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Category: Film VFX

How Toolbox Made UNindian Happen

What do you get when you combine a romantic plot with a cricketing heartthrob and exotic locales Down Under? Why, a recipe for a blockbuster, of course! In a major shift in roles, Aussie fast bowler Brett Lee made a smooth transition from 22 yards to 70 mm as the lead actor in Anupam Sharma’s cross-cultural drama, UNindian.

Who knew that the second fastest bowler in the history of international cricket – one who evoked fear and awe in his opponents when he ran down the pitch, one who rattled the best batsmen with one piercing look, one who was famous for single-handedly dismantling the choicest of his rival teams – would one day be wooing a beautiful girl on screen? Who knew that Binga, as he is fondly referred to by his teammates, would one day be mouthing dialogues like, “Alright, educate me! How do I pick up an Indian chick?”

Yes, he featured in a hit single with none other than the legendary Asha Bhosle way back in 2006 during the ICC Champions Trophy in India. And he also featured as himself in Victory, a cricket-themed film starring Harman Baweja. But this time, he’s the spearhead (like he was for the Australian team for so many years).

So, what made him step into a completely different role from what he has been used to for so many years? What made him choose this particular film to begin his new journey?

According to Lee, it was his love for India that made him choose the film. Well the cricketer, nay actor, is known for his love for the country that began all the way back in 1994 during his first trip here. Over the years, his love for India and ties with the country grew stronger.

Given his good looks, it was only a matter of time before offers from Bollywood started pouring in, but Lee refused them as he wasn’t ready. By the time the chance to do this Indo-Aussie cross-cultural rom-com came his way, he was ready and raring to go.

The Plot

UNindian is the story of Meera (Tannishtha Chatterjee), a beautiful Australian woman of Indian origin who is divorced and lives in Sydney with her daughter. Despite being an independent woman and a single mother, she is under intense family pressure to find a “nice Indian boy” to settle down with.

Enter Will (Brett Lee), the tall and blonde teacher whose job is to introduce migrant students to basics of Aussie English and culture.

He rides a bike, has Indian friends, plays Holi, and is a genuinely nice guy. Soon, Meera finds herself unable to resist Will’s warm smile and easy charm. But where she comes from, falling in love with an Australian is a complete no-no. Or rather, it’s unIndian.

So, what does Meera do? Acquiesce with her parents or follow her heart? Does love triumph over tradition? That’s what UNindian is all about. In an interview with The Guardian before the release of the film, Lee said, “Anyone who watches the film will find at its heart the best of messages. Love has no boundaries. Love. You can’t help who you fall in love with.”

The Challenges

Admittedly, the movie created a lot of buzz as any film that debuts a cricketing hero should. However, most of the buzz was around Brett Lee and his transformation from a good-looking cricketer to an actor. Interviews galore with Lee and his experience with making the film preceded and followed the release of UNindian.

What did not get as much attention (as it should have) was the work that went behind the scenes, the work that made the film what it was, the work that gave UNindian some of its most memorable scenes.

Toolbox Studio was one of the major players in the behind-the-scenes action. The Pune, India-based media services company was hired to work on some of the film’s VFX. Our team at Toolbox worked on crowd multiplication shots as well as dynamic effects.

They helped create the Holi scene where Will meets Meera for the first time. The team at Toolbox was given the task of adding dynamic colour effects to the sequences.

In some scenes, colors were not used during the shooting, but actually added by the Toolbox team as the mushroom blast effect which represented the Holi color effect. These beautiful colors were digitally created by their team. They used path-breaking VFX technologies such as 3D particle simulation to create the Holi color as well as the dust and particle effects.

The team was also given the task of combining the sequences shot on green screens with the footage of the rest of the crowd and then adds the actors into the scene.

Another wonderful sequence our team worked on was the movie theater crowd multiplication. When the crowd that used to fill up the theater by the director turned out not enough, we shot new footage at our own facility at Pune using local actors.

This sequence was also shot in a green screen room. Afterwards, the green screen was removed and the footage of these actors was added in the existing shots. The team was able to combine two different footages shot at two different locations in two different time zones to perfection.

So much goes into making a film and there is so much more to a movie than its glittering star cast. Ask anyone at Toolbox and they will tell you it requires hours of labour to create a two-second visual effect in a movie. But they will also tell you that it is an absolute blast (no pun intended)!

The film is set to be released across theatres in India very soon. If you haven’t watched the trailer yet, here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QMRiv9a7uI

June 30, 2016
Facts about the Marvel Heros! (Infographic)

Who doesn’t love these guys?

March 10, 2016
Revealing the Real Story Behind the Iron Throne

April 17, 2011 marked the coming of winter. HBO’s Game of Thrones brought George R.R. Martin’s ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ to life and introduced us to the opulence and grandeur of the seven kingdoms.

