever-evolving world of computer graphics. Catmull is also the author of “Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration.”
Moore, who co-directs “Wolfwalkers” with Ross Stewart, is a co-founder of Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon. His films “The Secret of Kells” and “Song of the Sea” were nominated for Oscars. His latest film will be the first animated feature to premiere on Apple TV Plus. It will stream later this year.
Catmull will be giving a keynote address that will touch on many aspects of his 33 years with Pixar and the ever-evolving world of computer graphics. Catmull is also the author of “Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration.”
Moore, who co-directs “Wolfwalkers” with Ross Stewart, is a co-founder of Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon. His films “The Secret of Kells” and “Song of the Sea” were nominated for Oscars. His latest film will be the first animated feature to premiere on Apple TV Plus. It will stream later this year.
- 7/31/2020
- by Terry Flores
- Variety Film + TV
Pixar technical artist Dylan Sisson will discuss the studio’s RenderMan technology and the art of movie magic during the View Conference’s latest free PreVIEW event Friday, July 24, beginning at 2:30 p.m. Pt.
Sisson will talk about the ever-evolving RenderMan software, created by Pixar and used by visual effects and animations studios worldwide. The surfaces of every character and object in Pixar’s films from Woody’s jeans in the “Toy Story” movies to the pink unicorn in “Onward” have been created using the technology. In conversation with Ian Failes, Sisson will discuss RenderMan’s latest advances as well as other non-photorealistic rendering tools currently in development at Pixar that will stretch RenderMan’s abilities, allowing it to turn into a tool that can be used for nearly any type of look from photorealism to painterly.
Sisson has been in the VFX and animation biz for more than 25 years,...
Sisson will talk about the ever-evolving RenderMan software, created by Pixar and used by visual effects and animations studios worldwide. The surfaces of every character and object in Pixar’s films from Woody’s jeans in the “Toy Story” movies to the pink unicorn in “Onward” have been created using the technology. In conversation with Ian Failes, Sisson will discuss RenderMan’s latest advances as well as other non-photorealistic rendering tools currently in development at Pixar that will stretch RenderMan’s abilities, allowing it to turn into a tool that can be used for nearly any type of look from photorealism to painterly.
Sisson has been in the VFX and animation biz for more than 25 years,...
- 7/20/2020
- by Terry Flores
- Variety Film + TV
Animation directors Jorge R. Gutierrez (“The Book of Life”) and Kris Pearn (“The Willoughbys”) will discuss their craft in the View Conference’s second free PreVIEW online event Saturday, July 11, at 10 a.m. Pt.
Gutierrez, who is currently working on the Netflix animated series “Maya and the Three,” and Pearn, whose hit animated feature “The Willoughbys” premiered on Netflix earlier this year, will talk about the way each of them approaches developing and directing an animated film.
Gutierrez won a character design Annie Award for 2014’s “Book of Life,” which was also nominated for a Golden Globe. He’s won Annie and Emmy awards for the Nickelodeon series “El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera,” which he created with his wife, Sandra Equihua. In addition to “Maya and the Three,” Gutierrez is developing a number of other projects for Netflix Animation.
In addition to writing and directing “The Willoughbys,” Pearn...
Gutierrez, who is currently working on the Netflix animated series “Maya and the Three,” and Pearn, whose hit animated feature “The Willoughbys” premiered on Netflix earlier this year, will talk about the way each of them approaches developing and directing an animated film.
Gutierrez won a character design Annie Award for 2014’s “Book of Life,” which was also nominated for a Golden Globe. He’s won Annie and Emmy awards for the Nickelodeon series “El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera,” which he created with his wife, Sandra Equihua. In addition to “Maya and the Three,” Gutierrez is developing a number of other projects for Netflix Animation.
In addition to writing and directing “The Willoughbys,” Pearn...
- 7/7/2020
- by Terry Flores
- Variety Film + TV
Industrial Light & Magic’s Hal Hickel will take part in a free online discussion about the making of Disney Plus hit series “The Mandalorian” for the View Conference on Saturday, June 27, at 2:30 p.m. Pacific Time.
The program is what conference organizers are calling their 2020 Premier PreVIEW, looking ahead to the 2020 View Conference, to be held Oct. 18-23 in Turin, Italy.
Hickel, who will be in conversation with VFX journalist Ian Failes, will discuss how Ilm developed new production technology for the series, giving it the look and feel of a feature film within broadcast TV constraints.
The Oscar-winning VFX animator oversaw all animation of creatures, vehicles and characters for “The Mandalorian” and played a key role in visualizing Ilm’s miniature/motion-control shots for the series.
The PreVIEW session is being presented by the View Conference in conjunction with Officine Grandi Riparazioni, BeforesandAfters and Ilm.
Questions for Hickel...
The program is what conference organizers are calling their 2020 Premier PreVIEW, looking ahead to the 2020 View Conference, to be held Oct. 18-23 in Turin, Italy.
Hickel, who will be in conversation with VFX journalist Ian Failes, will discuss how Ilm developed new production technology for the series, giving it the look and feel of a feature film within broadcast TV constraints.
The Oscar-winning VFX animator oversaw all animation of creatures, vehicles and characters for “The Mandalorian” and played a key role in visualizing Ilm’s miniature/motion-control shots for the series.
The PreVIEW session is being presented by the View Conference in conjunction with Officine Grandi Riparazioni, BeforesandAfters and Ilm.
Questions for Hickel...
- 6/23/2020
- by Terry Flores
- Variety Film + TV
In this edition of Star Wars Bits: Talking Bay 94 Chats with Ilm Effects Supervisor Roger Guyett 365 Days of Star Wars Women An Excerpt from William Shakespeare’s The Merry Rise of Skywalker Blast Points Podcast Celebrates the Love with New Commentaries and Bonus Episodes A First Look at Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Stories […]
The post Star Wars Bits: Quest of the Jedi, The Merry Rise of Skywalker, 365 Days of Star Wars Women, and More! appeared first on /Film.
The post Star Wars Bits: Quest of the Jedi, The Merry Rise of Skywalker, 365 Days of Star Wars Women, and More! appeared first on /Film.
- 4/26/2020
- by Adam Frazier
- Slash Film
The filmmakers behind this year’s Slamdance documentary Ask No Questions saw their film’s festival run waylaid this spring by the industry’s coronavirus shutdown. Now they are teaming with San Francisco’s DocFest, where the pic was headed next, in an effort bring the fest screening experience to audiences in their homes.
It’s the latest effort from the indie film industry to survive in a world suddenly without access to its lifeblood: festivals like the shuttered SXSW and Tribeca and specialty theaters nationwide.
