Released May 16 by Paramount Pictures, the film marks the third collaboration between Level 256 owner Scott Davids and Baron Cohen. Previously, Davids contributed VFX work to the comedian’s films Borat and Bruno, for which Davids also served as one of the editors.
For The Dictator, Level 256 produced a diverse array of visual effects sequences. These included a number of split-screen scenes in addition to other VFX work, such as 3D sign replacements, wire removals and a number of greenscreen shots.
“One of the great things about Level 256 is that they ask a lot of questions, come up with lots of ideas, and offer a number of artistic options,” said Eric Robertson, VFX supervisor for The Dictator. “They have a great ‘comic eye’ and will always find a creative solution to a problem.”
According to Davids, “Specializing in the creation of visual effects for comedy films, our goal was to work closely with Eric Robertson, whose eye for color and integration is first rate, and VFX editor Todd Fulkerson to ensure that the scenes that included visual effects in The Dictator allowed the comedic work of the characters to be continuous and seamless, while always moving the story forward.”
