To prepare for water simulations for 'Adrift', Milk wrote custom scripts for Houdini and AWS Thinkbox Deadline to simulate locally and render in the cloud using Amazon EC2 instances.
Read more: Milk Visual Effects Rides the Waves for 'Adrift' on AWS Cloud
From RSP comes highly creative work on sequences in 'Thor: Ragnarok'. The team produced more than 170 final visual effects shots for the film, spending about 18 months focussing on two battle sequences and developing the look of the Bifröst Bridge, the magic rainbow that links the realms of the Norse universe. One of their sequences plays out as a story-within-a-story and, by controlling many separate digital and live action elements, RSP helped the production define their story in detail right up until the shoot.AEAF-FF-Thor-rsp3.jpg
MPC have entered work from some of the most exciting blockbusters from the past year including 'Wonder Woman', 'The Greatest Showman', 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales', 'Alien Covenant', 'Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle', 'Blade Runner 2049'.
'Wonder Woman' includes hero digital characters, crowd simulations, destruction simulations and environmental extensions. Battle sequences involved crowd work and motion capture, with numerous FX layers brought together in compositing.
In 'Alien Covenant' one of MPC's most exciting challenges was to help bring two terrifying creatures to life - the Xenomorph, the creature that featured in the 1979 ‘Alien,’ and a new species of alien, the Neomorph. The direcetor Ridley Scott was looking for a more unnatural version of the original Xenomorph, with non-human proportions, that would still be recognisable. Meanwhile, the new Neomorph creature had to go through four stages of development as it grew.
A completely different project was 'The Greatest Showman', an original musical that required abundant circus animals, including elephants, lions, horses and snakes, all ready to perform in Barnum’s circus, plus recreations of 19th century New York featuring environments ranging from cityscapes and country sides to circus interiors and mansion exteriors.
'Blade Runner 2049', one of the most important VFX films from the last year, includes the digital recreation of the head of the character Rachael, as she appeared in the original 'Blade Runner' film. MPC overcame many obstacles in rebuilding her skull, head and facial features, devising a pipeline and workflow combining photography of the actress from 30 years ago with modern scans, performance capture and digital imagery.
For '2:22', Cutting Edge in Sydney produced design heavy effects sequences that required futuristic holograms, CG aircraft manufacturing and transforming Sydney into New York City. Cutting Edge VFX Supervisor Simon Maddison, oversaw more than 750 VFX shots across a network of vendors, completing 300 in-house. Green-screen set-extensions were built to resemble Grand Central Station. The massive Grand Central set created challenges for lighting and when populating plates with people. The team also created a near-miss passenger aircraft collision at JFK International Airport, building CG planes and clouds to simulate the near-crash.
Iloura, now merged with Method Studios in Melbourne, created a large number of shots for 'Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle'. Among them was a sequence involving a herd of stampeding white rhinos, among the most complex sequences in Iloura’s history. The ravine environment was completely CG, Millions of pebbles, boulders, trees and many other assets were built and rendered. Ground interaction simulations and smoke rising from CG helicopter blades were needed – plus the herd of fully CG rhinos and often, digital doubles of the cast.
Iloura also entered their work on the Netflix movie 'Bright', for which they needed to create looks, environmental effects, FX simulations and an evil little creature – all with a completely original, very creative style that make the near future feel both dangerous and familiar at the same time. www.aeaf.tv
After receiving a record number of entries to the AEAF Awards 2018 over the last several months we are now happy to be able to start announcing the Finalists in each of the 18 categories of competition.
Take a look below at the categories of Finalists so far. A huge range of studios are represented, some that have been part of the Awards for several years running and some that are newcomers. Some teams have just emerged on the scene – and in fact, the artists may be familiar but their company identity is new. Some of the organisations here have workforces in the hundreds and a worldwide reputation, and other companies keep their footprint small and are best known around home. It is great to have all of these participating in the Awards.
The number and diversity in the Games Trailers category have expanded quite a lot this time. You'll find some very creative work there with different styles of animation and story development. Teams are also finding their own styles and strengths in the Experience categories – VR Experience, VR 360 and Interactive 360 Experience. Some of these are difficult to post online but more should be there soon and involve interesting work. The Augmented Reality projects have increased as well, and more digital artists have been in demand over the past year for Live Event Installations and Projections.