More from DeadlineNetflix Puts Free Streams Of Documentaries On YouTube To Help TeachersParamount Inks Multi-Year Pact With Bigscreen For Virtual Reality DistributionVFX Supervisor Roger Guyett On The Thousands Of Character Models Crafted For 'Ready Player One'
The idea is an interesting one: Beginning April 28, Lofty Sky Pictures will screen Ask No Questions, a 2D film, in a 3D virtual theatrical environment dubbed Vr Movie House,...
It’s the latest effort from the indie film industry to survive in a world suddenly without access to its lifeblood: festivals like the shuttered SXSW and Tribeca and specialty theaters nationwide.
More from DeadlineNetflix Puts Free Streams Of Documentaries On YouTube To Help TeachersParamount Inks Multi-Year Pact With Bigscreen For Virtual Reality DistributionVFX Supervisor Roger Guyett On The Thousands Of Character Models Crafted For 'Ready Player One'
The idea is an interesting one: Beginning April 28, Lofty Sky Pictures will screen Ask No Questions, a 2D film, in a 3D virtual theatrical environment dubbed Vr Movie House,...
- 4/17/2020
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
There’s one particularly telling and effective moment in The Skywalker Legacy, the feature-lenght documentary that’s included on the Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker home release that sums up much of the ambivalence and consternation that some had with J.J. Abrams’ return to the Star Wars universe. After showing the intricate construction of a giant, practical […]
The post ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ Visual Effects Supervisor Roger Guyett on Marrying the Practical and the Digital [Interview] appeared first on /Film.
The post ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ Visual Effects Supervisor Roger Guyett on Marrying the Practical and the Digital [Interview] appeared first on /Film.
- 4/7/2020
- by Jason Gorber
- Slash Film
Fans were justifiably annoyed that they had to wait until the novelization of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker to find out how Emperor Palpatine survived being exploded in Return of the Jedi. Even then the answer we got felt like Lucasfilm was papering over the cracks, dropping in a couple of lines about secret cloning technologies and leaving it at that. I’m firmly of the belief that resurrecting dead characters is a sign you’re not telling a particularly interesting story, and that if you’re doing it you’d better have a damn good explanation as to how they’re coming back.
Anyway, it’s now been established that The Rise of Skywalker featured a cloned Palpatine body inhabited by his spirit. We also know that Abrams had been planning this for quite some time. Visual Effects Supervisor Roger Guyett recently chatted with Cinefex, where he explained...
Anyway, it’s now been established that The Rise of Skywalker featured a cloned Palpatine body inhabited by his spirit. We also know that Abrams had been planning this for quite some time. Visual Effects Supervisor Roger Guyett recently chatted with Cinefex, where he explained...
- 3/4/2020
- by David James
- We Got This Covered
‘1917’ leads the way; Joaquin Phoenix, Renée Zellweger, ‘Parasite’, ‘Bait’ among the winners.
The 2020 Bafta Film Awards are taking place tonight (2 Feb) at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Screen will be posting all the winners on this page and on Twitter as they are announced.
The ceremony started at 18:45 UK time and finishes at approximately 21:30, with Graham Norton on hosting duties for the first time.
Joker leads the way with 11 nominations. The Irishman and Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood follow on 10, with 1917 earning nine nods.
Winners as they happen in bold (latest first), below.
Leading Actress Jessie Buckley...
The 2020 Bafta Film Awards are taking place tonight (2 Feb) at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Screen will be posting all the winners on this page and on Twitter as they are announced.
The ceremony started at 18:45 UK time and finishes at approximately 21:30, with Graham Norton on hosting duties for the first time.
Joker leads the way with 11 nominations. The Irishman and Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood follow on 10, with 1917 earning nine nods.
Winners as they happen in bold (latest first), below.
Leading Actress Jessie Buckley...
- 2/2/2020
- by 1101184¦Orlando Parfitt¦38¦
- ScreenDaily
A long time ago at the 1978 Academy Awards, Star Wars won six competitive Oscars plus a special achievement award. More than four decades later, will trophies for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker bookend the series?
On Monday, Rise of Skywalker earned nominations for its score (composer John Williams, who won an Oscar for the 1978 film, nabbed his 47th nomination); sound editing (Matthew Wood and David Acord); and VFX (Roger Guyett, Neal Scanlan, Patrick Tubach and Dominic Tuohy), with a mix of practical and digital effects.
George Lucas' original 1978 film earned Oscars for art direction, costume design, editing, score, sound ...
On Monday, Rise of Skywalker earned nominations for its score (composer John Williams, who won an Oscar for the 1978 film, nabbed his 47th nomination); sound editing (Matthew Wood and David Acord); and VFX (Roger Guyett, Neal Scanlan, Patrick Tubach and Dominic Tuohy), with a mix of practical and digital effects.
George Lucas' original 1978 film earned Oscars for art direction, costume design, editing, score, sound ...
- 1/13/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A long time ago at the 1978 Academy Awards, Star Wars won six competitive Oscars plus a special achievement award. More than four decades later, will trophies for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker bookend the series?
On Monday, Rise of Skywalker earned nominations for its score (composer John Williams, who won an Oscar for the 1978 film, nabbed his 47th nomination); sound editing (Matthew Wood and David Acord); and VFX (Roger Guyett, Neal Scanlan, Patrick Tubach and Dominic Tuohy), with a mix of practical and digital effects.
George Lucas' original 1978 film earned Oscars for art direction, costume design, editing, score, sound ...
On Monday, Rise of Skywalker earned nominations for its score (composer John Williams, who won an Oscar for the 1978 film, nabbed his 47th nomination); sound editing (Matthew Wood and David Acord); and VFX (Roger Guyett, Neal Scanlan, Patrick Tubach and Dominic Tuohy), with a mix of practical and digital effects.
George Lucas' original 1978 film earned Oscars for art direction, costume design, editing, score, sound ...
- 1/13/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
The whole “Star Wars” franchise is deeply “connected to the visual effects world,” explains “The Rise of Skywalker” visual effects supervisor Roger Guyett. “It’s very dear to our hearts for all sorts of different reasons.” So when it came to this concluding film in the Skywalker saga, he and his team wanted to maintain “the integrity of every aspect of it.” Watch our exclusive video interview with Guyett and his fellow visual effects artists Neal Scanlan, Patrick Tubach and Dominic Tuohy above.
See Will Adam Driver get an Oscar bump from ‘Star Wars’ like Jennifer Lawrence did from ‘The Hunger Games’?
Directed by J.J. Abrams, this latest installment wraps up the new trilogy he kicked off with “The Force Awakens” (2015), but it’s also the culmination of a storyline that started with George Lucas‘s original “Star Wars” (1977). Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac and Adam Driver all return for the finale,...
See Will Adam Driver get an Oscar bump from ‘Star Wars’ like Jennifer Lawrence did from ‘The Hunger Games’?
