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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.

 

Jurassic World released worldwide on June 12^th and just in a week’s time it has made over $181M and $200M. After the stupendous success of Jurassic Park, the new movie had a lot of expectations to live up to. It was a huge leap since Jurassic Park was recognized of creating the milestone over the computer realm. Jurassic Park was huge and the film marked the introduction of the history of visual effects.

Creative Heads behind the Scenes

For Jurassic World, Director Colin Trevorrow returned to ILM together with VFX assisted by Alexander. Colin Trevorrow brought together the original key cast member to function as consultants. In his list were Muren, Phil Tippett, Rick Carter and Gary Rydstrom. Alexander added saying, “ A lot of that came from Colin; he wanted to honor the original while still making something new and it was fantastic to have Murren, Tippet and other original key members to offer advice on the VFX. Alexander recalled a day when they were planning a scene during which “we had miniatures and toy dinosaurs and Phil was jumping up on a table.”

Another noteworthy artist is Muren of course, having won an incredible nine Oscars for VFX for mega success movies like The Empire Strikes Back, E.T: The Extra Terrestrial, The Abyss, Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Jurassic Park. He introduced the screen to the most visually enticing dinosaurs; a memory that is etched in the mind of every audience.  It was brought together using animatronics and fully computer generated creatures. Muren remembered that while working on Jurassic Park at Lucas Industrial Light & Magic VFX house, ‘George came by, and I said I was hoping that we could do something like 2001: A Space Odyssey. George said ‘you don’t know it, but you’re working on it.’

That very year, Tim Alexander embarked on his first job at Disney’s former Buena Vista Visual Effects. He and his team went to watch Jurassic Park, Tim exclaimed “We were blown away; we weren’t doing anything remotely like what ILM was doing.” Never did Tim expect 20 years later that he would be recognized as the VFX Supervisor for Jurassic World. Even before this, he had already won a BAFTA Award for the best VFX for The Perfect Storm and nominated for the Oscars for The Lone Ranger.

Use of VFX

The whole substance of the film has always been the use of dinosaurs. The team knew they had to do something spectacular to live up to that glory. The dinosaurs used in Jurassic World’s are mostly CG along with a fewer number of animatronics creatures. According to Alexander, the biggest chance with this film was the way they made use of motion capture to present the raptors’ performances. “They were a good size- human size. We had tryouts and we cast people from ILM as each dinosaur. We gave them a tail and motion capture.” For the movie, the team made use of an advanced muscle firing system to fire and squeeze the muscles at the focal points.

 

In the film, they have introduced another new dinosaur, Indominus Rex which is hybrid created with the use of the DNA of multiple species. Its nickname at ILM was D-rex before its name came into formation. The creature was nearly 50 feet long, weighs few tons, run about 35 runs an hour, have long arms and tail armored with spikes. The artists at ILM referred animals like rhinos, hippos, elephants and ostriches to achieve the overall look, behavior and movement of the animal.

Muren recollects how he advised the VFX team to keep it earthy to make it look realistic. “They are not monsters, but animals. So we have to get the right weight and gravity. Also there were little things we did on the first film to make them scarier, such as adding a little light in the mouth so you can really see their teeth.” He further says to his team, “I thought the guys did a great job,” he said “They look amazingly big and have an incredible sense of power and weight. The motion is more animalistic than anything before.”

As far as the story line of the Jurassic films was concerned, Muren remarked that the previous tales might seem more relevant to people today. “This could be going on right now with genetic engineering,” he said. “I don’t see that not happening. There are people doing things they probably shouldn’t.”

Audiences’ Reviews

Jurassic World was one of the most searched movies of the year and it blew all expectations. Millions of fans are engaging in endless congratulatory social posts. On the other side, many viewers are fuming over a line made in the movie, which goes like this, “The Pachys are out of containment. Phonetically these words sounded like a racist slur to many.

Here are some of the tweets of some of the fans:

-And they put “the pakis are out of containment” in the script and at no point anyone said hold on

-Fam how you gonna be saying “the pakis are out of containment” in one of the biggest movies ever

-Boycott Jurassic World!: https://t.co/cZyetXQYaZThe BNP/UKIP/Racist Dave voted this movie five stars in the first five minutes man!

Nevertheless, the movie is riding high on success. In just one week, it has broken all box office records. For those that didn’t watch the movie, must we say? It is a one hell of a movie.

 

Here is a quick preview of those that missed the last updates of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The movie is releasing on December 18, 2015 after ten long years. The original cast is joined by some brilliant new characters to bring the magic back to the screen. Check this out for more information on what has been going on so far.

