All articles tagged with #vfx
Milly Alcock is praised for her Supergirl performance, but critics largely dismiss the film for its weak script and muddy VFX, with opening buzz around $50M; the piece also flags a marketing-influencer gap. By contrast, House of the Dragon Season 3 is deemed an improvement, and Apple is highlighted as a winner for continuing to invest in high-quality content.
Adam Shankman now acknowledges limited AI use in Stop! That! Train!, with the distributor confirming AI-assisted adjustments to a few windows and two frames while most effects are CGI; critics argued his initial denial was evasive. The piece also covers Pokémon GO data used to train drone VPS, Helen Mirren's defense of Tom Hardy, and a trailer for Brad Pitt's Heart Of The Beast.
Toy Story 5’s VFX supervisor Thomas Jordan revealed they learned of Taylor Swift’s song “I Knew It, I Knew You” in February and had to keep it secret, even creating a decoy version of the film for press. Swift watched an early cut, wrote the song, and it released Friday ahead of the movie’s June release. The team emphasized the animation was 100% human-made with no AI, and only a small group on the crew knew about the secret.
Visual effects supervisor Edward J. Douglas explains that Backrooms blended large-scale practical sets with CGI, guided by Kane Parsons’ Blender-driven previs, to realize its disorienting liminal spaces—from the Vertigo Room to wall clipping—pairing tangible on-set builds with digital work to achieve a tactile, believable horror aesthetic.
Kane Parsons, director of Backrooms, says generative AI has already caused, and may continue to cause, harmful effects on creativity and the industry, calling it a symptom of cultural and economic rot. He’s skeptical about using AI for creating art but sees potential for AI to assist with tedious VFX work and intends to explore AI as a topic in future projects.
Emilia Clarke, who played G’iah in Secret Invasion, tells Variety she’s sorry for the series and laughs at its reception, calling it one of the MCU’s biggest missteps. The show’s criticism focused on surprising deaths (like Maria Hill), murky plotting, and opening credits revealed to be created with generative AI, with the finale’s overpowered visuals drawing particular ire. Clarke stresses she doesn’t take fan reaction personally, notes she chooses projects she wants to pursue, and suggests G’iah’s story is unlikely to be revisited in the MCU.
Marvel and Disney released behind-the-scenes photos for Punisher: One Last Kill to confirm that a viral scene with an odd unfinished-VFX look was staged; Bernthal and a stunt double swapped positions during filming, and a 3D model of Bernthal’s face was used in some takes. The shot was an intentional part of the production, and the perceived CGI quirks stem from how the footage was captured and edited. The special is set before Spider-Man: Brand New Day and marks Bernthal’s fourth MCU turn as the Punisher (with Brand New Day being his first feature film).
Disney+'s The Punisher: One Last Kill drew online ridicule for an unfinished-looking VFX moment—Frank Castle's fall resembled a PS3-era cutscene—while fans complained of low dialogue in the audio mix. Disney+ acknowledged the audio issue and said a fix is in progress. A production source says the stunt was performed in-camera with Jon Bernthal and a stuntman handling the impact, with some VFX including swapping the stuntman's face for Bernthal's. Despite the hiccup, the special has been well-received overall (86% on Rotten Tomatoes, 91% audience) and continues The Punisher storyline in upcoming projects like Daredevil: Born Again and Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Verge’s interview with VFX supervisor Ashley Bernes explains how Peacock’s The Miniature Wife creates a 12:1 scaled world (Lindy about 5.5–6 inches) using a real dollhouse set, life-size tiny props, and a blend of practical in-camera work with CG across multiple VFX vendors. The show aims to feel grounded in real physics and avoids overreliance on AI, while balancing dark humor with the wife’s interior perspective as she navigates a world made terrifying by ordinary objects. The series premieres on Peacock on April 9.
The creators of 'Smiling Friends' have launched Zam Studios in Los Angeles, focusing on high-quality animation, VFX, and production services, including work on the show's third season which features diverse animation techniques.
Visual effects house DNEG has acquired the exclusive license to Ziva from Unity, integrating the Ziva toolset into their technology stack to enhance digital character and creature work for film, TV, gaming, and immersive experiences. This move aligns with DNEG's strategy of investing in technology and supports their launch of DNEG IXP, enabling the creation of feature film-quality digital characters and creatures in gaming and immersive environments. The acquisition also brings a significant proportion of the Ziva team onboard, further strengthening DNEG's position in the industry.
Godzilla Minus One won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, marking the first win for the franchise after 70 years. The film's success highlights the importance of a director's strong artistic vision and a distinctive approach to CG effects, challenging Hollywood's denigration of visual effects artistry. Director Takashi Yamazaki's hands-on involvement and appreciation for VFX as integral components of the film contributed to the movie's stunning visual effects, emphasizing the need for purposeful planning and careful execution of digital effects in filmmaking.
Godzilla Minus One, the latest installment in the Godzilla franchise, made history by winning the Oscar for best Visual Effects at the 2024 Academy Awards, marking the franchise's first nomination and win in its nearly 70-year history. Directed by Takashi Yamazaki, the film's success at the box office has sparked discussions about a potential sequel, as Yamazaki explores opportunities to work in the West following the movie's monumental success.
A new video released by Toho provides a behind-the-scenes look at the impressive VFX of Godzilla Minus One, showcasing the intricate work behind the movie's Oscar-nominated visual effects, including the creation of water sequences, city recreations, and more with a smaller team than a typical Marvel movie. The video offers insight into the filmmaking process, highlighting the innovative techniques used to bring the film to life, while also emphasizing the movie's captivating visual effects beyond just Godzilla himself.
"Godzilla Minus One," made on a $15 million budget with 35 VFX artists, has made Oscars history as the first Godzilla film to land an Oscar nomination. Director Takashi Yamazaki and his team discussed the challenges and innovations behind the film's visual effects, including the emphasis on water scenes and the involvement of the first woman of color to be nominated for the visual effects Oscar, Kiyoko Shibuya. Despite not having a phase one campaign, the film has garnered attention in the Oscar race for visual effects.