Directed by J.J. Abrams, this latest installment wraps up the new trilogy he kicked off with “The Force Awakens” (2015), but it’s also the culmination of a storyline that started with George Lucas‘s original “Star Wars” (1977). Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac and Adam Driver all return for the finale,...
- 1/10/2020
- by Zach Laws
- Gold Derby
Babu Frik, the tiny, snarky droidsmith that delights in wiping C-3Po’s memory in “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” has become an instant fan favorite. One wonders how long it will take Disney + to produce his own standalone series. “Babu is our Yoda,” said Neal Scanlan, the creature effects supervisor, who oversaw the nine-inch rod puppet in the spirit of “Star Wars” as a retro, tactile figure.
“Frank Oz and The Muppets were very prevalent back in the old days, and it’s a piece of theater,” added Scanlan, who oversaw more than 500 practical creatures in “Skywalker,” including a fully functional animatronic mask for Maz Kanata (previously CG), driven in real-time by Lupita Nyong’o in a mo-cap suit. That’s because the practical version worked better for the interaction with General Leia Organa (the late Carrie Fisher), which utilized leftover footage from “The Force Awakens,” with everything digitally...
“Frank Oz and The Muppets were very prevalent back in the old days, and it’s a piece of theater,” added Scanlan, who oversaw more than 500 practical creatures in “Skywalker,” including a fully functional animatronic mask for Maz Kanata (previously CG), driven in real-time by Lupita Nyong’o in a mo-cap suit. That’s because the practical version worked better for the interaction with General Leia Organa (the late Carrie Fisher), which utilized leftover footage from “The Force Awakens,” with everything digitally...
- 1/7/2020
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Disney dominated the 18th annual Ves Awards with five nominations apiece for Jon Favreau’s frontrunner “The Lion King” and Robert Rodriguez’s surprising “Alita: Battle Angel” (acquired from Fox). Joining them for the top photo-real prize were the Disney-led “Avengers: Endgame” and “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” along with Ang Lee’s “Gemini Man”. The Ves Awards will be held January 29th at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
Competing for supporting VFX were Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman”, Sam Mendes’ “1917,” (which stitched together the World War I thriller as one continuous shot and offered various enhancements), James Mangold’s “Ford v Ferrari,” Todd Phillips’ “Joker,” and “The Aeronauts.”
In animation, Disney also fared well, with Pixar’s “Toy Story 4” (which grabbed five nominations) and “Frozen 2.” They were joined by Golden Globe nominee “Missing Link” from Laika, surprise nominee “Klaus” (the innovative 2D feature from Netflix and Spanish director Sergio Pablos), and,...
Competing for supporting VFX were Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman”, Sam Mendes’ “1917,” (which stitched together the World War I thriller as one continuous shot and offered various enhancements), James Mangold’s “Ford v Ferrari,” Todd Phillips’ “Joker,” and “The Aeronauts.”
In animation, Disney also fared well, with Pixar’s “Toy Story 4” (which grabbed five nominations) and “Frozen 2.” They were joined by Golden Globe nominee “Missing Link” from Laika, surprise nominee “Klaus” (the innovative 2D feature from Netflix and Spanish director Sergio Pablos), and,...
- 1/7/2020
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
The Visual Effects Society has unveiled nominations for its 18th annual Ves Awards, which honor VFX work in film, animation, TV, commercials and video games. Winners will be revealed at a ceremony January 29 at the Beverly Hilton.
Disney’s CG redo of the The Lion King and 20th Century Fox’s Alita: Battle Angel lead all film nominees with five apiece, joining the top animated nominee Toy Story 4. In TV, Disney+’s Star Wars spinoff The Mandalorian and the final season of HBO’s epic Game of Thrones lead the field with six nominations each.
Along with naming winners in 25 categories, the group’s ceremony later this month includes honoring Martin Scorsese with the Ves Lifetime Achievement Award. The Ves Visionary Award will be given to Roland Emmerich, and the Ves Award for Creative Excellence will be presented to VFX supervisor Sheena Duggal.
Here’s the list of noms:...
Disney’s CG redo of the The Lion King and 20th Century Fox’s Alita: Battle Angel lead all film nominees with five apiece, joining the top animated nominee Toy Story 4. In TV, Disney+’s Star Wars spinoff The Mandalorian and the final season of HBO’s epic Game of Thrones lead the field with six nominations each.
Along with naming winners in 25 categories, the group’s ceremony later this month includes honoring Martin Scorsese with the Ves Lifetime Achievement Award. The Ves Visionary Award will be given to Roland Emmerich, and the Ves Award for Creative Excellence will be presented to VFX supervisor Sheena Duggal.
Here’s the list of noms:...
- 1/7/2020
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Disney dominated Saturday’s Academy VFX bake-off with five out of 10 contenders, but Jon Favreau’s “The Lion King” stole the show with the best presentation by three-time Oscar-winning VFX supervisor Rob Legato. He entertainingly touted the stunning, faux live-action aesthetic. Disney franchise heavyweights, “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” and “Avengers: Endgame,” also did well in boasting their cutting edge, high-octane work.
Faring surprisingly well, though, was Robert Rodriguez’s “Alita: Battle Angel” (which Disney acquired from Fox), thanks to Weta Digital’s impressive humanoid cyborg (Rosa Salazar). However, there’s plenty of character competition from Weta’s breakthrough CG human (the young Will Smith clone) in Ang Lee’s “Gemini Man,” Industrial Light & Magic’s innovative de-aging of Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci in Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman,” and, yes, even the ambitious furry body replacements in Tom Hooper’s much maligned box office bomb,...
Faring surprisingly well, though, was Robert Rodriguez’s “Alita: Battle Angel” (which Disney acquired from Fox), thanks to Weta Digital’s impressive humanoid cyborg (Rosa Salazar). However, there’s plenty of character competition from Weta’s breakthrough CG human (the young Will Smith clone) in Ang Lee’s “Gemini Man,” Industrial Light & Magic’s innovative de-aging of Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci in Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman,” and, yes, even the ambitious furry body replacements in Tom Hooper’s much maligned box office bomb,...
- 1/6/2020
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Princess-turned-General Leia is still a force in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, even as the movie premieres three years after the death of star Carrie Fisher.
“We all just loved her,” says director J.J. Abrams in People’s commemorative issue, Star Wars: The Essential Guide to The Rise of Skywalker. “You don’t recast that part, and you don’t have her disappear.”
Fans have speculated that this new movie, Episode IX in the Skywalker saga, was meant to focus on Leia, just as Episode VII, The Force Awakens, centered on Harrison Ford’s Han Solo and Episode VIII,...
“We all just loved her,” says director J.J. Abrams in People’s commemorative issue, Star Wars: The Essential Guide to The Rise of Skywalker. “You don’t recast that part, and you don’t have her disappear.”
