Director Kory Martin Juul Creates White Tiger Legend Almost Single-Handedly
Literally a one-man army, acclaimed visual effects artist, director and producer, Kory Martin Juul relied extensively on the PhaseSpace motion capture system for production on his new animated martial arts film, White Tiger Legend. Through creative use of the system, and his own martial arts training, Juul was able to capture 572 shots for... »
ILM Bends Fantasy into Reality in The Last Airbender
M. Night Shyamalan brings Nickelodeon's popular animated series, The Last Airbender, to the big screen in a live-action adventure created with the help of the visual effects, 3D matte painting and animation artists of Industrial Light and Magic. Although the team was faithful to the original television show, incorporating key elements, they also needed... »
Light Illusion Launches LightSpace CMS
Light Illusion recently released LightSpace CMS – a full featured Color Management System (CMS), which builds on the company’s widely adopted LUT Manager display and calibration software. The development of Light Illusion’s software and services is directly driven by needs recognized through the company’s consultancy and real-world experience. The launch of LightSpace CMS brings... »
Framestore Creates CG Rodent Rappers For Kia
Framestore recently spent three months creating 45 photoreal CG rodent rap stars for David & Goliath's new Kia Soul spot, "This or That." The spot was directed by Partizan's Antoine Bardou-Jacquet. »
Frame Studio Explores the History of Music
Montreal-based motion design/VFX facility Frame Studio recently completed “RIFF” – a 30-second spot for a special music exhibit at the Musée de la civilisation de Québec. The piece, produced via ad agency Bleublancrouge, traces the history of musical forms from hip hop through disco, rock & roll, jazz, and blues back to traditional African... »
Below-The-Line Trends: Hybrid Visual Effects Techniques – The Wolfman
As evidenced in films including The Wolfman which many viewers will first see on DVD and Blu-ray Hi-Def in its release on Tuesday June 1, the new modus operandi in visual effects production for feature films includes a hybrid of techniques and the use of several vendors to service all of the needs of... »
Ben Hur Rides Again with Oblique FX
Montreal-based Oblique FX recently completed all of the visual effects for Ben Hur – a new two-part miniseries that revisits the Charlton Heston classic tale of a man betrayed and sold into slavery by his friend. »
Burton in Wonderland
It's not every film that's big enough to warrant three separate visual FX supervisors, but Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, Disney's not-a-remake revisiting of material they last brought to screen in 50's-era animation, apparently nibbled the cake that said "Eat Me," and became that big. »
I.E. Effects Boosts Stereo 3D Pipeline with Isilon Storage
I.E. Effects has installed an Isilon IQ6000x cluster storage system at its Culver City location. With several large stereoscopic projects currently active, the Isilon system expands the company’s ability to manage the data and throughput requirements of multiple jobs. For clients this means increased efficiency and reliability for demanding stereo 3D projects. The clustered... »
Previs Society Ramps Up
The Previsualization Society, a new non-profit, interdisciplinary organization dedicated to advancing previsualization in feature film, games, commercials and architecture, has launched a new online portal, and issued a call for membership. The initiatives are part of the organization’s ramp-up activities in its inaugural year. Founded in September, the group aims to cultivate a community... »
Latest Headlines
Director Series
Get Low Director’s First Feature Attracts All-star Cast and CrewAugust 2010 | By Jack Egan
Get Low, a small-budget gem now in theaters, is directed by long-time cinematographer Aaron Schneider, his first time at the helm of a feature... »
Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois show How to Train Your Dragon
April 2010 | By Mary Ann Skweres
Helmed by Oscar-nominated writer/director Chris Sanders and writer/director Dean Deblois (Lilo & Stitch, Mulan), the DreamWorks Animation SKG production of »
Exclusive Film Reviews
Up in the AirDecember 2009 | By Len Klady
Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) has an amiable disposition that belies the fact that it’s best to stay out of his path. You see he’s... »
The Young Victoria
December 2009 | By Len Klady
The enduring image of Queen Victoria, whose reign dominated the bulk of the 19th century, is of a benevolent, elderly grandmother. Though she was... »