The series aired its sixth season on April 24, 2016, and has continued to live up to the glory of the literary masterpiece, thanks to visionary creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, a brilliant ensemble cast, and outstanding VFX (Visual Effects).

Game of Thrones is filmed at several surreal locations including Northern Ireland, Croatia, Morocco, Spain, Scotland, Iceland, Malta, and the United States. The dreamlike sets make up for only a small part of the magic that we see. Behind the green-screen are a bunch of phenomenal maestros sitting on their well-deserved iron thrones with technology that never fails to intrigue.

Season 1 saw the incredible introduction to G. R. R. Martin’s fantasy world. HBO hired a British and an Irish company for the visual effects.

Here’s a quick look at the extensive hours of work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcqY2AFNa08

Source: http://www.cgchannel.com

Season 2 had increasingly challenging visuals, and HBO brought on board the expertise of a Germany-based visual effects company. The studio won the Primetime Emmy Award for the Outstanding Special Visual Effects in 2012 and 2013 for the episodes Valar Morghulis and Valar Dohaeris, respectively. They created the majestic armies spread across the screen, backgrounds with extended cityscapes, BG matte paintings, CG gore (blood splatter, anyone?), crowd simulation, and of course the juvenile dire wolves and dragons.

Source: https://bananascoop.files.wordpress.com/

Other Canada, US and Britain-based studios were involved in the making of the third season. Doug Campbell, one of the VFX supervisors, spoke candidly about his experience during Season 3. “The Ice Wall was one of the most compelling sequences for us. The 3D build provided the camera range required to deliver the drama and fear of the climb, and of course, the realism of the ice slide.”

Source: http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/

A 700 ft. wall (a few miles long, real-world scale) was created and the ice slide was simulated, and shot from several different cameras. Comprised of over 80 shots, the sequence exhibited the hold-on-to-your-seats sort of adventure, without compromising on the scale or continuity.

The entirety of The Wall – 3D environment could rise to breathless heights on the shoulders of the quixotic experts. And it would be so unfair if we didn’t mention the enormous Mance Rayder’s camp and the 3D Unsullied Army!

Source:: http://winteriscoming.net/

Source: http://blog.fidmdigitalarts.com/

By Season 4, the audience and expected VFX magic had grown considerably; so had the dragons! HBO signed on a Germany-based firm that bagged the Emmy Award for Visual Effects in 2014 (for the season finale). A couple of Canada- and US-based studios also contributed to the season’s production.

A team of 22 to 30 people worked on understanding and conceptualizing Daenerys Targaryen’s dragons. Talk about attention to detail! What resulted was a string of stunning results with the muscle movements of the adolescent dragons in Seasons 4 and 5.

Source: http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/

The collision, destruction, and grandiose of the Harpy, the golden statue in Meereen, was a visual delight and the highlight of Season 5. A VFX supervisor at the VFX studio that worked on the fifth season said, “This was a huge CG build and complex work for TV. It is challenging because we’re aiming for feature film quality, but the schedule is not the same as on features. We built on last year’s work… Needing close ups of the pyramid meant we had to build it up brick by brick. Every brick was modelled and textured independently.”

With (VFX Supervisor across the series) Joe Bauer’s work at the foundation, the VFX team worked on adding complexity and life to the CG scenes.

Season 5 gave us the incredible matte paintings across Meereen, the ruins of Old Valyria, the Smoking Sea, and the Stone Men. While we are still settling into the unsettling and unnerving Walk of Atonement, the unveiling of tedious facts and relentlessly-dedicated processes of producing these heart-wrenching visual effects, continues to celebrate the work of the studios devoted to creating Game of Thrones.

With Season 6 proving to be an overwhelming experience, especially with the much-awaited ‘Battle of the Bastards’, it’s a long wait until the final season comes knocking on our doors. Until then, we can keep reminiscing the seasons gone by and drool over the visual effects!

Which was your favorite VFX sequence from the series? Let us know in the comments section below!

February 4, 2016
How well do you know the Star Droids in Star Wars

Even with powerful characters like the Jedi and Master Yoda, the Star Wars series would still be incomplete without their famous ‘Droids.’ A short form for androids or another word for robots! The designs of these stellar differ from weird, cool, different and are actually just plain out of this world.

In this list of Star Wars droids, we have taken the four best droids of all time in the Star Wars universe and rated them on the impact that they have left and also, well, how cool they are! With Episode VII – The Force Awakens releasing on 16th December 2015, it is time to go back and look at how these Star Wars droids are also prominent characters in the movie series.