Fans have speculated that this new movie, Episode IX in the Skywalker saga, was meant to focus on Leia, just as Episode VII, The Force Awakens, centered on Harrison Ford’s Han Solo and Episode VIII,...
- 12/6/2019
- by Chris Tauber
- PEOPLE.com
The first screening of “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” took place December 3 exclusively for the cast, and fans can only hope the J.J. Abrams-directed tentpole is as great as Richard E. Grant’s video reaction to it. Grant, fresh off a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” earlier this year, plays a new First Order character in the film. Grant took to Twitter to share his reaction to “The Rise of Skywalker” and was so excited he was nearly out of breath.
“I’ve just seen ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ and nothing prepares you for this,” Grant says in the video. “I cheered, I shouted, I fist-pumped the air, I cried, I stood and cheered. It’s absolutely everything you hoped it was going to be.”
Grant accompanied his video reaction with a caption that heaped more praise on the upcoming “Star Wars” movie,...
“I’ve just seen ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ and nothing prepares you for this,” Grant says in the video. “I cheered, I shouted, I fist-pumped the air, I cried, I stood and cheered. It’s absolutely everything you hoped it was going to be.”
Grant accompanied his video reaction with a caption that heaped more praise on the upcoming “Star Wars” movie,...
- 12/4/2019
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Any “Star Wars” fan hoping the upcoming “Rise of Skywalker” will finally turn Finn (John Boyega) and Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) into romantic partners will surely be disappointed. Variety spoke with Boyega, Isaac, and director J.J. Abrams at the “Star Wars” press junket and all three gentlemen made it clear Finn and Poe will remain platonic best friends in the final entry of the Skywalker saga. And yet, Isaac shares his wish that Lucasfilm pushed forward and made Finn and Poe a gay couple.
“Personally, I kind of hoped and wished that maybe that would’ve been taken further in the other films, but I don’t have control,” Isaac said. “It seemed like a natural progression, but sadly enough it’s a time when people are too afraid, I think, of…I don’t know what. But if they would’ve been boyfriends, that would have been fun.”
Boyega...
“Personally, I kind of hoped and wished that maybe that would’ve been taken further in the other films, but I don’t have control,” Isaac said. “It seemed like a natural progression, but sadly enough it’s a time when people are too afraid, I think, of…I don’t know what. But if they would’ve been boyfriends, that would have been fun.”
Boyega...
- 12/4/2019
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
As we close the decade, there is still one near-universal truth that connects those directors who defy the cineplex odds by making great cinema: Their visions are realized by some of the finest below-the-line talent the industry has ever seen. Even as the familiar infrastructure seems to be evaporating, the role that top craftspeople play has become that much more vital as the breadth and depth of their talent pool expands.
IndieWire spent months speaking with directors, producers, costumers, designers, cinematographers, cutters, composers — craftspeople across all disciplines — seeking the behind-the-scenes collaborators behind some of your favorite films. And our questions went something like this:
Who are the filmmakers whose innovative use of craft is influencing how you make movies?
Who are the artisans at the cutting edge of using new technology to advance the art form?
Who are the pioneers opening doors and expanding our visual and aural palettes?
We...
IndieWire spent months speaking with directors, producers, costumers, designers, cinematographers, cutters, composers — craftspeople across all disciplines — seeking the behind-the-scenes collaborators behind some of your favorite films. And our questions went something like this:
Who are the filmmakers whose innovative use of craft is influencing how you make movies?
Who are the artisans at the cutting edge of using new technology to advance the art form?
Who are the pioneers opening doors and expanding our visual and aural palettes?
We...
- 12/3/2019
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
Arthur Jafa’s work as a cinematographer, visual artist, and cultural theorist, has captured and interrogated the history and experiences of black Americans, in groundbreaking film and visual media, for 30 years. Jafa’s work has exemplified the black aesthetic in stories of a Gullah family’s migration (the touchstone “Daughters of the Dust”); a young girl’s coming of age (“Crooklyn”); a meditation on blackness and culture (“Dreams are Colder than Death”); and the tracing of African American identity through a wide range of contrasting imagery. Through his work, Jafa aims to centralize the varied experiences of “Black being,” as an aesthetic that is entirely independent of Eurocentrism.
Oscar and Emmy nominee Bradford Young refers to Jafa (along with Malik Sayeed) as both a torchbearer and teacher of a tradition.
“They mean so much to me on multiple levels, and most of it isn’t even about the cinematography,” Young told IndieWire.
Oscar and Emmy nominee Bradford Young refers to Jafa (along with Malik Sayeed) as both a torchbearer and teacher of a tradition.
“They mean so much to me on multiple levels, and most of it isn’t even about the cinematography,” Young told IndieWire.
- 12/3/2019
- by Tambay Obenson
- Indiewire
One of the difficulties in doing the type of complicated practical stunts that are the bread-and-butter of the “Mission: Impossible” franchise is the required time and energy put toward making them safe, but paradoxically, the cinematic challenge of how to make them still feel dangerous.
Take, for example, the climatic scene in “Fallout” during which star Tom Cruise is actually piloting himself through narrow mountain canyon in what is essentially an old-fashioned shootout between two helicopters. The very nature of reaching for these types of never-before-seen stunt sequences means that there is no actual road map as to how to shoot it. What compositions and series of shots — that can also be executed within the confines of being safe — are going to give the scene its edge-of-your seat feel? For director Christopher McQuarrie, and his extremely hands-on star/producer, it’s a constant trial-and-error experiment, one that depends on editor...
Take, for example, the climatic scene in “Fallout” during which star Tom Cruise is actually piloting himself through narrow mountain canyon in what is essentially an old-fashioned shootout between two helicopters. The very nature of reaching for these types of never-before-seen stunt sequences means that there is no actual road map as to how to shoot it. What compositions and series of shots — that can also be executed within the confines of being safe — are going to give the scene its edge-of-your seat feel? For director Christopher McQuarrie, and his extremely hands-on star/producer, it’s a constant trial-and-error experiment, one that depends on editor...
- 12/3/2019
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
“You’ve just taken your first step into a larger world.” That isn’t just what Obi-Wan Kenobi tells Luke Skywalker when the young Jedi learner first touches the Force — it’s what a generation of moviegoers felt in 1977 when they got a first glimpse of that galaxy far, far away in “Star Wars.”
For “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” J.J. Abrams charged Roger Guyett with building on the pioneering work of George Lucas’s legendary special effects supervisors to create that sense of a lived-in universe that’s both believable and wondrous.
“It seemed like up ’till ‘Star Wars,’ any one of us could go, ‘That was a miniature, that was a matte painting,’” said J.J. Abrams at a 2015 Academy conversation. “Somehow, ‘Star Wars’ just wiped the table clean and said, ‘We’re starting over. We’re not going to let you see the seams, we’re not...
