ALL DESIGN TOOLS
I stumbled upon a fun behind the scenes video with Digital Domain that had a lot of interesting insights. I especially liked the environment rebuilding stuff towards the end of the video.
October 9th, 2009
115 Comments
Chris
16 years ago
- rant mode on -
I did not believe a single shot...The computer work is visible everywhere. And I think they are not supposed to be visible.
I know as a VFX artist you should go for what "looks good" instead of what looks "real". But this is far away from being believable.
Game aesthetics in a movie. Not the best thing to do...
- rant mode off-
I did not believe a single shot...The computer work is visible everywhere. And I think they are not supposed to be visible.
I know as a VFX artist you should go for what "looks good" instead of what looks "real". But this is far away from being believable.
Game aesthetics in a movie. Not the best thing to do...
- rant mode off-
Hari
16 years ago
GHOSTIMAGE is the name of the movie. I feel terrible this is Andrews site and thread I am not supposed to promote my work in his place.
Hari
Hari
KebleTar
16 years ago
I Agree with Rimington. These shots were awesome but some other like the desert scene looked really unrealistic, and even more unrealistic when watching it in HD...
Marco
16 years ago
Its amazing and also sad. Seeing such talented people put such hard work into a cheesy worthless film like GI JOE.
kc
16 years ago
PS HARI
Man I walked out of Terminator, glad you liked it, I would have rather had sat on a chair and watched myself burn in the mirror. Im a big fan of cheese, GI JOE all the way for me, entertaining story and awesome graphics!
Let down of the century!!! Superman returns!! Shame on Bryan Singer.. it should have gone to BAY & Spielberg!
Man I walked out of Terminator, glad you liked it, I would have rather had sat on a chair and watched myself burn in the mirror. Im a big fan of cheese, GI JOE all the way for me, entertaining story and awesome graphics!
Let down of the century!!! Superman returns!! Shame on Bryan Singer.. it should have gone to BAY & Spielberg!
kc
16 years ago
wow.. that gi joe bts vid was awesome
cg channel has just knocked redtube of the number one spot for my top 10 sites
JK he he
cg channel has just knocked redtube of the number one spot for my top 10 sites
JK he he
Dan
16 years ago
@ Hari
I think Agent2018 was querying if AK had done any cinema VFX as he is wondering if there is reason to Andrews posting of VFX breakdowns.
In any case, can you link to your work? Would be interested in checking it out.
I think Agent2018 was querying if AK had done any cinema VFX as he is wondering if there is reason to Andrews posting of VFX breakdowns.
In any case, can you link to your work? Would be interested in checking it out.
How about a tutorial regarding Rigid Body Dynamics and prodedural modeling in Houdini? Anybody here familiar with Voxels (pixels with volumetric data)? Any good Houdini resources? odforce.net is the only one i know.
Hari
16 years ago
Agent2018,
If you are questioning me. I have produced two movies. One got sold to FOX international and its currently playing in Showtime channel which was shot on super 35mm. The other in post production a scifi genre shot on RED. I am working as digital compostior on Fusion and Aftereffects in addition to producign and investing int he project. So if you want more details i can give you so you can check it out. Both are independent productions. So it is tough to make a low budget movie within the budget.
I know how much work it takes to get movies done especially visual effects oriented movie. At the end of the day the movie should be interesting for the audience with a good story. There is no good in making a movie without a good story.
As a vfx artist you can careless about the story becuase you want to get a job becuase it pays your bills.
Its irrelavant to talk and explain about this here. Becuase this is basically a place to learn the skills of VFX. Which i am greatful for Andrew for helping us to understand the inner workings of how much time it takes to get a job done and how tough it is.
Best,
Hari
If you are questioning me. I have produced two movies. One got sold to FOX international and its currently playing in Showtime channel which was shot on super 35mm. The other in post production a scifi genre shot on RED. I am working as digital compostior on Fusion and Aftereffects in addition to producign and investing int he project. So if you want more details i can give you so you can check it out. Both are independent productions. So it is tough to make a low budget movie within the budget.
