Ahoy there, matey!

Sick of posts regarding VFX breakdowns from MPC? Well, too bad. Get over yourself. You have no say in this matter. I'll write about these breakdowns until the day I die (or at least until the end of the semester). These videos are simply so fascinating. They show simple folk like you and I just how much work goes into the films we know and love.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides VFX Breakdown from MPC on Vimeo.

This week's breakdown comes to you from MPC (Moving Picture Company)--the same as usual--highlighting some of the greatest visual effects accomplishments found in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. I can confidently say the fourth Pirates installment is by far the worst film of the series, but it's impossible to overlook the spectacular visual effects.

Before

After

What's so fascinating about this particular breakdown is just how much of the highlights was news to me. I know that's not much of a surprise, but isn't that the true indicator of a job well-done? Not knowing something was actually added in postproduction means it was truly done with skill and precision. I was confident the majority of the effects displayed in the video were shot on-scene. Sure, I know Johnny Depp couldn't have possibly jumped from a couple hundred-foot high cliff into a rock-infested river and survived (probably), but the plants he walks past are fake?! You've got to be joking.

Apparently Barbossa's peg leg is fake, too. I guess everything I've ever known to be true is just a lie. It's an unfortunate discovery, but I'll just have to learn to live with the sad, sad truth. It's strange, really. One of Barbossa's biggest defining traits is his wooden leg, and it turns out it's been animated the entire time. It just goes to show how much of an impact animation has on individual characters as well as the entire layout of a film.

Gary Brozenich led the MPC team on Pirates of the Caribbean VFX supervisor. Having spearheaded other projects such as The Lone Ranger and Wrath of the Titans, he certainly was a good pick for the job. I'm sure he'll have other great work for us all very soon.

I've said it before and I'll keep saying it: MPC is doing some amazing work and they need to be recognized as a leading visual effects company. Now, I shall leave you all with this compilation of unbelievably cute puppies.

Who makes this stuff anyway?

Hey you. Yeah, you with the face. Ever wonder who exactly is behind the visual effects from your favorite movies or commercials? Well if you haven't, that's unfortunate. If you have, however, then the search is over.

MPC (Moving Picture Company) has been one of the global leaders in visual effects for over 25 years, and it doesn't seem that they'll be out of the game anytime soon. With facilities in London, Vancouver, Montréal, Los Angeles, New York, Amsterdam, Bangalore, and Mexico City, MPC is a powerful group that's stationed around the world. In addition to being one of the world's leaders in visual effects, MPC also specializes in concept design, shoot supervision, software development, color grading, and many other aspects of a production.

Man of Steel, World War Z, Life of Pi, and Prometheus are some of MPC's more recent successes that you probably know. I mean, really, how would you not? These are just a few of the company's unbelievable projects where they have gone above and beyond the norm. Take a look. I bet you won't be able to only watch part of the reel.

The company has made some spectacular accomplishments in the world of visual effects. MPC is currently working on countless projects including Godzilla and Game of Thrones (a personal favorite). Aside from films, the company has taken part in the creation of numerous advertising campaigns such as Coca-Cola and Lexus.

I'm not sure if it's the music or the visual effects that have got me amped, but either way, that's some amazing work right there. I guess it just takes a montage and some exciting music to make you realize how much great work is put into certain projects. That's not to say the effects aren't good enough to be noticed on their own, but it's just that a person wouldn't typically stop and think about them.

I don't mean for this to be a post where I shamelessly advertise for some company. No, they didn't ask me to do this. It would have hopefully been written much better if they did. I just think the proper people should be given credit where credit is deserved. Also, apparently MPC is working on this:

And that just looks dope.

Harry Potter

Earlier I was thinking about the Harry Potter movies, and how much compositing was done in those films. Because it is a fantasy world, there are so many different elements that needed to be added using special and visual effects. In looking for information about that, I found an article about the compositing process in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. It talks about the companies that worked on the effects for the movie, and some of the different steps that went into making the effects. The part about rotoscoping for the room of requirements scene was interesting because it showed the types of challenges that they face in post.