For “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” J.J. Abrams charged Roger Guyett with building on the pioneering work of George Lucas’s legendary special effects supervisors to create that sense of a lived-in universe that’s both believable and wondrous.
“It seemed like up ’till ‘Star Wars,’ any one of us could go, ‘That was a miniature, that was a matte painting,’” said J.J. Abrams at a 2015 Academy conversation. “Somehow, ‘Star Wars’ just wiped the table clean and said, ‘We’re starting over. We’re not going to let you see the seams, we’re not...
- 12/3/2019
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
“For all of our success in all of the films, it comes down to characters,” Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige told IndieWire. “We always say that ‘Endgame’ worked, not because it had more special effects than the other movies, not because it had more battles than the other movies, but because it had more characters that you care about than the other movies. The reason you care about those characters is because of the actors who portray them, and the reason those actors portray them is because at some point, Sarah Finn brought them to our attention.”
Finn was an early McU adopter, coming on board with her then-partner Randi Hiller to cast “Iron Man” way back in 2008, long before anyone could possibly see how far a single superhero film would carry a fledgling franchise. In the decade-plus since, Finn hasn’t strayed: she’s cast every single McU film.
Finn was an early McU adopter, coming on board with her then-partner Randi Hiller to cast “Iron Man” way back in 2008, long before anyone could possibly see how far a single superhero film would carry a fledgling franchise. In the decade-plus since, Finn hasn’t strayed: she’s cast every single McU film.
- 12/3/2019
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
The 91st annual Academy Awards (Oscars) was a night of incredibly well-deserved wins, first time wins, and shocking wins. See the full list of nominees and winners below.
Performance by an actress in a supporting role Regina King in “If Beale Street Could Talk” (Winner) Amy Adams in “Vice” Marina de Tavira in “Roma” Emma Stone in “The Favourite” Rachel Weisz in “The Favourite” Best documentary feature “Free Solo” Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin, Evan Hayes and Shannon Dill (Winner) “Hale County This Morning, This Evening” RaMell Ross, Joslyn Barnes and Su Kim “Minding the Gap” Bing Liu and Diane Quon “Of Fathers and Sons” Talal Derki, Ansgar Frerich, Eva Kemme and Tobias N. Siebert “Rbg” Betsy West and Julie Cohen Achievement in makeup and hairstyling “Vice” Greg Cannom, Kate Biscoe and Patricia DeHaney (Winner) “Border” Goran Lundstrom and Pamela Goldammer “Mary Queen of Scots” Jenny Shircore, Marc Pilcher and...
Performance by an actress in a supporting role Regina King in “If Beale Street Could Talk” (Winner) Amy Adams in “Vice” Marina de Tavira in “Roma” Emma Stone in “The Favourite” Rachel Weisz in “The Favourite” Best documentary feature “Free Solo” Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin, Evan Hayes and Shannon Dill (Winner) “Hale County This Morning, This Evening” RaMell Ross, Joslyn Barnes and Su Kim “Minding the Gap” Bing Liu and Diane Quon “Of Fathers and Sons” Talal Derki, Ansgar Frerich, Eva Kemme and Tobias N. Siebert “Rbg” Betsy West and Julie Cohen Achievement in makeup and hairstyling “Vice” Greg Cannom, Kate Biscoe and Patricia DeHaney (Winner) “Border” Goran Lundstrom and Pamela Goldammer “Mary Queen of Scots” Jenny Shircore, Marc Pilcher and...
- 2/25/2019
- by Andrew Wendowski
- Age of the Nerd
Gold Derby has conducted exclusive video chats with dozens of this year’s Oscar contenders across a wide variety of categories. That includes nine of this year’s nominees for Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, and Best Visual Effects. Will they get a Gold Derby bump when the envelopes are opened on Sunday, February 24? Follow the links below to be taken to their full interviews.
Barry Alexander Brown: Spike Lee‘s longtime editor earned his first nomination in this category for this fact-based drama about an African-American police detective (John David Washington) who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan in the 1970s. This film also brought Brown a bid at the Ace Eddie Awards. Before he joined forces with Lee he previously picked up an Oscar nom for Best Documentary Feature for “The War at Home” (1979). (Click here to be taken to his full interview)
See Watch 3 Gold Derby pundits argue over predictions: Thelma Adams,...
Barry Alexander Brown: Spike Lee‘s longtime editor earned his first nomination in this category for this fact-based drama about an African-American police detective (John David Washington) who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan in the 1970s. This film also brought Brown a bid at the Ace Eddie Awards. Before he joined forces with Lee he previously picked up an Oscar nom for Best Documentary Feature for “The War at Home” (1979). (Click here to be taken to his full interview)
See Watch 3 Gold Derby pundits argue over predictions: Thelma Adams,...
- 2/21/2019
- by Zach Laws
- Gold Derby
Director Steven Spielberg set an ambitious goal for himself and his “Ready Player One” VFX team: weaving viewers in and out of a virtual world within the storytelling parameters of a traditional film. The movie, released by Warner Bros. in March, is one of five up for a visual effects Oscar this year.
To adapt Ernest Cline’s 2011 young adult novel about kids who escape a dystopian 2045 by immersing themselves in a massively multiplayer online simulation game, the talents of no fewer than 11 tech firms were required. The bulk of the work fell to three companies: Digital Domain, Industrial Light & Magic and Territory Studio.
The plot focuses on teenage gamer Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan), who, like most of the underemployed population, spends what seems like every waking hour role-playing inside the virtual world called Oasis. In the game, he competes in a series of puzzles, the successful completion of which...
To adapt Ernest Cline’s 2011 young adult novel about kids who escape a dystopian 2045 by immersing themselves in a massively multiplayer online simulation game, the talents of no fewer than 11 tech firms were required. The bulk of the work fell to three companies: Digital Domain, Industrial Light & Magic and Territory Studio.
The plot focuses on teenage gamer Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan), who, like most of the underemployed population, spends what seems like every waking hour role-playing inside the virtual world called Oasis. In the game, he competes in a series of puzzles, the successful completion of which...
- 2/21/2019
- by Paula Parisi
- Variety Film + TV
In helmer Steven Spielberg’s “Ready Player One,” a vast group of familiar characters and those created for the film had to be integrated into one story and some had to travel between two worlds. Visual-effects supervisor Roger Guyett knew he’d be working with multiple styles and sources to pull it off.
Original characters including the robot from “The Iron Giant” would have to be sourced and then brought into the world that Spielberg wanted to create for the film. Guyett, who also worked with the helmer on “Saving Private Ryan,” went about gathering information about these classic characters from many different places. Sometimes he would be given concept art, a 3D model or other designs. Overall, he had his pick of the best versions of those characters that were still available since their original creators wanted the designs to be as similar to the original creatures as possible...