Caution: Spoiler ahead…

R2-D2 (Artoo)

Quite obviously topping this list, R2-D2 is like no other droid. A hero himself, Artoo is filled with hidden compartments and cool gadgets, which adds to his mystery. You never know what his next move is going to be! Also, being among the very first star wars droids, Artoo has a classic and rustic feel (even after being modernised in the later episodes), giving him a very original and human sense. Artoo is the only robot that can feel; he gets sad, happy, and frightened and is arguably one of the bravest droids of them all! Being extremely loyal, selfless and courageous enough to take charge when needed, he is the perfect best friend and the most efficient warrior. With him around, would you need anyone else in the back of your X-wing?

C-3PO (Threepio)

Even though he has been called a mindless philosopher, a golden rod, or sarcastically the professor, C-3PO is arguably one of the greatest legacies not only with droids but among the most beloved star wars characters in the series. Whether delivering Leia’s secret message to Obi-Wan or rescuing Han Solo, C-P3O has always shown incredible inner strength and heart! Probably not one of the strongest and deadliest built droids, Threepio had a strength that no other droid had – courage! A true friend, Threepio gave his parts to a badly damaged Artoo, and instead of fleeing upon seeing the Stormtrooper, he stayed back to warn and protect his companions. A true hero, Threepio has some great qualities that are very useful and integral in most galaxy events! It is rumoured that this Ewok god might get a new suit in the latest release of the series. It’s about time if you ask us; he is rocking the fiery red look!

BB-8

All set to make his grand premiere in ‘Star Wars: Episode 7 The Force Awakens’, the star wars robot BB-8 manages to steal all our hearts with just a glance in the trailers. Little quirky, weird and highly cool, BB-8 surely reminds us of our favorite Artoo. Designed in a unique way, it has a domed head with the bulk of the body made up of a ball that the droid rolled on, BB-8 is mostly white in color with some dashes of silver and orange on his body. What’s truly spectacular about this droid is the simplicity. In this day and age, any maker would have made a highly advanced and daunting robot to add to this epic saga. Although J.J. Abrams chose to keep it simple. This just goes to show how dedicated he is in using real world special effects whenever possible, which is a notable factor in the extreme success of the series. One of the most notable addition that we can’t wait for in the latest movie, BB-8 is surely going to be death in the disguise of an 8! (Or two B’s, however you see it.)

IG-88

Among the long list of different kinds of robots, we chose this bounty hunter that made an appearance in the ‘Empire Strikes Back’, because IG-88 is one of the deadliest droids among the star wars characters (or any universe for that matter). Despite his limited screen space in the series, this droid definitely leaves a lasting impact. Chosen by the one and only Darth Vader to find the Millennium Falcon, IG-88 was the first villainous droid in the series who showed that not all droids are made to serve a human master. We know for a fact, those red eyes and quiet and disturbing demeanor leaves us with nightmares even today! One of the coolest droids of all time, we hope this bad boy makes an entry in Star Wars: Episode VIII!

It’s been ten long years since we saw our heroes last in ‘Revenge of the Sith’, and we surely can’t wait for the release of the all new addition the series. ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ comes with many surprises and is surely going to be a treat for all of us! The storyline is spectacular, and the animation and VFX are like none other! Releasing in December, we are ready to continue with the epic journey of the Jedi’s and of course the ever amazing droids. Until then, may the force be with you!

December 2, 2015
5 VFX Movies That Broke Box Office Records

What would we do without movies? They add just the right amount of entertainment to our lives! Although movies on an average do not exceed two to three hours, a lot goes into the making of these movies. Whether it is the perfect locations or the amazing cinematography, both Hollywood and Bollywood continue to roll our marvels after marvels every year. Now with the evolution of technology, producers and directors are making full use of it. It is very common to use VFX, from just small scene to almost most of the movie. However, there are a few master pieces that have used VFX to truly create magic!

Although there are many movies which made a mark in the VFX category, here are five such movies which truly rewrote the VFX history.

Matrix (1999)

The action thriller officially marked the dawn of VFX in movies. The Matrix was revolutionary in a way with spectacular action sets and one of the most jaw-dropping effect that were seen during that time. Giving birth to an all new technique, Matrix is known for introducing the ‘Bullet Time’ which allows a shot to progress in slow-motion while the camera appear to move through the scene at normal speed. Throughout the film, this technique was used to illustrate characters exertion of control over time and space which was very important for the plot to build.

Although these are known facts of the movie, a fun fact that is not very popular is the level of perfection Andy Wachowskis wanted from the movie. Due to the complexity and uniqueness of the script and the different type of techniques being used, the actors were given special training for acting methods that were to be used for the film. Reeves also stated that he was made to read various books on psychology and Simulacra and Simulation, so that he could set the mood just right. Talk about ‘going into the character’!