It's great to see the Feature Film categories are attracting work from teams awarded intense, specialised sequences, as well as those tasked with a large number of shots across a movie. The two kinds of work call for different skills from teams, and are expected to make the Finalists' screening reel exciting. See it at the Awards Night on 30 August.
At the same time as selecting Finalists and putting the judging panel to work, we are uploading more of the projects every day – if you find you can't view a project that is named in the Finalists' List today, check again a little later. All entries with permission should be online by 25 July.
Falken Tyres AR - Alt.vfx
Spiders Exhibition Augmented Reality - Eye Candy Animation
Australian Botanical Gardens - Jurassic Garden - Eye Candy Animation
Lunar New Year 2018 - VANDAL & Virtual Immersive
Alpenliebe - Seesaw - Cirkus
Imagination is the Best Medicine - Cirkus
David Jones - Now It Feels Like Christmas - Alt.vfx
Tile - Lost Panda - Alt.vfx
Toyota - Drive Happy - Alt.vfx
Orange Brick road - Mighty Nice
Foxtel Sports - New Holland
Foxtel Now Box - New Holland
Joy Story ‘Joy & Heron’ - Passion Pictures
Intuit 'A Giant Story' - Passion Pictures
Migros 'Finn' - Passion Pictures
Very 'The List' - Passion Pictures
What the crunch ...? Brandt Zwieback - Neverest
Suzuki Swift - Jumbla
Pokies Parasite - Jumbla
Marks & Spencer 'Paddington and The Christmas Visitor'' - Framestore
Mercedes-Benz S-Class 'King of The City Jungle' - Framestore
Santander 'Piggy' - Framestore
Betiquette - Sixty40
Lego: Build It Together - Sixty40
Nike Hypercourt - Heckler
ESPN: LONZO / CURRY - 2C Creative
Red Room Poetry - Kapwa
Microsoft – Holiday Harmony - MPC
Volkswagen Born Confident - MPC
Edeka Christmas 2017 - MPC
Continental Tyres - VANDAL
Dairy Farmers of Canada- Merry Christmas - Bent Image Lab
Ever After - 23lunes - Creative Animation Studio
Mazda CX-5 - Magic of Imagination - Alt.vfx
Chevrolet - Trax - Alt.vfx
Westpac - Help When It Matters - Alt.vfx
Cura T3 - Bent Design Lab
Honda Dream - Bent Image Lab
Honda - Moving You - Blackbird
Reserve Bank of Australia - Next Gen $50 Banknote - Cadre Pictures
Ford Ranger FX4 - Cadre Pictures
ASUS Zenbook - Collider and Blackbird
Marks & Spencer 'Paddington and The Christmas Visitor'' - Framestore
Mercedes-Benz S-Class 'King of The City Jungle' - Framestore
"The Ball Makes Us More" Feat. FC Barcelona - Glassworks Amsterdam
ACRF: Outsmart Cancer For Good - Heckler
Legion - Amorphous - MPC
FIJI Water - Drop - MPC
US Navy – Sea to Stars - MPC
Apple Unlock - MPC
Flaconi "Forest of Beauty" - Neverest
Feeling Strong | Clever Fit DC - Neverest
Select Sector SPDRs - PlusOne
VIA Rail's 40th Anniversary - Rodeo FX
RAV4 GLOBAL LAUNCH VIDEO - Rotor Studios
Toyota - Thin Ice - The Embassy
Marvel Heroes - VANDAL
NBC SPORTS: CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON - 2C Creative
CMT: NASHVILLE SEASON 6 - 2C Creative
Dunhill Filter & Mild - MFX
Tianan Cyber Park-T5 - Dans Digital
"Free Your Think" - Murdoch University - VANDAL
Medical Director Explainer - Chello Agency
ACU - Student Advocacy Service - Chello Agency
The Sir John Monash Centre - Action & Tactics Experience - Eye Candy Animation
Microsoft Fluent Design System - Kapwa
Through the Ruins of Ypres: Journey to Passchendaele - Latchkey
Redballoon - Motionlab
Westfield Newmarket - New Holland
The Biosecurity Warrior - Studio Hackett
MyHR Job Role Profiles - Synergy Group Australia