I know how much work it takes to get movies done especially visual effects oriented movie. At the end of the day the movie should be interesting for the audience with a good story. There is no good in making a movie without a good story.
As a vfx artist you can careless about the story becuase you want to get a job becuase it pays your bills.
Its irrelavant to talk and explain about this here. Becuase this is basically a place to learn the skills of VFX. Which i am greatful for Andrew for helping us to understand the inner workings of how much time it takes to get a job done and how tough it is.
Best,
Hari
Each time I see how movies are done, I'm always impress! Can't believed how much work and and problems that they need to resolve to get it done!
Like your post Andrew!
Like your post Andrew!
Fynn
16 years ago
oh well... in this case the sentence "we'll fix that in post" is very relevant xD
but amazing CGI work!
but amazing CGI work!
Hari
16 years ago
What good is a effect shot without a good story?
GIJoe was really upsetting. On the other hand, TERMINATOR SALVATION kick ass job with good story.
Hari
GIJoe was really upsetting. On the other hand, TERMINATOR SALVATION kick ass job with good story.
Hari
And
16 years ago
i whatched yesterday and in some of airplanes aren't so amazing ,, they somewhere havent played whith the light corectly 
i think transformer 2 first half was better interects with the world
i think transformer 2 first half was better interects with the world
So awesome. I did not realize that a lot of the scenes in the movie involved greenscreen and not cgi.
hendri
16 years ago
Woah, that is so inspiring! It must have taken so much time and effort to make all those details the way they wanted it to be.. I just have to admire those who have done it, maybe someday some of us might be doing stuff like that in movies, who knows? :> great post!
leef
16 years ago
I haven't seen the movie, but remember thinking the trailer gfx didn't look believable, same with the scenes in this behind-the-scenes montage. Very impressive work, but something always just looks unbelievable. Maybe I'll change my mind when I see it in HD.
artflame noir
16 years ago
This is exactly why this website is so awesome, cause of Andrews amazing enthusiasm in share anything of interest with... I love this place...
Thanks man, fantastic link...
Thanks man, fantastic link...
Wesley
16 years ago
Man, I just watched TODAY an here in Brazil (Pixel Show) event where the creative director of Digital Domain speech. Those guys are just awesome.
Carson
16 years ago
It's kind of tragic when you think about the tremendous amount of work that goes into the effects of a movie like this, and then the finished movie ends up being a shitty and forgettable summer popcorn flick.
Goldenvale
16 years ago
I just can't believe how they do those special effects, they look so real. Especially the Eiffel Tower scene.
Zvi Twersky
16 years ago
Best site ever for courses on tracking and visual effects with tons of free HD tracking plates, footage, and much more for exercises:
http://www.hollywoodcamerawork.us/greenscreenplates.html
http://www.hollywoodcamerawork.us/greenscreenplates.html
I loved the end of the video when they stopped the footage and showed each layer of the CGI process as it was added. That is always fun to see.
andrew falk
16 years ago
WOW...i can't believe DD did the effects for GI Joe.....personally....i thought alot of the effects in the movie were.......BAD!....maybe they just did the money shots....like the GI JOE plane...awful! Me and the company i work at went to go see it ...we were very disappointed.
i saw alot of green on the rotoshots as well....and the chase scene with the delta suits....maybe the animators didn't study physics...just wasn't believable....anyway..thats my rant for the day....but i do love all the info you provide on this site...i check it everyday...keep it up....and where do i get my hands on a Video Copilot T-shirt?
i saw alot of green on the rotoshots as well....and the chase scene with the delta suits....maybe the animators didn't study physics...just wasn't believable....anyway..thats my rant for the day....but i do love all the info you provide on this site...i check it everyday...keep it up....and where do i get my hands on a Video Copilot T-shirt?
Morty
16 years ago
If only G.I. Joe was worth a penny as a storyline or if it had anything original at all..
Id probably like this review..
Anyway, Im an animator, but also a viewer, so I must say, the FX are mind-blowing and sadly, they are the only thing that looks good in the entire movie
Thanx for sharing it with us, Andrew, I always love to see some behind-the-scenes action
Id probably like this review..