Original characters including the robot from “The Iron Giant” would have to be sourced and then brought into the world that Spielberg wanted to create for the film. Guyett, who also worked with the helmer on “Saving Private Ryan,” went about gathering information about these classic characters from many different places. Sometimes he would be given concept art, a 3D model or other designs. Overall, he had his pick of the best versions of those characters that were still available since their original creators wanted the designs to be as similar to the original creatures as possible...
- 2/15/2019
- by Karen Idelson
- Variety Film + TV
Josh Brolin hardly looked tough shooting his role as super-villain Thanos in Marvel’s “Avengers: Endgame,” dressed as he was in a skintight motion capture bodysuit with multicolored tracking markings, two HD cameras attached to headgear pointing at his dotted face, and a pole sticking up from the back of his vest holding a cardboard cutout of his character’s countenance above his head. But the sibling directing team of Anthony and Joe Russo still acted as if he were a badass.
“Brolin would love it that we would treat Thanos like he was a gangster character,” says younger brother Joe Russo. “We’d use terminology that would be reflective of that and say he’s a psychopath and he wants control, not he’s a giant purple creature who relates to the universe this way, so he could correlate it to a genre and character motivation that he could access.
“Brolin would love it that we would treat Thanos like he was a gangster character,” says younger brother Joe Russo. “We’d use terminology that would be reflective of that and say he’s a psychopath and he wants control, not he’s a giant purple creature who relates to the universe this way, so he could correlate it to a genre and character motivation that he could access.
- 2/15/2019
- by Todd Longwell
- Variety Film + TV
When Steven Spielberg decided to use Stanley Kubrick's 1980 horror classic The Shining as the backdrop for a key scene that takes place in Ready Player One's virtual reality world of the Oasis, VFX supervisor Roger Guyett of Industrial Light & Magic initially thought he'd use Ilm's Forrest Gump approach by inserting the film's CG avatars into pre-existing shots. But it quickly became apparent that Guyett's plan wouldn't suffice, since new shots were needed that weren't in the original movie. So the VFX team built the sequence for the Warner Bros. film in ...
- 2/11/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
When Steven Spielberg decided to use Stanley Kubrick's 1980 horror classic The Shining as the backdrop for a key scene that takes place in Ready Player One's virtual reality world of the Oasis, VFX supervisor Roger Guyett of Industrial Light & Magic initially thought he'd use Ilm's Forrest Gump approach by inserting the film's CG avatars into pre-existing shots. But it quickly became apparent that Guyett's plan wouldn't suffice, since new shots were needed that weren't in the original movie. So the VFX team built the sequence for the Warner Bros. film in ...
- 2/11/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
“Roma” was the big winner at the BAFTA Awards in London, winning Best Film and Best Director even as “The Favourite” won more prizes overall. Yorgos Lanthimos’ regal period piece led all film with seven wins after likewise picking up the most nominations (12), with Olivia Colman (Best Actress), Rachel Weisz (Best Supporting Actress), and screenwriters Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara among the honorees; it was also named Outstanding British Film.
“Bohemian Rhapsody” star Rami Malek continued his awards-season dominance after also winning Best Actor laurels at the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild, with Mahershala Ali doing the same in the Supporting category for “Green Book.”
Read the full list of winners below:
Best Film
“BlacKkKlansman”
“The Favourite”
“Green Book”
“Roma” (winner)
“A Star is Born”
Director
Bradley Cooper, “A Star is Born”
Alfonso Cuarón, “Roma” (winner)
Yorgos Lanthimos, “The Favourite”
Spike Lee, “BlacKkKlansman”
Paweł Pawlikowski, “Cold War”
Original Screenplay
“Cold War,...
“Bohemian Rhapsody” star Rami Malek continued his awards-season dominance after also winning Best Actor laurels at the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild, with Mahershala Ali doing the same in the Supporting category for “Green Book.”
Read the full list of winners below:
Best Film
“BlacKkKlansman”
“The Favourite”
“Green Book”
“Roma” (winner)
“A Star is Born”
Director
Bradley Cooper, “A Star is Born”
Alfonso Cuarón, “Roma” (winner)
Yorgos Lanthimos, “The Favourite”
Spike Lee, “BlacKkKlansman”
Paweł Pawlikowski, “Cold War”
Original Screenplay
“Cold War,...
- 2/10/2019
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
For visual effects supervisor Roger Guyett, “Ready Player One” was “incredibly complicated to make.” But at the same time it was also a rewarding collaborative experience, with every department head working closely together to bring Ernest Cline‘s novel to the screen. Watch our exclusive video interview with Guyett above.
See Steven Spielberg Movies Ranked Worst to Best
Directed by Steven Spielberg, the film imagines a future in which people escape their dystopian lives through an immersive virtual reality game known as the Oasis. Guyett explains, “The design aspect of it was one of the hugest challenges on the movie in the sense that you’re literally building and designing a world.” He and his effects team worked closely with production designer Adam Stockhausen to create “this fantastic place that is incredibly exciting” and also references classic pop culture for almost 90 minutes of the film’s runtime.
He was also...
See Steven Spielberg Movies Ranked Worst to Best
Directed by Steven Spielberg, the film imagines a future in which people escape their dystopian lives through an immersive virtual reality game known as the Oasis. Guyett explains, “The design aspect of it was one of the hugest challenges on the movie in the sense that you’re literally building and designing a world.” He and his effects team worked closely with production designer Adam Stockhausen to create “this fantastic place that is incredibly exciting” and also references classic pop culture for almost 90 minutes of the film’s runtime.
He was also...
- 2/6/2019
- by Zach Laws
- Gold Derby
Between Saving Private Ryan and Ready Player One—the critically acclaimed adaptation of Ernest Cline’s 2011 novel—VFX supervisor Roger Guyett has been along for the ride on two of the most demanding projects of Steven Spielberg’s career.
An entirely different animal than the former picture—a 1998 war drama which won five Oscars—Ready Player Onewas “a really complicated movie to make.” Containing close to 1500 digital effects shots, the film was crafted through a “multi-tiered animation approach,” consisting of motion capture, more traditional keyframe animation techniques, and pure computer animation.
Set in a dystopian Columbus, Ohio in the year 2045, the adventure pic follows Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan), an orphaned teenager coming of age at a time when people need an escape, and have found one in technology. It’s in the Oasis, a virtual reality software devised by James Halliday (Mark Rylance), that Wade can be whoever he wants to be.
An entirely different animal than the former picture—a 1998 war drama which won five Oscars—Ready Player Onewas “a really complicated movie to make.” Containing close to 1500 digital effects shots, the film was crafted through a “multi-tiered animation approach,” consisting of motion capture, more traditional keyframe animation techniques, and pure computer animation.
Set in a dystopian Columbus, Ohio in the year 2045, the adventure pic follows Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan), an orphaned teenager coming of age at a time when people need an escape, and have found one in technology. It’s in the Oasis, a virtual reality software devised by James Halliday (Mark Rylance), that Wade can be whoever he wants to be.