Avatar (2009)

Avatar is probably the biggest milestone in not only the VFX category, but for the entire film fraternity all over the world. The development of the film began in 1994. The film was supposed to take place after the completion of Titanic, but being the perfectionist that he is, Cameron stalled the film as he believed that the necessary technology was not yet available to achieve the vision of the film.

First movie to ever cross the US$ 2,000,000,000 mark worldwide (and later the US$ 2.5 billion mark), making it the highest grossing film in history. One of the most expensive movies ever made (as of December 2009), with an estimated budget of US $280,000,000.

In 2000, when the production of the movie started, it was a breakthrough for technology and innovation. Just to keep track of the massive amount of data for the movie, an entirely new cloud computing and Digital Asset system name Gaia was created! Just to render one Avatar, Weta used a 10,000 sq. ft. server farm making use of 4,000 HP servers with 35,000 processor cores with 104 terabytes of RAM and three petabytes of network area storage running Ubuntu, Linux, Grid Engine cluster manager and two of the animation software and managers. The render farm occupies the 193^rd to 197^th spots in the Top 500 list of the world’s most powerful supercomputers.

Too many numbers to process? Well, maybe you need a trek through the forests and jungles just like when Cameron took the entire cast and crew to Hawaii, in order to get a better sense of what it would be like to live and move around in the jungle on Pandora, since there would not be any actual jungle sets to aid and guide the actors and crew.

Life of Pi (2012)

When M. Night Shyamalan, who was originally approached to adapt the novel ‘Life of Pi’ into a movie, was asked to comment on Ang Lee’s work, this is what he had to say – “Though Lee did a wonderful job, I think my film would have been different from his version. Different perspectives, I guess. When I was approached to do the film, I wanted more time. The production house wanted me to do it right away, but I’m sure they had their reasons. It took them six years to find another director.”

Well, someone sounds jealous! And rightfully so. A small part of every viewer of that movie was jealous of some part of that movie. It could be when Pi got a once in a life time experience with the Great Bengal Tiger Richard Parker, or when he saw the beautiful and breath-taking sights along the way, at least at one point of the movie, you wanted to be either Pi or Richard Parker.

Let me make it easier for you! You can now have the same adventures as our very own Pi. Simply grab a stuff toy and sail a boat in the middle of a… swimming pool!

Yes, it is true! The entire movie was shot in a swimming pool with a stuff toy playing the role of Richard Parker. If you do want to get jealous though, envy the VFX team. It takes true skill and talent to achieve the level of brilliance that they did for this spectacular movie.

Probably one of the highest grossing movies to be shot in India, Life of Pi received highly positive reviews, with praise directed towards the visual effects “A 3D adaptation of a supposedly ‘UN-filmable’ book, Ang Lee’s Life of Pi achieves the near impossible — it’s an astonishing technical achievement that’s also emotionally rewarding.” – The Daily.

Interstellar (2014)

Depending on which critic you talk to, Christopher Nolan is either a throwback, a fusspot and an ideologue, or the spiritual offspring of Steven Spielberg and Stanley Kubrick. (Of course, there’s no reason he can’t be all of the above.)

There’s no doubt that Interstellar is a great success story on its own. Christopher Nolan and his team did do an amazing job and definitely made this movie a great milestone, not only for VFX but also for the entire film industry. However, there is one more story of success linked to this movie that is nothing short of being a successful film plot in its own.

The VFX for Interstellar was created by the Prime Focus Group, owned by Namit Malhotra, a true rags to riches example. Namit started his company in his Dad’s garage in Mumbai, five later he moves to LA now a successful man and owner of one of the leading VFX companies.

For interstellar, they tried to use a different approach. They created the effects first, so that digital projectors could be used to display them behind the actors, rather having the actors perform in front of green screens. Ultimately the film contained 850 visual effect shots at a resolution of 5600 x 4000 lines: 150 shots that were created in camera using digital projectors, and another 700 were created in post-production. Of those, 620 were presented in IMAX, while the rest were anamorphic.

Interstellar may be drifting a million miles out in the void, but it knows exactly where it’s going. – The telegraph.

Bahubali (2015)

At the same time as Hollywood films were experimenting and executing VFX, India had also closely followed and caught on. Dada Saheb Phalke’s silent movie Kaliamardhan in the year 1919 is one such example with amazing work. In 2015 another milestone was achieved in the field on VFX – Bahubali.

Bahubali has the highest number of National Award winning technicians working on the project – around 800+ technicians worked on Art, Design and Visual Effects for this magnum opus. Along with the box office records, another record that Bahubali broke is the budget. With a massive budget of 250 crore, it bags the first rank as the heist budget movie ever in the history of Indian Cinema.

