Corridor Digital's 'Potion Overdose' Wields the Dual Magic of Visual Effects and Humor

Sam and Niko at Corridor Digital love visual effects, magical things, violence, and video games -- and as such, their YouTube channel is a heck of a lot of fun. A lot of their work is inspired by gaming, often to hilarious effect -- make no mistake though, these guys are true filmmakers (and of the DIY species). They've also brought us a lot of great behind-the-scenes material, particularly focused on their homegrown (and very effective) CG effects. To boot, their most recent short made me laugh harder than I can remember doing for at least several weeks -- and also involves visual effects (heavily), magical things (even more heavily), and violence (magical, that is). Read on to check it out, plus a great VFX breakdown.

First, here's Potion Overdose -- at under 2 minutes in length, its a lesson in effectiveness-through-brevity. If you're offended by wizards battling in alleyways and ensuing hilarity, this short is not for you.

And my if it isn't a sublime thing to witness. I have to hand it to Sam and Niko, this is pure joyous creativity here -- a fun and funny concept taken (gloriously) to it's logical end, and no further. Not to mention that there's no dialogue (or the need for any), as well as some impressive effects executed along the way. I think it's amazing that just two people can make that product back-to-front, especially in two or three weeks. But as this short (and these days, more and more films) proves, the world of CGFX is really opening up for multi-hyphenate filmmakers. Here's a look at the techniques and software the duo used to create the film:

Next is a more general, really nuts-and-bolts breakdown of their post process:

All of which serves as another example of the power the modern filmmaker has: sheer ambition can help you gain a multitude of skills to do basically anything you can imagine. And Corridor Digital's set of skills isn't even limited to the visual side of filmmaking, either. The guys even do their own music! Not only that, but they're also ready and willing to show you how they do it, too:

It's also important to note that all manner of things can be accomplished with open-source or free software, and the list of such tools will just keep growing (and improving). I'm personally inspired by stuff like this -- make a joke, get the idea, go out there and shoot it (preferably in an alley), bang it out. Granted, my own VFX skills are a bit lacking (it helps to have friends), but that's my own fault for the time being, and again, it's all about the will to create!

What did you guys think of the short? What about the effects, do you think over-the-top stuff like this could help to invent the fantasy-comedy (fan-com?) hyper-genre?

I urge you guys to check out their channels for some great entertainment and lots of how-to content!

Links:

• Corridor Digital -- YouTube
• Sam and Niko's BTS Channel
• Corridor Digital -- Facebook
• Corridor Digital -- Twitter