- 2/6/2019
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
The Visual Effects Society announced nominees for the organization’s 17th annual awards on Tuesday.
Leading the way in the film and TV fields, respectively, were Marvel’s “Avengers: Infinity War” and Netflix’s “Lost in Space.” Each picked up six nominations. Pixar’s “Incredibles 2” received the most nominations among animated feature contenders with five.
“Ready Player One” also landed five nominations, while “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” and “Welcome to Marwen” each earned three. “Christopher Robin” and “First Man” picked up a pair apiece, while “Ant Man and the Wasp” landed one. Those films joined “Avengers: Infinity War” on the Academy’s list of 10 semifinalists for the category, each of which displayed their wares at the organization’s annual Visual Effects Bake-Off on Jan. 5.
Notably, Marvel’s “Black Panther” and Disney’s “Mary Poppins Returns” — the final two films on the Academy’s bake-off...
Leading the way in the film and TV fields, respectively, were Marvel’s “Avengers: Infinity War” and Netflix’s “Lost in Space.” Each picked up six nominations. Pixar’s “Incredibles 2” received the most nominations among animated feature contenders with five.
“Ready Player One” also landed five nominations, while “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” and “Welcome to Marwen” each earned three. “Christopher Robin” and “First Man” picked up a pair apiece, while “Ant Man and the Wasp” landed one. Those films joined “Avengers: Infinity War” on the Academy’s list of 10 semifinalists for the category, each of which displayed their wares at the organization’s annual Visual Effects Bake-Off on Jan. 5.
Notably, Marvel’s “Black Panther” and Disney’s “Mary Poppins Returns” — the final two films on the Academy’s bake-off...
- 1/15/2019
- by Kristopher Tapley
- Variety Film + TV
The Visual Effects Society has revealed nominations for the 17th annual Ves Awards, which will recognize the best VFX artistry and innovation in film, animation, TV, commercials and video games.
Disney/Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity Wars and Netflix’s Lost In Space lead the film and TV categories this year with six nominations, respectively. Disney/Pixar’s Incredibles 2 tops the animation field with five noms.
Winners will be announced during a ceremony February 5 at the Beverly Hilton hosted by Patton Oswalt. Also at the gala, the annual Ves Visionary Award will be presented to Westworld‘s Jonathan Nolan, while the Ves Award for Creative Excellence will be presented to Game of Thrones masterminds David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.
Here are the nominees announced Tuesday in 24 categories:
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature
Avengers: Infinity War
Daniel DeLeeuw
Jen Underdahl
Kelly Port
Matt Aitken
Daniel Sudick
Christopher Robin
Chris Lawrence...
Disney/Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity Wars and Netflix’s Lost In Space lead the film and TV categories this year with six nominations, respectively. Disney/Pixar’s Incredibles 2 tops the animation field with five noms.
Winners will be announced during a ceremony February 5 at the Beverly Hilton hosted by Patton Oswalt. Also at the gala, the annual Ves Visionary Award will be presented to Westworld‘s Jonathan Nolan, while the Ves Award for Creative Excellence will be presented to Game of Thrones masterminds David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.
Here are the nominees announced Tuesday in 24 categories:
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature
Avengers: Infinity War
Daniel DeLeeuw
Jen Underdahl
Kelly Port
Matt Aitken
Daniel Sudick
Christopher Robin
Chris Lawrence...
- 1/15/2019
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
While “Avengers: Infinity War” topped the 17th annual Ves Awards (to be held February 5th at the Beverly Hilton Hotel) with six nominations, “Black Panther,” Marvel’s other Oscar frontrunner, was shut out. And Damien Chazelle’s acclaimed “First Man,” another frontrunner, was included in the supporting category as a result of its invisible VFX. Disney’s “Mary Poppins Returns,” meanwhile, was also snubbed.
However, joining “Infinity War” in the top VFX category were a surprising list: “Ready Player One” (with five nominations), “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” “Christopher Robin” and “Welcome to Marwen.” Joining “First Man” for supporting VFX were “12 Strong,” Bird Box,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and “Outlaw King”.
In animation, Pixar’s “Incredibles 2” was the big winner with five nominations, followed by Sony’s “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” and Disney’s “Ralph Breaks the Internet” with four. They were joined by Illumination’s “The Grinch” and Wes Anderson’s “Isle of Dogs.
However, joining “Infinity War” in the top VFX category were a surprising list: “Ready Player One” (with five nominations), “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” “Christopher Robin” and “Welcome to Marwen.” Joining “First Man” for supporting VFX were “12 Strong,” Bird Box,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and “Outlaw King”.
In animation, Pixar’s “Incredibles 2” was the big winner with five nominations, followed by Sony’s “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” and Disney’s “Ralph Breaks the Internet” with four. They were joined by Illumination’s “The Grinch” and Wes Anderson’s “Isle of Dogs.
- 1/15/2019
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
As filming begins in just a few days, Lucasfilm has announced the cast and crew for Star Wars: Episode IX including details on how they'll handle Princess Leia's return. Come inside to learn more!
The final installment in the Skywalker Saga begins filming, with Jj Abrams at the helm, on August 1st. Coming just ahead of production starting, Lfl has released a cast list for the new and returning members who will show up on the big screen next December.
Returning cast members include Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo, and Billie Lourd. Joining the cast of Episode IX are Naomi Ackie, Keri Russell, and Richard E. Grant, who will be joined by veteran Star Wars actors Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, and Billy Dee Williams, who will reprise his role as Lando Calrissian.
Billy Dee Williams is officially back!
The final installment in the Skywalker Saga begins filming, with Jj Abrams at the helm, on August 1st. Coming just ahead of production starting, Lfl has released a cast list for the new and returning members who will show up on the big screen next December.
Returning cast members include Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo, and Billie Lourd. Joining the cast of Episode IX are Naomi Ackie, Keri Russell, and Richard E. Grant, who will be joined by veteran Star Wars actors Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, and Billy Dee Williams, who will reprise his role as Lando Calrissian.
Billy Dee Williams is officially back!
- 7/29/2018
- by feeds@cinelinx.com (Jordan Maison)
- Cinelinx
J.J. Abrams and co-writer Chris Terrio currently face two big questions as they approach production on Star Wars: Episode IX.
For starters, how do they go about closing out Lucasfilm’s Skywalker Saga in a way that satisfies as much as it thrills? And perhaps most important of all: what do they do with the character of Luke, who met his end in the climax of The Last Jedi?
It’s no secret that Mark Hamill’s Jedi Master took his last breath soon after his Force projection deceived Kylo Ren on the salt plains of Crait, but the ambiguous nature of his ‘death’ has led many to believe that the galaxy’s most famous farm boy will be making a return come 2019 – Force ghost or not. After all, they can’t really close out the current trilogy without him, right?