Movie Revelation by the Stuntman Himself

The movie has been kept under wraps for long and the producers of the movie are making sure that no news gets leaked out. But quite recently, Toth Gyuala who is playing the role of Kylo Ren in The Force Awakens made quite a startling revelation. He revealed that Director J J Abram’s made sure that the Pinewood studios remained shut throughout. Further, he stated that he was not permitted to go through the whole script even though he filmed several of the Driver lightsaber battles.

Apparently all the cast members were each given a unique magnetic pass. They were tracked by an escort to keep a watch on them just in case they wander off to the secret rooms. Security was quite vigilant and the whole set was kept under high protection and observation to keep away from peeping eyes. All the cast were made to sign on a 20 page confidentiality contract clause to be part of The Force Awakens. That was not all. There was a secret alarm and around 50 security guards would appear before them who put them in black hoods and sheets. Toth confesses that even after working for six months for the movie, he didn’t know the details of what happened in the film.

In an inclusive interview with Index magazine in Hungary he states, “The entire story of the film is still a black hole for me for example. I will only put together all the pieces in the cinema on full screen; I still have a lot of white spots. The characters appeared through code names not to be able to identify ahead of time by accident.

Of course, there were so vicious fans that flew drones in the studio courtyard to film the outside scenery. There was also a separate alarm code in such cases: which released 50 security guards on the set, everyone was put in black hoods and sheets and led them to the tents that the drone cannot take pictures of them.

Coming up in San Diego Comic Icon 2015

Apart from everything else, there is an event going to take place on July 9^th _ 12^th at the San Diego Convention Center and the Star Wars panel is scheduled to come together on July 10^th Friday to attend the premiering of their new novels based on their original movies. Director J.J Abram’s, Lucas film President and Producer Kathleen Kennedy, writer Lawrence Kasdan and some guest are giving a preview at Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

The panel would include the bestselling authors like Alexandra Bracken (The Darkest Mind series), Adam Gidwitz (A Tale Dark and Grim series), Tom Angleberger (The Origami Yoda series) and Tony Diterlizzi (The Spiderwick Chronicles) conversing with Lucasfilm’s Mike Siglain about the new Star Wars and having a reading session for their young fans. The authors will present the old hit series of Star Wars like A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi through picture books and novels. This will give the readers a new perspective of understanding their beloved characters more and their whole transformation of becoming legends for their fans.

In another session, a group of authors will come together and talk of their future projects. Del Ray Authors will come together with Lucasfil’s Mike Siglain along with some other publishers will meet for a discussion session in regard with discussion of writing new stories for the upcoming Star Wars Universe series.

Again Hasbro Members and Lucasfilms Teams would meet to discuss on the hit Hasbro Star Wars line. People who are attending will get a detailed look of Hasbro’s newest action figures.

Meet Star Wars Music Composer- John Williams

Also in the news is that John Williams is at work composing for the new score of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Recordings will take place at Los Angeles and he will work under the same team of freelance orchestra who have recorded with him through composing a series of film scores all through the years. Music score will be composed for several months together teaming with the film’s editorial and special effects West Coast team.

I’ve had the privilege of working with the very best musicians in both the U.K and the U.S.,” says Williams. “The London Symphony Orchestra has consistently performed with great artistry on all six of the prior films in the Star Wars Saga, and I will be forever grateful for their commitment and dedication. Equally, it has been my honor to have worked with my brilliant colleagues in Los Angeles, and always appreciate the invaluable contribution they’ve made to my scores and to those of other composers.

Arrival of Star Wars Products

Next you can find new Star Wars collectibles, apparel and books on Starwars.com on the September 4, 2015. The Executive Vice President, Global Licensing, Disney Consumer Products Josh Silverman stated “Every lights, every action figure, every LEGO set tells a story for generations of Star Wars fans and this global event is a celebration of those stories. We’re excited to be part of the countdown to this enormous movie moment.”

To know more about details of Star Wars, then read here to know more.

 

The trailer to Mad Max led us all to believe that it was going to be one hell of a movie. Expectations were set high. People were looking for some insane action most of which was supported by the use of unbelievable Mad Max visual effects. Is that what they got? Hell yeah! The Mad Max visual effects is mind-boggling and relies heavily on a full spread desert shot and real vehicles. It was said that the visual effects used in the movie will be the best ever this year. So far, yes it is!

For those of you who need a little context to the movie, the fourth instalment of Mad Max: Fury Road takes us back to the dystopian revenge plot of Max Rockatansky, an ex-cop who takes it upon himself to take care of the wrong doings in the lawless highway of Australia Outback, where humanity is totally broken. The movie showcased some amazing vehicular stunts, appalling characters, use of dark themes and top class weapons.

Here is a brief overview of the Mad Max visual effect that you should watch out for.

Divergent Mad Max Special Effects

The use of open, flat wasteland settings and super-charged, over-the-top vehicles is a captivating sight. All the post-apocalyptic cars, trucks and motorcycles are complex machines conjoined together and remodelled into fine work of art.

