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December 11, 2006
Spider's Web, Double07 & a slick Dragon in Cinefex #108
Tippett and Templeton were in the running to make the cover for this issue of Cinefex, but being that it's Charlotte's Web... well yeah it's not called Tempelton's Words so yeah the spider gets the cover... I think it looks great as a spider, but a bit too photo-real, ie creepy.
Arachnophobia & Musophobia was the consensus from: Ebert(Aisha Tyler) & Roeper... Roeper thought it was a sweet and charming adaptation with less appealing creatures...Charlotte was pretty creepy and there is no rat that charming...(Bah, The Rat Rules!) but that Julia Roberts did a lovely job voicing charlotte (really?) Lastly he said Charlotte's Web could have been better as an animated film? but he gave it a thumbs up enjoying the film but that spider and that rat not so much, even with that impressive cg work.
Tyler also gave it a thumbs up but, said the rat being creepy is part of the original story but agreed that the spider was not beautiful, but CGI was very well done. Roeper said CG is almost too effective during the spider sack and spiderlings scene... but lovley and great acting all around... (Ebert&Roeper Early Review)
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Casino Royale:
Back to Basics
In a break from tradition, Casino Royale, the latest entry in the enduring James Bond series, directed by Martin Campbell, reverts back to the franchise’s leaner beginnings, eschewing the fancy gadgetry and slick CG tricks of more recent installments in favor of practical effects, exhilarating stunt work and meatier character development. Special effects supervisor Chris Corbould and stunt coordinator Gary Powell teamed with visual effects supervisor Steven Begg and Peerless Camera Company to handle the requisite high-octane action featuring a new, more intense Bond – Daniel Craig – who, having just earned his stripes as a double-0 agent, falls in love and tangles with terrorists in a plot that spans the globe from Madagascar to Miami.
Article by Joe Fordham
Charlotte's Web:
Arachnophilia
Adapted from the children’s classic about the unlikely friendship between a barnyard pig and a spider, Charlotte’s Web offers up a live-action retelling of the beloved tale, directed by Gary Winick. Visual effects supervisor John Berton invited Rhythm & Hues – whose pioneering use of CG muzzle replacement in Babe made it the go-to company for talking animal effects – to craft an even more sophisticated version of that technique in the service of Wilbur, the talking pig. Tippett Studio and Rising Sun Pictures provided CG character animation for the film’s other two protagonists, Charlotte and a rat named Templeton, while other contributors to the project included Digital Pictures Iloura, Fuel and Stan Winston Studio.
Article by Jody Duncan
Eragon:
Searching for Saphira
For his debut film, Eragon, based on the best-selling novel about a boy and the sapphire-colored dragon he raises from a hatchling, former visual effects supervisor-turned-director Stefen Fangmeier appealed to former colleagues at Industrial Light & Magic for help in conceiving and animating the CG fantasy creature. When the volume of shots grew in postproduction, additional CG dragon shots were assigned to Weta Digital, with visual effects supervisor Michael McAlister coordinating the work emerging from the two facilities. A variety of non-dragon effects were divvied among eight other facilities, with visual effects supervisor John Van Vliet overseeing the work.
Article by Jody Duncan
OVERVIEWS
Q&A: ROB LEGATO
Operating out of a home-based visual effects unit set up in his basement, Oscar-winning freelance visual effects supervisor Rob Legato discusses his decision to break away from a studio-based paradigm, as well as his most recent work with Martin Scorcese on The Departed, and Robert De Niro on The Good Shepherd.
FLYBOYS
Visual effects supervisor Peter Chiang elaborates on the clever use of practical, CG and miniature effects to capture authentic aerial battles for Flyboys – a film about the daring escapades of the Lafayette Escadrille, a combat unit of youthful American pilots who battled German forces in Europe prior to the United States’ entry into World War I.
NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM
A Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton and myriad other exhibits in New York’s American Museum of Natural History magically come alive in Night at the Museum. Visual effects supervisor Jim Rygiel and associate producer Ellen Somers examine the challenges of mining the film’s fanciful premise for its full comic potential.
Posted by dschnee at December 11, 2006 7:39 AM
