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Extended Behind the Scenes & the Sound Design of the Sony F65-Shot Sci-Fi Film 'Oblivion'

04.21.13 @ 6:27PM Tags : oblivion, practicaleffects, red, redepic, sony, sonyf65, soundworkscollection, visualeffects

Oblivion, the new film starring Tom Cruise and shot on the Sony F65 by Claudio Miranda (with some RED EPIC for one of their practical effects), has only just launched into theaters, but we’ve got a tremendous amount of behind the scenes material already available online. The director, Joseph Kosinski, who was also at the helm for Tron: Legacy, wanted to use as many practical effects as possible for the film, and it certainly shows in many of the clips and videos available online. Check out the extensive BTS as well as an in-depth look at the sound design for the film courtesy of Michael Coleman and SoundWorks Collection. More »

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Claudio Miranda on Shooting 'Oblivion' with the Sony F65 & How They Created a Gorgeous In-Camera Effect

04.1.13 @ 4:23AM Tags : 4k, cameras, lighting, oblivion, practicaleffects, projection, sonyf65

Last month cinematographer Claudio Miranda, ASC, took home the Academy’s top prize for cinematography for his work on Ang Lee’s Life of Pi. His forthcoming feature, Oblivion, will be the first major motion picture shot with the Sony F65, and he recently talked with Jon Fauer of Film and Digital Times Magazine about his experiences with the camera, as well as some of the interesting techniques that the production used in place of shooting with a blue screen. Check out the trailer and a special behind-the-scenes video for Oblivion below: More »

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Elijah Wood's Bio-Mechanical Arm in Flying Lotus 'Tiny Tortures' Music Video, Plus VFX Breakdown

12.4.12 @ 2:03PM Tags : elijahwood, flyinglotus, flylo, musicvideo, practicaleffects, vfx, visualeffects, watch

Elijah Wood must be best known for his starring role in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and less so for some of his darker work (Sin City, Eternal Sunshine, and my personal favorite alien-takeover teen-angst movie, The Faculty). His work in FX’sWilfred rounds it all out, proving that he’s an artist capable of a wide range of roles, in pieces of any tone. Recently, experimental electronic/hip-hop artist Flying Lotus released a music video for his new album Until the Quiet Comes featuring a special effects-amputated Mr. Wood — as well as a found-item prosthetic arm that engenders itself around him. Read on to check out the video as well as an effects breakdown posted by director David Lewandowski. More »

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Learn How to Create Practical Special Effects on a Budget with Shanks FX

10.7.12 @ 7:05PM Tags : cgi, joeyshanks, practicaleffects, shanksfx, vfx, visualeffects

With the advancement of computer generated animation, many effects are no longer done on set where safety and cost are priorities (though it seems CGI ends up costing just as much, if not more). I personally have always been a fan of real effects, and it’s one of the reasons a movie like Star Wars, made back in the late 70s, still looks as good as it does today. A recent example is the practical effects used in the movie The Fountain, where organic fluid effects were filmed on a microscopic level to help make the film feel timeless. A new PBS Digital show created by Joe Schenkenberg (also known as Joey Shanks) gives some practical examples of visual effects that anyone can create at home on a budget. More »

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'Solipsist' - an Experimental Short That Beautifully Blends Practical and CG Effects

03.8.12 @ 8:00AM Tags : andrewhuang, dollface, kickstarter, maya, practicaleffects, red, short, solipsist, vfx, watch

What do you get when you mix experimental film with fantasy via Jim Henson?  Andrew Huang’s new short film, Solipsist, provides a beautiful and vaguely disturbing mind-trip of an answer.  Some of you may recognize Huang’s name from his earlier viral short — Doll Face.  For a film that started as a Kickstarter project last summer, it’s pretty impressive to see how quickly Solipsist was finished and released — especially considering Huang did a large chunk of the post-production himself.  Coming off its recent win of the “Special Jury Prize for Experimental Short” at Slamdance, the short is now available to watch in full, along with some very intriguing “making of” footage that reveals some surprising use of practical effects: More »