Never ever before seen CG graphics with over 600 people working on the camera graphics, it took almost 1 year for Pre-Production work which is highest for any Indian movie till date. The magnificent palaces, impregnable forts, breath-taking water falls were all created for the movie. Usually a 24-foot-high scale set is created, but for this movie the makers decided to go for 45-foot-high scaled sets which was really amazing.

More than 90 percent of the film had visually enhanced shots and according to the producer, more than 600 VFX artists worked for the film from 18 facilities around the world led by Makuta VFX and Firefly in Hyderabad, Prasad Studios in Hyderabad and Chennai, Annapurna Studios in Hyderabad, Tau Films in Malaysia, and Dancing Digital Animation and Macrograph in South Korea. Makuta VFX which had prior experience of working with S.S.Rajamouli was chosen as principal visual effects studio.

The scene which sees Shiva singlehandedly erecting a giant gold statue of Bhallala Deva is jawdroppingly iconic. Take a bow S.S. Rajamouli. – The Times of India.

When it comes to the movie with the most visual effects (VFX) in the world, one notable film stands out:

“Avengers: Endgame”

Released in 2019, “Avengers: Endgame” is widely regarded as a cinematic milestone in terms of visual effects. The film features an unprecedented number of VFX shots and showcases an extensive range of digital effects work.

The visual effects team, led by companies like Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Weta Digital, Framestore, Digital Domain, and others, created a vast array of complex and highly detailed visual effects sequences. These sequences include large-scale battles, time travel sequences, character transformations, and intricate digital environments.

With over 2,500 VFX shots, “Avengers: Endgame” pushed the boundaries of what was previously seen in visual effects-driven films. The sheer scale and complexity of the film’s VFX work earned it the reputation of being one of the most VFX-intensive movies ever made.

The film’s exceptional VFX work played a crucial role in bringing the epic superhero story to life, seamlessly blending real actors with digital characters and environments. The meticulous craftsmanship and attention to detail in the VFX contributed to the film’s success, both critically and commercially.

It is important to note that the world of visual effects is constantly evolving, and new films may surpass the record set by “Avengers: Endgame” in terms of sheer quantity or innovative use of VFX. However, as of the knowledge available up to September 2021, “Avengers: Endgame” holds the distinction of being one of the movies with the most extensive and impactful visual effects.

The film industry is changing. Visual effects have become quite a large cog in the movie making machine, and should be recognized as such. The creation of computer-generated imagery and physical effects is painstakingly hard work that requires a significant amount of time and skill to pull off. Whether or not audiences value visual effects over story, one thing is for certain: they do value visual effects.

October 12, 2015
VFX Bloopers that Will Tickle your Funny Bone

Millions of dollar and thousands of hours are spend in making and editing a movie. But sometimes there are cracks and then there are mistakes. What happens when these two meet you wonder? You are treated to a world of funny VFX bloopers that will tickle you. Here are a list of funny VFX bloopers which slipped through the cracks.

Jurassic World

The 2015 American science fiction adventure film directed by Colin Trevorrow, is a movie which tried to use as many real life effects when possible. But even they weren’t spared the usual goof up. The scene when Owen rescues a worker from the raptor paddock, three raptors in front of him, the shadows of Owen and the raptors are in different directions. This is not easily caught, but you can’t unsee it once you see it.

The Matrix Reloaded

Everyone knows the ever-famous burly brawl. After Neo takes the pole for the fight with the Smiths, we have shots of Neo fighting with the pole. In those shots, we can see that Neo and the pole are computer-made. This becomes even more obvious because Neo was crushed into a wall and got all dirty before using the pole, and the computer-made Neo is completely clean. This is one of the noticeable “Matrix bloopers” fans love to point out, especially since the pole Neo uses to fight off the thousands of Smiths bends quite a few times during the fight.

Ang Lee’s The Hulk:

The Hulk by Ang Lee is often called an abomination to the world of VFX. Apart from a Hulk hat was too green to even look realistic there was one blooper that I don’t think everyone noticed. In this scene, the Hulk’s pants looks like a second skin, which in itself looks weird but then add movements like walking and it does this.

I have never seen pants do that in all my years on earth! Some viewers even find humour in scenes where characters like Hulk move in ways that almost seem out of place, akin to tickle scenes in movies that evoke unintentional laughs due to awkward visuals.

Race 2

In the scene when the Car behind Saif Ali Khan blows up, you can easily spot how the actual car changes into a dummy one. I know that you can’t just blow up cars whenever you want. But making the switch look a little realistic never hurt no one now did it? It’s a classic case of funny VFX moments where the transition feels so obvious that it adds an unintended bit of humour to the scene.

The Crawlers aka Troll 3:

If you watch the scene below carefully, you can see that right before the helicopter blows up, it turns into a toy! And here I thought an actual helicopter was supposed to blow up.