Anyway, Im an animator, but also a viewer, so I must say, the FX are mind-blowing and sadly, they are the only thing that looks good in the entire movie
Thanx for sharing it with us, Andrew, I always love to see some behind-the-scenes action
AlpineNapo
16 years ago
Go here http://www.moving-picture.com/index.php/vfx-breakdowns.html
to see a lot of vfx breakdown...
to see a lot of vfx breakdown...
Yagami__
16 years ago
@abhay sharma Nuke is a Node Based working environment.. and a bit difficult to get used to
btw Andrew ... Awesome as always...!!!
btw Andrew ... Awesome as always...!!!
Digital Domain is and always has been one of my favorite VFX houses. And each time they do some more work for a feature film, i get reminded of WHY they are.
I loved the Eiffel-Tower and the Digital Environment-stuff...
Awesome.
I think, these tasks would have been a lot tougher, if not impossible, without using NUKE.
Oh, and @abhay sharma:
The Timeline in Nuke is directly under the Viewer
I loved the Eiffel-Tower and the Digital Environment-stuff...
Awesome.
I think, these tasks would have been a lot tougher, if not impossible, without using NUKE.
Oh, and @abhay sharma:
The Timeline in Nuke is directly under the Viewer
Green-screen plates if any one is needs/wants/has-to-have!
http://www.hollywoodcamerawork.us/greenscreenplates.html
http://www.hollywoodcamerawork.us/greenscreenplates.html
Peter
16 years ago
Cool video Andrew,That chopper at the end looks like the one you posted before showing the real one and the cgi you made.Hmmmm?
awesome post!
Digital Domain uses a node based compositor called "nuke".
I tried nuke last month on linux pc.
it is truely awesome and very fast.
but you know what, I didn't find the "TIMELINE"
Well for an after effect user like me is a little difficult
to grab.
Digital Domain uses a node based compositor called "nuke".
I tried nuke last month on linux pc.
it is truely awesome and very fast.
but you know what, I didn't find the "TIMELINE"
Well for an after effect user like me is a little difficult
to grab.
A.S.
16 years ago
I haven't watched the hyper left wing movie, but the clip that I did see... I gotta say that with their awesome knowledge about VFX, they completely messed up a shot. When one of the Joe's or maybe two, jump through the bus that is going perpendicular, inertia and simple physics was not accounted for at all. I noticed the front Joe crash through the left bus window (right window in the shot; I know...confusing.), and exiting the adjacent right bus window. Even a bullet wouldn't be fast enough to crash through the adjacent window. OOPS! Great FX, hands down, but common, you make a movie like that, you don't have to have a mathematician to figure that out. Just hire me! I win a T-shirt.
Very nice post Andrew!!!! Always love to see what the industry is up to.
@ Daniel They did say that the particle system was houdini which is a node based compositor. Most High end industry studios use node based systems not layer based as after effects is. For more information on those creativecow.net has some good posts.
@ Daniel They did say that the particle system was houdini which is a node based compositor. Most High end industry studios use node based systems not layer based as after effects is. For more information on those creativecow.net has some good posts.
kuRt rusSels hAir
16 years ago
unreal. I knew it was effects heavy but to be in total control of recreating scenes... and doing it well. Great post, thank you for the inspiration and inside peak.
Russ
16 years ago
The short overhead clip of the Eiffel Tower at the end looks like it could be done using:
1. Camera mapping for everything other than the Eiffel Tower (In fact I believe, given the last part of the video, this is exactly how they did it).
2. The Tower in 3dsMax (Yikes! Even procedurally it's got to be a nightmare to model!).
3. Combined motion control between Max and AE (I know you can do this but I have never had a project requiring this. Knock on wood.)
1. Camera mapping for everything other than the Eiffel Tower (In fact I believe, given the last part of the video, this is exactly how they did it).
2. The Tower in 3dsMax (Yikes! Even procedurally it's got to be a nightmare to model!).
3. Combined motion control between Max and AE (I know you can do this but I have never had a project requiring this. Knock on wood.)
That was really cool and shows us all just how much work has to be put in to make great effects.. I wonder how much coffee is consumed.. and donuts, jelly filled delicious doughnuts.....
