Grudge Match, directed by Peter Segal, tells the story of two aging boxing rivals who are coaxed out of retirement to fight one final bout – 30 years after their last match. Because the fight sequences were shot in an empty New Orleans arena, LOOK’s primary job was to create the crowd of 10,000 fight enthusiasts.
“The only people present in the shots were the actors on the arena floor and in the ring,” explained visual effects supervisor Everett Burrell. “We had one day on the set to work with a group of 300 extras. We filled the arena by shooting and re-shooting the extras and compositing the separate shots within the arena. The entire crowd was made up of real people. There were no digital extras in the arena. It was quite a challenge.”