Along Came a Spider

A little bit of physics can take you a long way, especially in VFX. The car crash in Along Came a Spider looks like it’s been pulled from a low-grade game and defies all the rules of physics. The crash’s speed and severity don’t seem to match up, nor do the absurd number of flips that the car performs before becoming conveniently hooked on some wiring on the edge of the bridge. This is one of those funny VFX moments where the scene’s intended suspense shifts to unintentional humour because of how exaggerated the physics are.

Ghost Rider

When Johnny Blaze discovers his transformation into the demon hunter Ghost Rider, he pauses to look at himself in the mirror. There is no problem in the scene, except for his abs, which are unreal.

The Mummy Returns

The emergence of the Scorpion King was hyped up from the beginning of the film, but his emergence at the end was downright disappointing. The Scorpion King barely resembles The Rock. At times his eyes seem to melt off of his face. I am sure Dwayne must have been really embarrassed to see this version of him on screen.

Hey, now, everyone makes mistakes! Only sometimes are they hilarious, almost like tickle scenes in movies that make us laugh when they’re least expected.

August 17, 2015
FMX: What went down there!

Each year all the well-known artists, producers, scientists, specialists including other dignitaries come together to FMX to build their connection and talk about their production, upcoming technologies and newer method of financing with a wider audience. All the specialists delivered insightful presentations and hold workshops while some of the industry experts introduced their hardware and software products. Some of the best companies are in the lookout for the best talent at the Recruiting and International schools through their finest projects.

Events Schedule

On May 15^th 2015, FMX’ celebrated their 20^th Anniversary Edition with great aplomb and splendor. It was four days of extravaganza brimming with fun together with the screening of the biggest digital content entertainment like Avengers 2- Age of Ultron screening. The Marvel team was in attendance along with VFX Supervisor Christopher Townsend. Around 3,200 delegates representing 55 countries came in attendance to Haus der Wirtschaft. Some more eminent guests included ILM and Toy Story attended the party.

FXM next event takes place on April 26-29^,2016.

The 20^th FMX Conference took place at Stuttgart on May 5-8 based on Animation, Effects, Games and Transmedia. Mackevision was in the Recruiting Hub and gave four talks as well.

The names of the speakers are mentioned below:

On Tuesday, May 5^th at Konig Karl Hall, Emmy Winner Joern Grosshans discussed work for the award winning Game of Thrones, Season 4 series between 11-12 am.

On May 6 at Room Reutlingen 3D Supervisor Rouven Dombrowski gave detailed information on how was it like to work for Mackevision between 11:30-12 am.

Next 3D Lead Artist Christian Zilliken spoke on the work done by them for Game of Thrones and their use of the newest features in Phoenix FD and V-Ray throughout their making.

Events Highlights

On May 5^th 2015, VFX Supervisor Jorn Grosshans talked at length about the work productivity and art visualizations behind the scenes of various classic environments in series like Ervie, the Red Keep and presenting the first look of the Free City of Braavos. Their vision was to improvise the setting with every new season of Game of Thrones. In addition, Jorn Grosshans presented complete information about the different techniques used while shooting with crowds, like wedding guests and armies together with showcasing photorealistic water and CG ships.

On May 6^th 2015, Rouven Dombrowski gave an insight of how it felt like working for Mackevision and further talking about their job requirements and presenting various ideal milestones film and print projects. He was eager to interact with the delegates and participants after giving his talk in the Recruiting Hub.

On May 5^th and 7^th 2015, Christian Zilliken the Lead Artist at Mackevision discussed about the work done for Game of Thrones and their use of the newest features in Phoenix FD and V-Ray in the making of Game of Thrones. His past works includes working as a freelance digital artist focused in shading and lighting. In the past, he had worked for various award winning TV show and movies including doing the some of the seasons for Game of Thrones.

The 20^th Jubilee Anniversary of FMX was kicked started by Terrence Masson and Sebastian Sylwan the Visual Effects and Digital Media Technology Executive. Speakers like Ludwig von Reiche presented the highlight of personal photo albums, homage’s and a CG bear. Senior VFX Supervisor and Director of Weta Digital went on stage to commemorate 20 years of Weta Digital.

What Participants Gained from it

It was a great meet for all the experts to come together and speak towards a common goal. People who attended these events got hands-on experience on the ample opportunities they can get to showcase on the current trends and availability of products and services. The experts spoke about how to plunge into the latest of trends and render professional graphic solutions such as crowd simulations, 3D rendering, 2D animation software, image stitching and a host of other things. They even got the opportunity to interact with some of the leading industrialists and visualize their dreams.

All in all, the events turned out to be a huge success. People eagerly await for the next session coming up in April 2016.

