War of the Worlds
ILM relied on Autodesk Maya software, as well as Discreet Inferno and Discreet Flame systems and Autodesk Burn software as part of their proprietary SABRE visual effects system, to realize various concept-based effects for Stephen Spielberg’s War of the Worlds. Complicated concepts and sequences such as the warring aliens and their tripods were crafted using Autodesk Maya software. Another involved the Tripods’ heat ray - the Tripod tentacles were imported into the Discreet Inferno system’s 3D environment, and the system’s 3D particles feature was used to create an organic-looking plasma spray that vaporized buildings and people. Autodesk’s Discreet Inferno system was also used as a part of ILM’s proprietary SABRE visual effects system to shape the film’s “Fleeing the Neighborhood” scene, in which Tom Cruise attempts to drive his family out of the city while destruction looms around them. This scene relied on miniature models of buildings and cars, blowing debris and pyrotechnical elements. Miniature models of buildings destroyed by the aliens were created at ILM and shot on a green screen. The Discreet Inferno system allowed the artists to layer all of the elements, including the footage of these models, in 3D space and composite them seamlessly into the environment. |
As a result, there was no visible difference between the original buildings shot on location and the buildings that were replaced with green screen footage of the destroyed miniature models. “There are a lot of compositing tools that could allow us to stack up 50 rendered elements on top of each other, but Autodesk’s Discreet Inferno system offers more,” notes Grady Cofer, Discreet Inferno system supervisor at ILM. “The system’s creative tools and interaction facilitate an artist’s touch, and that’s what really matters. We couldn’t have done War of the Worlds without it.”
Animated Short Film Category
In the Animated Short Film category, Autodesk products were used to shape three of the five nominated films. Anthony Lucas of 3-D Films used Autodesk 3ds Max, Autodesk Maya, and Autodesk Combustion desktop visual effects software to create The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper and Morello. Autodesk 3ds Max software was used to craft the film’s iron flying ships, while Autodesk Maya software was used to create the clouds in the sky. Autodesk Combustion software was then used to composite the images together and to add glows and color tints to the scene. Two-dimensional film Badgered was conformed and onlined by John Rowe, head of digital post-production at the National Film and Television School in London, using Autodesk’s Discreet Flame system. The Discreet Flame system was also used for color balancing to create a consistent look throughout the film. |
Shane Acker used Autodesk Maya 3D animation software to craft his Oscar-nominated film 9. Acker took four and a half years to produce the film, beginning production in version 2 and finishing in version 6 of the Autodesk Maya software. “Working on this project over an extended period of time allowed me to experience Autodesk Maya blossoming into the amazing program it is today,” said Acker. “I was surprised at how smoothly my files would transfer into each new update, and I was thrilled with how the tools in each new version would expand the possibilities for the film,” he added. Acker used Autodesk Maya software for modeling, animation, dynamics and particle effects. “I wanted to create a dark, dirty, surreal world emotive of European stop motion animation and the paintings of Zdzislaw Beksinski. Autodesk Maya software allowed me to free up the camera and explore intricate movement and staging that I would not have been able to achieve in a real stop motion set,” explained Acker. The software was also used for lighting and rendering of the short, to achieve a non-photorealistic, stylized look. “Autodesk Maya software rendering provided what I needed without the overhead of global illumination or radiosity style rendering,” he noted. |
Other Categories
Autodesk technology was also used to shape Oscar-winning and nominated films in other categories. Autodesk’s Discreet Lustre system was used by Éclair Laboratoires to digitally color grade Documentary Feature winner, March of the Penguins. Post-production facility The Video Lab relied upon Autodesk’s Discreet Lustre system to digitally color grade Foreign-film winner, Tsotsi. “Autodesk’s Discreet Lustre system allowed us to create a look that captured the mood and grittiness of a contemporary South African township, while maintaining aesthetic appeal to an international audience,” explained Tracey Williams, digital intermediate and visual effects producer at The Video Lab. Color played an integral role in the storytelling and was used to enhance the mood of various situations. “When we wanted the audience to feel empathy towards Tsotsi, the film’s hostile lead character, we used virtual lighting gags to lift Tsotsi’s eyes, allowing the audience to look almost directly into them,” noted Brett Manson, Video Lab colourist and visual effects artist.