Lucasfilm Drops More Than A Dozen Bts Star Wars Pics From The Last Jedi,...
For starters, how do they go about closing out Lucasfilm’s Skywalker Saga in a way that satisfies as much as it thrills? And perhaps most important of all: what do they do with the character of Luke, who met his end in the climax of The Last Jedi?
It’s no secret that Mark Hamill’s Jedi Master took his last breath soon after his Force projection deceived Kylo Ren on the salt plains of Crait, but the ambiguous nature of his ‘death’ has led many to believe that the galaxy’s most famous farm boy will be making a return come 2019 – Force ghost or not. After all, they can’t really close out the current trilogy without him, right?
Lucasfilm Drops More Than A Dozen Bts Star Wars Pics From The Last Jedi,...
- 7/27/2018
- by Matt Joseph
- We Got This Covered
Star Wars: Episode IX will begin filming at London’s Pinewood Studios on August 1, 2018. J.J. Abrams returns to direct the final installment of the Skywalker saga. Abrams co-wrote the screenplay with Chris Terrio.
Returning cast members include Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo, and Billie Lourd. Joining the cast of Episode IX are Naomi Ackie and Richard E. Grant, who will be joined by veteran Star Wars actors Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, and Billy Dee Williams, who will reprise his role as Lando Calrissian.
The role of Leia Organa will once again be played by Carrie Fisher, using previously unreleased footage shot for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. “We desperately loved Carrie Fisher,” says Abrams. “Finding a truly satisfying conclusion to the Skywalker saga without her eluded us. We were never going to recast, or use a CG character.
Returning cast members include Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo, and Billie Lourd. Joining the cast of Episode IX are Naomi Ackie and Richard E. Grant, who will be joined by veteran Star Wars actors Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, and Billy Dee Williams, who will reprise his role as Lando Calrissian.
The role of Leia Organa will once again be played by Carrie Fisher, using previously unreleased footage shot for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. “We desperately loved Carrie Fisher,” says Abrams. “Finding a truly satisfying conclusion to the Skywalker saga without her eluded us. We were never going to recast, or use a CG character.
- 7/27/2018
- by Michelle Hannett
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
For Industrial Light & Magic, realizing the virtual reality of The Oasis from “Ready Player One” became an eerie trip down memory lane, as they recreated the “Back to the Future” DeLorean and the “Jurassic Park” T-Rex, among other iconic ’80s goodies.
And while it was extremely difficult building the virtual worlds of the Oasis and animating the avatars so they believably resembled their real-world counterparts (who were motion captured), the geekiest part was reconstructing the interior of The Overlook Hotel from Stanley Kubrick’s horror fave, “The Shining.” It was a Steven Spielberg masterstroke, a virtual thrill ride, in which the High Five enter the Overlook in search of the Jade Key, with Aech (Lena Waithe) stumbling through the movie within the movie, having never seen “The Shining.”
“The Shining” Meta Experience
But Roger Guyett, Ilm’s production visual effects supervisor (“Star Wars: The Force Awakens”) was skeptical at first,...
And while it was extremely difficult building the virtual worlds of the Oasis and animating the avatars so they believably resembled their real-world counterparts (who were motion captured), the geekiest part was reconstructing the interior of The Overlook Hotel from Stanley Kubrick’s horror fave, “The Shining.” It was a Steven Spielberg masterstroke, a virtual thrill ride, in which the High Five enter the Overlook in search of the Jade Key, with Aech (Lena Waithe) stumbling through the movie within the movie, having never seen “The Shining.”
“The Shining” Meta Experience
But Roger Guyett, Ilm’s production visual effects supervisor (“Star Wars: The Force Awakens”) was skeptical at first,...
- 4/12/2018
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
If you've already seen Ready Player One, then you know what amazing movie sequence that I'm talking about in the title of this post. Even if you didn't like the movie as a whole, this is a part that everyone seems to love.
The sequence involves the second challenge that needed to be completed to obtain the second key and in an upcoming Art of Ready Player One book by Gian McIntyre, it's explained in detail how they managed to pull that scene off and I think you'll be impressed with what they had to do.
For the second challenge, Parzival and the High Five have to enter the Overlook Hotel from Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of Stephen King's The Shining. It's there that they will find the Jade Key.
I don't know about you, but I was completely blown away when we see these characters first enter the Overlook's Grand Hall.
The sequence involves the second challenge that needed to be completed to obtain the second key and in an upcoming Art of Ready Player One book by Gian McIntyre, it's explained in detail how they managed to pull that scene off and I think you'll be impressed with what they had to do.
For the second challenge, Parzival and the High Five have to enter the Overlook Hotel from Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of Stephen King's The Shining. It's there that they will find the Jade Key.
I don't know about you, but I was completely blown away when we see these characters first enter the Overlook's Grand Hall.
- 4/11/2018
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Ava DuVernay’s note for J.J. Abrams on The Force Awakens added an vital emotional beat. Steven Spielberg, meanwhile, just wanted to blow shit up. Screencrush reports that on new director’s commentary Abrams notes two moments in the film that came from Spielberg. First, it was apparently Spielberg’s idea to have the Tie fighter Finn and Poe escape to explode after it crashes on Jakku. “He loved the idea that the thing get sucked into the sand and then... that!” Abrams explains in the track.
George Lucas’ old pal also advocated for more destruction in the climactic battle between Kylo Ren and Rey in the form of trees coming down. “He suggested ‘What if trees were falling while they were fighting?’ And I said ‘That’s cool, but we’ve shot the scene already,’” Abrams recounts.“And then I said to [visual effects supervisor] Roger Guyett, ‘Is ...
George Lucas’ old pal also advocated for more destruction in the climactic battle between Kylo Ren and Rey in the form of trees coming down. “He suggested ‘What if trees were falling while they were fighting?’ And I said ‘That’s cool, but we’ve shot the scene already,’” Abrams recounts.“And then I said to [visual effects supervisor] Roger Guyett, ‘Is ...
- 11/10/2016
- by Esther Zuckerman
- avclub.com
In anticipation of the digital HD release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens on Friday, April 1 via the brand new FandangoNOW VOD platform, we sat down with Force Awakens sound editor Matthew Wood and visual effects supervisor Roger Guyett to discuss some of the cooler things that went on behind the scenes while crafting one of the most successful films ever made. Like how did they create the freaky sound of Kylo Ren's mask? One of the trickiest parts of Star Wars: The Force Awakens came with introducing a new villain that's both unlike any villain we've seen in Star Wars, but also one whose very purpose is to finish what his granddad Darth Vader started. Hence, Kylo Ren most definitely rocks a heavy Vader vibe, but almost everything else about the...
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- 4/1/2016
- by Erik Davis
- Movies.com
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