FuseFX, Vancouver, has hired VFX producers Chad Cortvriendt and Graeme Marshall both of whom bring lengthy experience in the Canadian visual effects industry and credits spanning television, features, advertising and other media. The two producers are working with teams creating visual effects for series such as Legion, Dark Matter and Zoo.
The Arc/k Project, a new nonprofit focused on digital preservation, has developed a unique plan for creating three-dimensional records of the world’s most endangered cultural assets while providing Hollywood filmmakers with a new and better way to incorporate exotic locations and artifacts into their productions. Employing the latest photogrammetric imaging technology, the Arc/k Project is constructing precise 3D models of landmarks and historically valuable objects, many of which are under imminent threat from terrorist activity, global warming, environmental degradation and other factors.
One of the most memorable episodes of season 6 of Game of Thrones was the Battle of the Bastards, in which Meereen is under attack by a huge fleet of ships firing flaming pitch at the city. It was also just a sample of the effects work that Rodeo FX did for the series. The studio created FX simulation of flaming cannonballs, shot from ships in the harbor and ripping holes in buildings while CG smoke and particles fill the air. The Dothraki Horde comes to the rescue, during which there is a CG decapitation. Daenerys climbs on Drogon, flies across the Meereen gates, and gets the dragon to breathe fire to destroy the ships.
For the finale of season six of HBO’s smash hit Game of Thrones, Rising Sun Pictures faced a formidable challenge: replicate the sprawling city of King’s Landing and its central shrine, the Great Sept of Baelor, then burn them to the ground in a magical, green-hued inferno. New to the Game of Thrones production team, RSP created visual effects for several episodes of the show’s recently concluded season. Most of the work centered on King’s Landing and the Sept as artists produced photo-realistic CG environments, set extensions and architectural enhancements that were blended with location footage to create the luxurious, walled city overlooking the sea.
Senior VFX supervisor Shawn Hillier has joined the creative team at the Vancouver office of FuseFX. Hillier arrives following a 15-year stint at Industrial Light & Magic, where he contributed to such blockbusters as Jurassic World, Pacific Rim, Star Trek, Transformers, Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith and all three titles in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. In his new role, he will supervise visual effects production for television projects including the Syfy series The Magicians and Dark Matter.
Visual effects production for the first season of AMC’s drama Preacher is in high gear at FuseFX, Los Angeles, as artists work to enhance the series’ ample servings of supernatural mayhem. The pilot episode alone featured more than 250 VFX shots with a high degree of integration that achieves a seamless marriage between the practical photography and the digital effects.
Sim Group companies provided production and post-production services to 20 television productions nominated in the 68th Emmy Awards. The 20 productions received a total of 123 nominations. Among them are Game of Thrones, The People v O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, and Fargo with 23 nominations, 22 nominations and 18 nominations, respectively.
Post-production finishing for the sixth season of HBO’s Emmy Award-winning series Game of Thrones recently wrapped up at Chainsaw, a Sim Group company. The facility handled visual effects integration, editorial conforming, final color grading and deliverables for the show.
VFX supervisor Eric Gambini has joined FuseFX, Vancouver, as the company continues to add staff to service the region’s boom in television production. A native of France who has worked at visual effects facilities around the world, Gambini most recently served as on-set VFX supervisor on the CW series The 100. Also new to FuseFX Vancouver are VFX producer Graeme Marshall and CG supervisor Adam Marisett.
SIGGRAPH 2016 will be presenting Making Of Production Sessions for a number of high-profile hit motion pictures, video games, VR films, and theme park attractions during this year's conference. With the tagline Render the Possibilities, the conference will be held at the Anaheim Convention Center in Orange County, California, July 24-28.