*runs away to get a doughnut*
Thanks!
*runs away to get a doughnut*
Thanks!
This is awesome!!!!....unlike the movie! awesome effects can't just be the only good thing about the movie. the plot sucked. oh well, all i can say is the effects were amazing!
Torgeir
16 years ago
Hi!
I really like it when you post things like this in the blog. It gives us readers more insight in the buisness and you can show us what you get inspiration from.
I have suggestion that would really make this site exeptionally good; I would love to see you teaching us in how to plan a shot, set up the scene, perform it (equipment and things to remember) and THEN how to edit it in After Effects. I want to learn how i can make my shots better, and how to adapt the editing to MY scene.
An examlpe would be to take a normal camcorder with you when you plan and shoot the scenes for the tutorial. As your videoblog gets better you can start learning us tips and tricks not only in editing but in the filming-process. Just upload a video to the blog or put it in a tutorial.
This is just a request that i would like to see in the future.. I can see that you are really busy at times, so this may be too much. But thanks anyway. Keep up the good work!
Greetings from Norway! (22nd
)
I really like it when you post things like this in the blog. It gives us readers more insight in the buisness and you can show us what you get inspiration from.
I have suggestion that would really make this site exeptionally good; I would love to see you teaching us in how to plan a shot, set up the scene, perform it (equipment and things to remember) and THEN how to edit it in After Effects. I want to learn how i can make my shots better, and how to adapt the editing to MY scene.
An examlpe would be to take a normal camcorder with you when you plan and shoot the scenes for the tutorial. As your videoblog gets better you can start learning us tips and tricks not only in editing but in the filming-process. Just upload a video to the blog or put it in a tutorial.
This is just a request that i would like to see in the future.. I can see that you are really busy at times, so this may be too much. But thanks anyway. Keep up the good work!
Greetings from Norway! (22nd
)
Lindsay
16 years ago
Crazy! I always wonder how many terabytes of memory something like these scenes require, how vast are the render farms to process them and so on. I recall a couple of years ago reading about a madman who had created an animated film entirely in his home computer and his final render went on for literally month after month. He had a number of backup batteries to cover for any power interruptions. I couldn't get over the notion of one mouse click and then walk away, you won't see your finished product until spring and what if you see it and realize something needs to be changed lol. Very cool stuff Andrew, thanks!
Peter
16 years ago
Hey this is amazing! check out the list of artists that will do the gnomon master classes this year, there is so much to learn! Andrew you should be part of that! http://www.gnomonschool.com/master/
daniel
16 years ago
i have a question... do they use after effects for these big movies? or what programs do they use
More:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pU7VrW4vA3k
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-r5aQYbX3bU&hd=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bn-bWqETd_I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ3D4CqHbJM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vda2RAEuW_g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhYbVepwXi0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-WBpNX7AL0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pADLcr5LrE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pU7VrW4vA3k
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-r5aQYbX3bU&hd=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bn-bWqETd_I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ3D4CqHbJM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vda2RAEuW_g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhYbVepwXi0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-WBpNX7AL0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pADLcr5LrE
Micke
16 years ago
Thanks for sharing! It would be really cool with a tutorial showing how to build a scenery similar to the one they built around the eiffel tower.
Samael
16 years ago
Andrew you made the 3D model of starfleet symbol at the begining for the startrek movie right?
soma peires
16 years ago
awesome
really interesting to view behind those fx used in the movie...
I liked the GIJoe^^
really interesting to view behind those fx used in the movie...
I liked the GIJoe^^
Enforced
16 years ago
Wow Nice Andrew Kramer
This is my favourite website, you've helped me so mcu
THANK YOU
Greetings Holland
This is my favourite website, you've helped me so mcu
THANK YOU
Greetings Holland
Remington M
16 years ago
This was one of those movies where I thought that some of the visual effect work was amazing while others were almost video game quality. It seems like Digial Domain only had their hand in the good shots, because there were some like the sand, and the CG polar bear that were just terrible. I still havn't figured out there rationalization of creating a poor CG polar bear instead of simply filming one, it doesn't seem to difficult to me. Thats just my 2 cents though