Some of the outstanding Mad Max Visual effects  worth lauding upon are the desert setting, where the empty stillness works like a sharp contrast to the complexity of the explosions, jumps and crashes. Fans are in for a treat as their attention is focused more on the action and characters. The stark emptiness of the background through short focal lengths is commendable.

Use of Colour Coding

Another spectacular highlight of the movie is the use of colour grading. Unlike earlier movies, the use of filtering and bluish tones is used less here. The images presented are clear and crisp with blue skies, brown earth tones and skin complexions projected realistically. They have given more emphasis on keeping a more realistic look to the action shots. The magical effect of presenting turmoil against the cloudless cobalt blue skies create a divergent mixture designed from equal shares of beauty and horror.

One commendable cinematic achievement of the movie is the projection of explosions and fire used.

Use of Practical Effects

Miller says:  “Your brain knows. We are very, very skilled at watching, no matter how good [VFX] is. And this is a film that does not defy the laws of gravity – there are no flying humans or spacecraft – so it really had to be old school…It was real vehicles, real people and real desert.” The production made use of over 150 vehicles and nearly half of it were completely smashed and destroyed.

Practical effects were used to shoot a great deal of the action sequences that you see in the movie. What most are accustomed to assuming is CGI, are in for a surprise in this movie. Where you think is CGI, is most likely a stunt performer actually pulling off those crazy action sequences. For instance, that scene when you see Tom Hardy hanging in between two vehicles and Charlize Theron hanging on to him, that was Tom Hardy hanging in between two vehicles and Charlize Theron hanging on to him!

If you haven’t, be sure to catch the flick. This is a movie you won’t want to miss

Nothing can be more visually enticing than brilliant visual effects. The entertainment industry has been banking heavily on the use of visual effects for a long time now. Starting right from the early 60s till date, the world has seen some stunning work display. Take a look at some movies and videos that have made spectacular use of VFX.

Skrillex – First of the Year (Equinox)

In 2002, this video of Skrillex- First of the Year won the award for best visual effects. All credit goes to the brilliant concept of Deka Brothers (Julien and Ben) and direction of Tony Truand. It features a brilliant work of forceful atmospherics and creature augmentation. For augmenting the creature effects, they shot the creature, applied black paint on the talent’s body and used a bondage latex mask and filled the eyes with white material. They enhanced the creature’s eyes by creating a gloomy luminescence.

Katy Perry- Wide Awake

Katy Perry- Wide Awake video saw a brilliant use of 140 visual effect shots. Executed by Ingenuity Engine under the direction of Tony T Dadis, they have showcased amazing work. The mirror scene in the video for one was beautifully shot using techniques to destroy and crack the floor. This scene was filmed in two passes; one scene was shot with Katy walking down the hall together with a mirror green screen and an identical image of her reflection together with the little girl. In the dress scene, the use of butterflies was brilliantly executed. The butterflies were molded and textured based on reference photography, rigged and then skinned in 3dsMax.

Rihanna- Where Have You Been

Rihanna’s video Where Have You Been showcases more than 120 visual effects shot in just ten days. Baked FX Founder George Loucas mentions, “It required immense planning and foresight for us even to have a chance.” The desert matte painting shots is one of the most prominent shots in the video. It was created in Nuke and rest heavily on a number of individual camera projections.

Into the Storm

Into the Storm is directed by Steven Quale. He has directed Final Destination 5 and he is also the second unit director of Avatar. The cyclone presented on the screen in courtesy of various visual effects put together like Cinesite, Digital Domain, Hydraulx, Method Studios, MPC and Scanline VFX. Another scene is the Hydraulx visual effects presenting an airport being devastated by the mile-wide tornado which lands down during one of the climax scenes of the movie. The farmhouse destruction scene is another aspect of the visual effects.

Alice in Wonderland

The movie transports us to the magical fantasy world. The man behind this magical treat is four time Oscar Winner Ken Ralston. He states, “The whole movie is based on the fact that we’ve got to make you believe this world of insanity.” For the tea-party sequence, Ken Ralston made use of a number of assortments such as puppet, green screen, stilts, CGI and animation to create more drama to the meeting of Alice played by Mia Wasikowska’s and Johnny Depp’s Mad Hatter. One of its character effects are presented in the form of Helena Bonham Carter’s as the swellheaded Red Queen.

Gone Girl

Gone Girl Reel from artemplehollywood on Vimeo.

David Fincher has extensively made use of VFX in most of his movies and the same was extended in his latest hit movie Gone Girl. In this movie, the audience was treated with a newer version of integrated after effects used into their editing system. The whole visual effects used are quite subtle and a great attempt to pull the audience away from the old version of after effects.

These are some of the marvelous works which seamlessly incorporated the use of visual effects.