Unnoticed VFX Vs.Big Budget VFX

 Everyone always blogging and talking about the big blockbusters with huge budgets and amazing special effects that really stand out to the audience. But what about the smaller budget movies that have visual effects that people don't notice. The visual effect that are subtle that are hidden from the viewer. Wes Anderson  does a great job of this is "The Grand Budapest Hotel". For the people that don't know who Wes Anderson is, a American director and screenwriter. His films are known for their distinctive visual and narrative style. You might know him for the academy award for best animated feature for "Fantastic Mr. Fox" back in 2009. In the video below it shows the small sets that they went through from green screen to miniature sets but it shows more than just the miniature sets that went into this movie. 

For a big blockbuster like gravity it is no surprise that it has won seven awards and was such a hit in the box office. Alfonso Cuarón’s 3D space epic "Gravity" leads the 86th annual Academy Awards with seven wins, including the prize for best visual effects. Gravity has taken in $704.9 million globally including $270.5 at the domestic box office and $424.4 internationally. The video below talks about the film from script to screen and it really shows the narrative behind the dramatic story. 

Motion Graphics Reels

I was talking to my friend about reels today, and how fast-paced and stylized the animation, motion graphics, and special effects reels are. I decided to look for more and I came across this page that has compiled links to a bunch of freelance designers and studio designers who have reels on their sites.

One that I really enjoyed in particular was the second one on the list, Eclipse FX (their reel is here). Their reel was fun to watch and showed off what they could do at the same time by showing both finished products and clips as they went from basic modeling and roto to completely finished. It also surprised me how much they did- they don't just do spaceship modeling or explosions, they also did replacement and green screen effects that don't generally attract any attention in a clip. It was cool to see that they don't just specialize in explosions or fancy special effects- they also showcased their more subtle effects, like background replacement and adding in shadows to a clip.

I haven't watched all of the reels on the site, but I plan to, since I think they're just fun to watch. I also need to research other reels, like director's and production designer's reels, to see how they approach the whole reel concept.

Pixar Animation

Whenever I think of animation, the first company that comes to mind is Pixar Animation Studios. Movies like Toy Story and Bug's Life are intertwined in my childhood memories. Not too long ago when I was on stumbleupon.com I ended up on the section of the Pixar website "How we Do It" which breaks down the steps in the creative process. I found it to be really interesting to see both how the animation process is both similar and different from the way non-animated films are made. While both begin with a story idea being pitched, a treatment being written and a storyboard being drawn, the following steps involve voice talent being recorded, and reels being created. After this videotape is made the art department establishes the visual look and feel of the film, models are sculpted and articulated, sets are dressed, shots are laid out and animated, sets and characters are shaded and lighting is added to make the total look complete. The final steps entail the computer data being rendered and final touches being added.

Here's where the breakdown of the Pixar animation process can be found:
http://www.pixar.com/howwedoit/index.html

A friend also sent me a link to a parody of the animation that begins all Disney-Pixar films. I thought it was pretty cool to see how twisted and dark a person could make such a light-hearted opening. Here's the video: