In the harsh light of day, Captain Barbossa's crew in "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" looks like any other bunch of sailors. Under the moonlight, though, the cursed pirates become otherworldly beings, shifting into skeletal buccaneers. What's fascinating about watching these bony lads is that they're still recognizable as individuals. You can see the structure of their faces, dreadlocks hanging down from decaying skulls, and distinct beards covering their ossified jaws. That look came courtesy of the film's award-winning special effects team, visual effects supervisor John Knoll and VFX art director Aaron McBride, who wanted the...
The post How Pirates of the Caribbean's Meaty Special Effects Brought Its Skeleton Crew to Life appeared first on /Film.
The post How Pirates of the Caribbean's Meaty Special Effects Brought Its Skeleton Crew to Life appeared first on /Film.
- 8/7/2022
- by Leigh Giangreco
- Slash Film
The Visual Effects Society has unveiled nominations for its 18th annual Ves Awards, which honor VFX work in film, animation, TV, commercials and video games. Winners will be revealed at a ceremony January 29 at the Beverly Hilton.
Disney’s CG redo of the The Lion King and 20th Century Fox’s Alita: Battle Angel lead all film nominees with five apiece, joining the top animated nominee Toy Story 4. In TV, Disney+’s Star Wars spinoff The Mandalorian and the final season of HBO’s epic Game of Thrones lead the field with six nominations each.
Along with naming winners in 25 categories, the group’s ceremony later this month includes honoring Martin Scorsese with the Ves Lifetime Achievement Award. The Ves Visionary Award will be given to Roland Emmerich, and the Ves Award for Creative Excellence will be presented to VFX supervisor Sheena Duggal.
Here’s the list of noms:...
Disney’s CG redo of the The Lion King and 20th Century Fox’s Alita: Battle Angel lead all film nominees with five apiece, joining the top animated nominee Toy Story 4. In TV, Disney+’s Star Wars spinoff The Mandalorian and the final season of HBO’s epic Game of Thrones lead the field with six nominations each.
Along with naming winners in 25 categories, the group’s ceremony later this month includes honoring Martin Scorsese with the Ves Lifetime Achievement Award. The Ves Visionary Award will be given to Roland Emmerich, and the Ves Award for Creative Excellence will be presented to VFX supervisor Sheena Duggal.
Here’s the list of noms:...
- 1/7/2020
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
While Solo: A Star Wars Story continues to fight to make more money at the box office, some new details have surfaced that shed some light on some deleted scenes that we didn't see in the film.
With all of the behind-the-scenes drama of Solo, it's not surprising to learn that a few things ended up on the cutting room floor. But during a recent interview with Indiewire, screenwriters Lawrence and Jon Kasdan revealed that 90% of their script ended up on the big screen.
They revealed one significant scene that didn’t make the final cut, and that includes Han Solo's days as he trained as an Imperial soldier and getting kicked out of the pilot training. Jon said:
"Yeah, so did we! In fact, we hope, and I believe that when you finally get a Blu-ray of this movie, you’ll see a terrific scene with Han in aerial...
With all of the behind-the-scenes drama of Solo, it's not surprising to learn that a few things ended up on the cutting room floor. But during a recent interview with Indiewire, screenwriters Lawrence and Jon Kasdan revealed that 90% of their script ended up on the big screen.
They revealed one significant scene that didn’t make the final cut, and that includes Han Solo's days as he trained as an Imperial soldier and getting kicked out of the pilot training. Jon said:
"Yeah, so did we! In fact, we hope, and I believe that when you finally get a Blu-ray of this movie, you’ll see a terrific scene with Han in aerial...
- 5/30/2018
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
A lot can happen in six years. When Lawrence Kasdan began working on Solo: A Star Wars Story back in 2012, the script looked very different to what audiences have since seen on the big screen. This is most notable regarding the beginnings of Han Solo and Chewbacca’s beautiful friendship.
The film sees the duo introduced in a way which is both memorable and a knowing nod to the Original Trilogy. Having been captured by the Imperial Army for attempting desertion, Solo’s cast into a pit where he’ll be introduced to a carnivorous creature known only as The Beast. Although more feral and ferocious than we’re used to, the growl that comes from the cave is undoubtedly Chewie’s and the soon-to-be smugglers quickly develop a plan to team up and escape.
To give credit where it’s due, that’s some out-of-the-box thinking from the man formerly simply known as Han.
The film sees the duo introduced in a way which is both memorable and a knowing nod to the Original Trilogy. Having been captured by the Imperial Army for attempting desertion, Solo’s cast into a pit where he’ll be introduced to a carnivorous creature known only as The Beast. Although more feral and ferocious than we’re used to, the growl that comes from the cave is undoubtedly Chewie’s and the soon-to-be smugglers quickly develop a plan to team up and escape.
To give credit where it’s due, that’s some out-of-the-box thinking from the man formerly simply known as Han.
- 5/29/2018
- by Robb Sheppard
- We Got This Covered
The Porgs have had the spotlight for long enough, now it's the time for the Vulptex. When the Star Wars: The Last Jedi Bts reel debuted we got our first look at some of the amazing new creatures that will be in the movie, including the Porgs and the amazing-looking crystal foxes. Well thanks to EW, we now know this blinged out creature is known as a vulptex. (A pack of them would be vulptices.)
The lifeforms live on the mineral-rich world of Crait and run across the salt flats and burrow deep within the tunnels of an old Rebel Alliance hideout, which dates back to the events of the original trilogy.
EW spoke with the head of the Star Wars creature shop, Neal Scanlan, about the creation of these sparkly survivors.
“The idea is that these wonderful sort of feral creatures had lived on this planet and had consumed the planet’s surface,...
The lifeforms live on the mineral-rich world of Crait and run across the salt flats and burrow deep within the tunnels of an old Rebel Alliance hideout, which dates back to the events of the original trilogy.
EW spoke with the head of the Star Wars creature shop, Neal Scanlan, about the creation of these sparkly survivors.
“The idea is that these wonderful sort of feral creatures had lived on this planet and had consumed the planet’s surface,...
- 11/21/2017
- by Kristian Odland
- GeekTyrant
As you know, Star Wars Rebels is currently building up to a rematch between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Maul. I'm incredibly excited about that, but that isn't the first rematch that been envisioned between the two characters. io9 has reminded me that Dark Horse Comics's anthology series, Star Wars Visionaries, featured Kenobi and Maul going ballistic on each other.
Star Wars Visionaries was a collection of spin-off stories created by ten Lucasfilm concept artists who had worked on Revenge of the Sith. All these stories are part of the former Expanded Universe, and the one that specifically deals with Kenobi and Maul gives us an idea of what we might see in the Rebels.
This particular story was published in 2005, and it's called "Old Wounds." It was created by Aaron McBride and followed a Darth Maul hell-bent on revenge as he hunts down Obi-Wan, who is three years into his time on Tatooine,...
Star Wars Visionaries was a collection of spin-off stories created by ten Lucasfilm concept artists who had worked on Revenge of the Sith. All these stories are part of the former Expanded Universe, and the one that specifically deals with Kenobi and Maul gives us an idea of what we might see in the Rebels.
This particular story was published in 2005, and it's called "Old Wounds." It was created by Aaron McBride and followed a Darth Maul hell-bent on revenge as he hunts down Obi-Wan, who is three years into his time on Tatooine,...
- 2/3/2017
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
The Friday schedule for Comic-Con is here! Once again, it's packed full of some awesome panels! We've got Total Recall, Looper, Elysium, Wreck-it-Ralph, Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Community, The Venture Bros, Firefly, Arrow, Robot Chicken, and a ton of other great stuff! Check out the full schedule below, which doesn't disappoint. I've put *** next to the panels we are looking to cover.
We will be at Comic-Con kicking all kinds of ass, so for all your Comic-Con coverage and needs make sure to keep checking back here at Geektyrant!
If you plan on attending Comic-Con we will be having our annual meet-up on Wednesday night before the madness begins! Details for the meet-up will be revealed soon, so stay tuned!
Check out the schedule and let us know what panels you'll be hitting up!
Friday July 13th:
9:30-10:20 ComicsPRO "Fresh Start"— Your day at Comic-Con gets...
We will be at Comic-Con kicking all kinds of ass, so for all your Comic-Con coverage and needs make sure to keep checking back here at Geektyrant!
If you plan on attending Comic-Con we will be having our annual meet-up on Wednesday night before the madness begins! Details for the meet-up will be revealed soon, so stay tuned!
Check out the schedule and let us know what panels you'll be hitting up!
Friday July 13th:
9:30-10:20 ComicsPRO "Fresh Start"— Your day at Comic-Con gets...
- 6/29/2012
- by Venkman
- GeekTyrant
The Movie Pool joins a Q&A with Ben Snow, the Oscar-nominated visual effects supervisor for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.
Australian native Ben Snow of Industrial Light and Magic has been responsible for some of the most iconic cinematic visual effects of recent times. His first job was creating the CGI Enterprise for Star Trek: Generations, and he later went on to work on films including Twister, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, The Mummy, and Galaxy Quest. He has been nominated for Academy Awards for his work on Pearl Harbor, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Iron Man, and Iron Man 2. For his latest project, he took to the high seas for the latest Jack Sparrow adventure Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Among his challenges were bringing mermaids to life and melding CGI effects into a real-world environment.
The Movie Pool recently...
Australian native Ben Snow of Industrial Light and Magic has been responsible for some of the most iconic cinematic visual effects of recent times. His first job was creating the CGI Enterprise for Star Trek: Generations, and he later went on to work on films including Twister, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, The Mummy, and Galaxy Quest. He has been nominated for Academy Awards for his work on Pearl Harbor, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Iron Man, and Iron Man 2. For his latest project, he took to the high seas for the latest Jack Sparrow adventure Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Among his challenges were bringing mermaids to life and melding CGI effects into a real-world environment.
The Movie Pool recently...
- 10/22/2011
- Cinelinx
The Movie Pool joins a Q&A with Ben Snow, the Oscar-nominated visual effects supervisor for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.
Australian native Ben Snow of Industrial Light and Magic has been responsible for some of the most iconic cinematic visual effects of recent times. His first job was creating the CGI Enterprise for Star Trek: Generations, and he later went on to work on films including Twister, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, The Mummy, and Galaxy Quest. He has been nominated for Academy Awards for his work on Pearl Harbor, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Iron Man, and Iron Man 2. For his latest project, he took to the high seas for the latest Jack Sparrow adventure Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Among his challenges were bringing mermaids to life and melding CGI effects into a real-world environment.
The Movie Pool recently...
Australian native Ben Snow of Industrial Light and Magic has been responsible for some of the most iconic cinematic visual effects of recent times. His first job was creating the CGI Enterprise for Star Trek: Generations, and he later went on to work on films including Twister, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, The Mummy, and Galaxy Quest. He has been nominated for Academy Awards for his work on Pearl Harbor, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Iron Man, and Iron Man 2. For his latest project, he took to the high seas for the latest Jack Sparrow adventure Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Among his challenges were bringing mermaids to life and melding CGI effects into a real-world environment.
The Movie Pool recently...
- 10/22/2011
- Cinelinx
Warning: A visit to Industrial Light & Magic headquarters in San Francisco will likely trigger a nerdgasm of epic proportions.
As you approach the building, a serene Yoda fountain greets you before you proceed into a large glass-enclosed sitting room where the costumes of Darth Vader and Boba Fett are on display. Try to contain your excitement as you walk by props, models, costumes, matte paintings and other memorabilia from the annals of Ilm films, including "Jurassic Park," "E.T.," "The Mummy," "Transformers" and many more, including the occasion for our visit: "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides."
Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow returns in the fourth chapter of the blockbuster "Pirates of the Caribbean" series to search for the Fountain of Youth. "On Stranger Tides" (available on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3-D on October 18) features the return of Geoffrey Rush as Barbossa, and introduces Ian McShane as Blackbeard and...
As you approach the building, a serene Yoda fountain greets you before you proceed into a large glass-enclosed sitting room where the costumes of Darth Vader and Boba Fett are on display. Try to contain your excitement as you walk by props, models, costumes, matte paintings and other memorabilia from the annals of Ilm films, including "Jurassic Park," "E.T.," "The Mummy," "Transformers" and many more, including the occasion for our visit: "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides."
Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow returns in the fourth chapter of the blockbuster "Pirates of the Caribbean" series to search for the Fountain of Youth. "On Stranger Tides" (available on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3-D on October 18) features the return of Geoffrey Rush as Barbossa, and introduces Ian McShane as Blackbeard and...
- 10/17/2011
- by Robert DeSalvo
- NextMovie
I was lucky enough to participate in a roundtable discussion with Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides’ Visual Effects Supervisor Ben Snow. It was a pleasure to be a part of this interesting talk, so read on below for Ben’s insights.
Ben Snow
When producing the mermaids-scenes, what where your inspirations for their movement and the general “look” of the mermaids?
Ben Snow: We wanted to avoid the classic ‘woman in a mono-fin’ that has been seen in past mermaid films so we studied a variety of marine mammals and fish for the motion of the mermaids. We also had synchronized swimmers and professional athletes that we filmed on set to help guide the animation. As for the look, we were trying to create something different than what you’ve seen before but keep it rooted in reality. We used reference of sea life, human skin, etc.
Ben Snow
When producing the mermaids-scenes, what where your inspirations for their movement and the general “look” of the mermaids?
Ben Snow: We wanted to avoid the classic ‘woman in a mono-fin’ that has been seen in past mermaid films so we studied a variety of marine mammals and fish for the motion of the mermaids. We also had synchronized swimmers and professional athletes that we filmed on set to help guide the animation. As for the look, we were trying to create something different than what you’ve seen before but keep it rooted in reality. We used reference of sea life, human skin, etc.
- 9/29/2011
- by Donny Broussard
- Killer Films
This week, Wamg had the opportunity to participate in a virtual roundtable with Ben Snow, the Visual Effects Supervisor at Industrial Light and Magic (Ilm) for Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, and ask him some questions about his experiences in the visual effects world.
Raised in rural Australia, Ben Snow studied computing and film at the University of Canberra. He did a variety of work and traveled extensively before working as a runner for a computer graphics house in London. Snow later returned to Australia to set up the computer animation department for a company in Sydney where he worked on commercials, broadcast idents and openers, including a computer graphics title sequence for Beyond 2000.
Snow left Australia to join Industrial Light & Magic in 1994, where his first project was to help create the three-dimensional computer graphics image of the .Enterprise B. for Star Trek: Generations. This version had...
Raised in rural Australia, Ben Snow studied computing and film at the University of Canberra. He did a variety of work and traveled extensively before working as a runner for a computer graphics house in London. Snow later returned to Australia to set up the computer animation department for a company in Sydney where he worked on commercials, broadcast idents and openers, including a computer graphics title sequence for Beyond 2000.
Snow left Australia to join Industrial Light & Magic in 1994, where his first project was to help create the three-dimensional computer graphics image of the .Enterprise B. for Star Trek: Generations. This version had...
- 9/21/2011
- by Melissa Howland
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
This week, Wamg had the opportunity to participate in a virtual roundtable with Aaron McBride, the Visual Effects Supervisor for Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, and ask him some questions about his experiences in the visual effects world.
Since coming onboard with the Ilm Art Department in 1999, Aaron McBride has worked as a concept artist on such films as A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Minority Report and Men in Black 2. Aside from his concept art Aaron.s talent for storyboarding has been widely recognized by Directors such as Steven Spielberg and Oscar-winning Visual Effects Supervisors Dennis Muren and Scott Farrar. With the first Pirates of the Caribbean film in 2003 Aaron.s skillful visual effects art direction has served numerous productions including the second installment of the Pirates franchise Dead Man.s Chest which won the Oscar for Visual Effects in 2006.
Having served as the Visual Effects Art Director on...
Since coming onboard with the Ilm Art Department in 1999, Aaron McBride has worked as a concept artist on such films as A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Minority Report and Men in Black 2. Aside from his concept art Aaron.s talent for storyboarding has been widely recognized by Directors such as Steven Spielberg and Oscar-winning Visual Effects Supervisors Dennis Muren and Scott Farrar. With the first Pirates of the Caribbean film in 2003 Aaron.s skillful visual effects art direction has served numerous productions including the second installment of the Pirates franchise Dead Man.s Chest which won the Oscar for Visual Effects in 2006.
Having served as the Visual Effects Art Director on...
- 9/17/2011
- by Melissa Howland
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Ilm (Industrial Light and Magic) has pioneered many groundbreaking effects and processes in the last 30 years. It would be hard to cover everything that Ilm has done in any one article (or even in a single book), so the following videos are much appreciated. Below are two videos that give a quick but informative look at the key elements of visual effects and theatrical sound design. Ilm opened their doors to The Daily for an exclusive look at the tools of the trade. Below you will see interviews with visual effects director Aaron Mcbride discussing the making of Ironman 2 and also Will Files, sound designer/re-recording mixer and the man behind the unforgettable sound effects in Cloverfield and Let Me In.
It’s a rare look into the art (and science) of the acoustic and visual magic that takes movies from an average experience to a blockbuster Hollywood event, and it comes highly recommended.
It’s a rare look into the art (and science) of the acoustic and visual magic that takes movies from an average experience to a blockbuster Hollywood event, and it comes highly recommended.
- 3/4/2011
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Well, I've featured effects reels for Hereafter and Black Swan so when a new featurette for Iron Man 2 arrived in my Inbox it only seemed right to feature it... and then some. I did a quick search for even more and found a second Iron Man 2 feature, another for Alice in Wonderland and an effects featurette for Inception as well as a couple fan made videos of people trying to mimic some of the effects in Inception.
As for the first Iron Man 2 video, it features Ilm's Aaron McBride whom I interviewed way back when for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. You can check out that interview here, but be warned it's housed in an old design of the site and the page is a bit messed up and the Css file has changed, which throws the styling off a bit.
Otherwise, have at it.
As for the first Iron Man 2 video, it features Ilm's Aaron McBride whom I interviewed way back when for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. You can check out that interview here, but be warned it's housed in an old design of the site and the page is a bit messed up and the Css file has changed, which throws the styling off a bit.
Otherwise, have at it.
- 2/20/2011
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
The Visual Effects Society (Ves) has announced the nominees for the 9th Annual Ves Awards ceremony recognizing outstanding visual effects artistry in 24 categories of film, animation, television,
commercials and video games.
Christopher Nolan's "Inception" dominated the nominations receiving four nods. Nolan will also be honored at the event with the inaugural Ves Visionary Award. Ray Harryhausen will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Ves Awards will take place on Tuesday, February 1 and will air exclusively on Reelzchannel Saturday, February 19 at 10p Et/Pt with encore presentations throughout February.
Here's the complete list of nominees for the 9th Annual Ves Awards:
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual-Effects Driven Feature Motion
Picture
Inception
Paul Franklin Visual Effects Supervisor
Chris Corbould Special Effects Supervisor
Mike Chambers Visual Effects Producer
Matthew Plummer Visual Effects Producer
Iron Man 2
Ben Snow VFX Supervisor
Ged Wright VFX Supervisor
Janek Sirrs VFX Supervisor
Susan Pickett VFX...
commercials and video games.
Christopher Nolan's "Inception" dominated the nominations receiving four nods. Nolan will also be honored at the event with the inaugural Ves Visionary Award. Ray Harryhausen will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Ves Awards will take place on Tuesday, February 1 and will air exclusively on Reelzchannel Saturday, February 19 at 10p Et/Pt with encore presentations throughout February.
Here's the complete list of nominees for the 9th Annual Ves Awards:
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual-Effects Driven Feature Motion
Picture
Inception
Paul Franklin Visual Effects Supervisor
Chris Corbould Special Effects Supervisor
Mike Chambers Visual Effects Producer
Matthew Plummer Visual Effects Producer
Iron Man 2
Ben Snow VFX Supervisor
Ged Wright VFX Supervisor
Janek Sirrs VFX Supervisor
Susan Pickett VFX...
- 1/10/2011
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
As the Society noms continue to roll in, the latest comes from the Visual Effects Society as they announce their nominees for the 7th Annual Ves Awards, a ceremony recognizing outstanding visual effects in over a dozen categories of film, animation, television, commercials and video games. Of course all I really care about are the film noms, but you can check out the full list of nominees by downloading the Pdf press release right here. Iron Man led the way with five nominations and is competing with The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Hellboy II: The Golden Army and Cloverfield in the Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects Driven Motion Picture category, the category probably deemed the highest profile of the bunch and it went to Transformers last year only to see The Golden Compass pull out a surprise win at the Oscars.
- 1/20/2009
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
With five nominations, "Iron Man" leads the list for the seventh annual Ves Awards, which were chosen Saturday by panels comprised of members of the Visual Effects Society.
The Marvel Studios-produced superhero movie was cited in the categories of visual effects in a visual effects-driven movie, best single visual effect of the year, outstanding animated character in a live-action movie, outstanding models and miniatures in a feature, and outstanding special effects in a movie. The nominees cited for "Iron Man" are Ben Snow, Hal Hickel, Victoria Alonso and John Nelson.
Its competition for the best visual effects in a visual effects-driven movie honor are "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" (Wendy Rogers, Dean Wright, Andrew Fowler, Greg Butler), "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Eric Barba, Edson Williams, Nathan McGuinness, Lisa Beroud), "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" (Michael J. Wassel, Lucy Killick, Adrian de Wet, Eamonn Butler) and "Cloverfield" (Kevin Blank,...
The Marvel Studios-produced superhero movie was cited in the categories of visual effects in a visual effects-driven movie, best single visual effect of the year, outstanding animated character in a live-action movie, outstanding models and miniatures in a feature, and outstanding special effects in a movie. The nominees cited for "Iron Man" are Ben Snow, Hal Hickel, Victoria Alonso and John Nelson.
Its competition for the best visual effects in a visual effects-driven movie honor are "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" (Wendy Rogers, Dean Wright, Andrew Fowler, Greg Butler), "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Eric Barba, Edson Williams, Nathan McGuinness, Lisa Beroud), "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" (Michael J. Wassel, Lucy Killick, Adrian de Wet, Eamonn Butler) and "Cloverfield" (Kevin Blank,...
- 1/19/2009
- by By Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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