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July 24, 2015
Every Little Secret about the Minions and the Minion Movies

The Minions were first presented in 2010s ‘Despicable Me’ where they won the hearts of millions. This movie was a big treat both for children and adults alike. The gibberish speaking klutzes were a huge success and helped the first sequel earn about $543.113.985 all over.

Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment’s Minions is having a worldwide release on July 10^th 2015. Minions have evolved over the ages, having made an initial start as single celled yellow organisms. The storyline goes like this-The Minions fall into deep depression and find themselves without someone to serve. Until Kevin, one of the Minions hatches a plan along with the rebel Stuart and cute little Bob. They seek out on an adventure to seek for the new wicked boss for his fellow members to follow.

The voiceover of the Minions was given by stars like Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton, Allison Janney, Steven Coogan and Steve Carell. Here are some secrets about the minions and the movie sequel that many people would want to know.

The Minion Characters are not getting any Younger

Did you know minions exist even before the existence of dinosaurs? Ever since these lovable little creatures came into existence, they served only one purpose and that is to seek the most evil of all masters. As the trailer proceeds, retaining their boss becomes their new tough mission.

The Egyptian Quest

Through their entire quest, the minions got the opportunity to serve the mightiest masters all the way through history together with the ancient Egyptians. The trailer shows that the minions contributed to the making of the pyramids even though they were not the best architects one can think of.

Make War not Peace

It will be an understatement to say that the minions were present to help the world conquerors. To say that they were present in the war itself said a lot of things about them.

To err is Evil

The minions have a history of slaying a lookalike vampire of Dracula and sadly this is not counted as a munificent deed at all or a sacrifice they did for mankind. Like any other day, they thought of a surprise for the vamp as it was his birthday. Everything was set perfectly and off they went excitedly with the birthday cake. Blame it on their rotten luck but fortunately or unfortunately, they shook him awoke greeted with a room full of sunlight. That marked the end of the vampire.

Depressed Minions

Wait a second. Did someone say depressed minions? Yes, you heard that right. Apparently the minions fell into deep depression and became quite aimless. This happened after quite a number of their masters’ step down and left them over the years. Overcome by all these incidents, the minions retreated to a glacial environment and stayed on waiting for something to come by.

Kudos to the Brave Heroes

The three protagonists in the movie Kevin, Bob and Stuart decide to take things on their own hands seeing their clan in deep depression. They thought that enough is enough and decide to go embark on a journey to seek for a new master. This journey took them off far away from mankind.

Behind the Stories

The movie is set for a summer release this 2015 and like we mentioned earlier, it will star the three unsung heroes as they go on a quest on the Manhattan streets looking for an evil master. The adventure begins in New York City.

Go Bananas over Bananas

Minions are crazy over bananas. No pun intended.

Hope you enjoyed reading up on these little secrets about minions and the minion movies. If you did, share it with the rest too!

July 16, 2015
Things about Dawn and Rise of the Planet of the Apes that Left Our Jaws Dropped

Have you noticed this about these two instalments of the chimpanzee Caesar’s story—Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes? Why does dawn come after the rise? Isn’t it usually the other way around? Anyways! That is not what we are here to talk about. We are here to discuss some lesser-known facts about the Dawn of the Apes. Curious yet?

Apes Firing Machine Guns, like really?

This lasting impact or like we say the climax of the movie is always the last scene of the movie. Eeerr! Well this was supposedly meant to be a terrifying scene but we cannot help but ignore the amusement here. So the scene goes like this, the ape in question advances towards two armed men. Much to their delight, the ape starts entertaining them acting drunk. They were so caught up in the act that they forgot all about their armour- the big mean machine guns. The next thing we know is the ape is with the machine. And not forgetting to mention, those apes can operate those machine guns as if they were born for it. It’s reminiscent of the intense scenes in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, where the apes’ intelligence and strategic prowess are fully displayed.

Wait Can those Apes Talk….and Read too?

We went holly molly when Caesar finally spoke to James Franco’s character in Rise of the Planet of the Apes. After watching Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, we feel that apes are evolving unimaginably. In one scene, we notice an ape reading a book with a human child. And by reading out, we do not mean ‘trying his hand at reading’. The ape is at peace, reading out and discussing the book’s main plot. In another scene, where the humans and the apes meet in a pivotal scene, Caesar clearly says that his comrades do not want to fight, but they mean war if it comes to defending their land- the forest.

The Visuals that Makes us go WHOA!

We don’t muddle our heads when we know what goes on behind the scenes. But it is impressive when we take a moment to unravel things like this. In movies like Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, the ape civilisation’s visual transformation must be fully credited. It combines ape-like solid performances and the brilliant use of visual effects. We cannot help but use the word ‘but’ here. The actual images or visuals can tickle your funny bone. The actors are seen using arm’s stretchers to emulate the ape’s walk, and it is just too hilarious for words. We can see them transform into apes right before our eyes.

The Giant Army of Apes

When you notice the large number of apes presented in the movie, it will make you say that the sky is truly the limit. The scene where a human opens the door and, much to his astonishment, notices an army of apes assembled for a conference. Hold on! Flashback! Did we just mention ‘army of apes?’ The sight is reminiscent of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, where apes form an organised society with an imposing presence. The fleet looks even more significant than the living beings gathered at Noah’s Ark. The ape count is appalling and blinding.

Behind the Scenes madness!

We all know that the movie contains serious content, but that did not stop the crew from having their share of fun. Here are some goof-ups on the Dawn of the Planet of the Apes sets. This is a funny tale behind the scenes of the apes shown riding their horses. The horses would freak out every time Andy would scream ‘APES’. They would tread over the side, so one actor was scared to work with the horses. So, in the end, they had to shoot that scene with all their eight characters on step ladders from Home Depot. Seeing the finest actors saying out their lines standing in step ladders was a silly affair. These are some of the fantastic moments of the movie.

Do you have anything to add to this? Leave us a comment!

July 9, 2015
Best VFX Blogs to keep You Upto Date

Knowledge is power. Being a part of the latest is the first and foremost thing that you need to do if you want to stay in the game. That is why you need know about these best VFX blogs and what they have been talking about!

Best VFX Blogs out there today!

Motionographer

http://motionographer.com/

Motionographer has done amazing work till date. Learn more about upcoming events through their tutorial listings. All this time, they have inspired several filmmakers, designers and animators alike. They have extended their exceptional work to several freelancers, students and studios alike. To give the readers a clear perspective of their work, they do share some feature stories. They have shared explanations to bring about speculations to appeal to most of their loyal contributors. What sets Motionographer apart is the fact that they are not into motion design alone. They strongly believe that you don’t need to be part of a big foundation to get inspired and are rather open to learning from everywhere. They are dedicated and work towards providing you with the most exciting of material.

Video Copilot

http://www.videocopilot.net/

At Video Copilot, their sole aim is to present all the possible latest information on VFX and how one can make use of the effects technique. Their collective source for training purpose, artists and design tools is what they stand out for. They make every effort to build unique and modern tools to better their production quality and speed together with free will and flexibility. As a reader and hope nothing more than the most interesting of things in the VFX today, you have all the latest news updates by Andrew Kramer right here. But if you are a VFX artist also, then stay tuned for his useful tips.

VFX Soldier

https://vfxsoldier.wordpress.com/

VFX Soldier covers open and frank discussions of the VFX industry and the kind of issues it is facing. Their anonymous writer talks candidly about what works for the industry as well as the problems faced internally in the visual effects industry. Their goal is to help solve the issues faced by the common people and they firmly believe that the VFX standards need to rise to the occasion. Also, they need to make sure that the Hollywood projects they take on lead to a certain level of profits. Their blog focus on more such issues that people they work for face and for people they work with.

Cinefex

Since its inception in 1980, Cinefex have been continually publishing quarterly magazines for all ardent lovers of motion picture visual effects. A host of professionals and enthusiasts have been following their blog religiously. Some of their popular posts includes The Future of Practical Creature Effects, Lucasfilm & ILM Launch, Game of Thrones & Hobbit and Into the Storm- Visual Effects to name a few.

Gnomon

https://www.gnomon.edu/

Gnomon is named as ‘the MIT OF visual effects’ by Fast Company Magazine and that says a lot about them. They have been on a global mission to educate the world’s top digital artists for more than 15 years now. They provide a lot of educational options so that students are able to make it through the ambitious entertainment industry. They offer two or three years of full time programs, specialized courses and more than 100 individual courses. Gnomon was conceptualized by special effects artists to meet up the growing demands of specialized creative talent heads in the world of digital entertainment. Their blog holds up to the same purpose and the same high standards as the school itself.

The VFX Tipping Point

http://vfxtippingpoint.blogspot.in/

The VFX Tipping Point is a blog covering up on the industry’s peak points as regards to the visual effects and full media coverage on its after effects and future.

DotMogo

http://dotmogo.com/about-page/

DotMogo is UK’s Hub for motion graphics. They update you with the latest of designer and director happenings, experimentalists, and animators working for TV channel branding, broadcasting graphics, animation commercials to name a few.

Computer Graphics World

http://www.cgw.com/

The Computer Graphics World provides some practical tips and techniques coming from some of the best known experts in the computer graphics scenario.

VFX Success

The VFX Success has successfully managed to offer some extremely useful tips on visual effects to help young aspiring artists reach out to the top.

This is a short list of some of the best VFX blogs that keep you informed and updated of all the latest news and trends. Any one of them stands out to you in particular? Tell us in the comments below.

July 6, 2015