Black Panther - Busan Street Chase - Luma Pictures
CICLOPE South Africa 2018 - Glassworks Amsterdam
VFX Festival 2018 Opening Titles - MPC
TEDxSydney 2018: Humankind - Substance
APDG Awards - Substance
2:22 Graphic Sequences - Cutting Edge
Paddington 2 - Framestore
Bright - Method Studios (formerly Iloura)
Maya the Bee: The Honey Games - Studio B Animation in association with Flying Bark Productions
The Commuter - Cinesite
Avengers: Infinity War - Cinesite
Winchester - Cutting Edge
Blade Runner 2049 - Framestore
Guardians of The Galaxy Vol 2 - Framestore
Thor: Ragnarok - Framestore
Black Panther - Busan Street Chase - Luma Pictures
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle - Method Studios (formerly Iloura)
Bright - Method Studios (formerly Iloura)
Wonder Woman - MPC
The Greatest Showman - MPC
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales - MPC
Alien Covenant - MPC
Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle - MPC
Blade Runner 2049 - MPC
Thor: Ragnarok - Rising Sun Pictures
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle - Rodeo FX
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets - Rodeo FX
Maze Runner: The Death Cure - Weta Digital
Avengers: Infinity War - Weta Digital
M&M Elemental Guardians - 23lunes Creative Animation Studio
Shadow of War - Friend or Foe Interactive Trailer - MPC
M&M Elemental Guardians - 23lunes Creative Animation Studio
Kitty Keeper - Candy Burger
League of Legends - Kayn Character Reveal - Jumbla
Assassin's Creed - From Sand - MPC
League of Legends - Legends Never Die - Passion Pictures
Civilisations - Plastic Wax
Lego DC Super Villains - Plastic Wax
Game of Thrones Trailer - Plastic Wax
Game of Thrones: Conquest Rally The Realm - Plastic Wax
Neverwinter: Ravenloft - Plastic Wax
Ghost in the Shell: First Assault Online - Plastic Wax
Hitman 2 - Plastic Wax
Hitman 2 - New Holland Creative
Sky News Business Rebrand - Cutting Edge
Commonwealth Games Gold Coast 2018 Mascot Borobi - Cutting Edge
Ballroom Dancing - The Amazing World of Gumball - Igor Bastidas Studio
HBO Sand of Time - Mirari&Co
Vivid Sydney 2018 - MISTER
Channel 4 Giant - MPC
Festival of Football - VANDAL
A Different Lens - Jumbla
Velocity Angels - Lucid Edge
Camry WebGL Configurator - Rotor Studios
Elton John Farewell - Yellow Brick Road Launch - Spinifex Group
Rampage - Weta Digital
Photonic State - Vivid Sydney 2018 - TAFE NSW Design Centre Enmore
The Adventures of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie - Customs House at Vivid Sydney - Ample Projects
Light For The Wild: a Film for Taronga Centenary Theatre 2018 - Ample Projects
Plasma Reflection - Danny Rose Studio
Inside Plasma - Danny Rose Studio
Flower Power - Pop Culture - Danny Rose Studio
CEEC - Dans Digital
Osheaga - Rodeo FX
Myer: Santaland Express - Sixty40
Virtual Vibration - MCA Projection at Vivid Sydney - Spinifex Group
The Secret Life of Books - The Electric Canvas
Luna Park at Vivid Sydney - The Electric Canvas
The Billabong - The Sequence Group
Yuejin Lantern Festival - VANDAL
A Symphony of Lights 2018 Hong Kong - Artists In Motion
Call Broken Arrow - At The Drive-In - Bent Image Lab
Supplies - Justin Timberlake - Rodeo FX
Diplo - Get It Right - Viskatoons
Sola - Machine Translations - Jonathan Nix
The Ventriloquist - Armchair Productions
Two Bottles - Bent Image Lab
Being Good - Flying Bark
Singularity - MISTER
Monster's Playground - Oh Yeah Wow
Lost & Found - Andrew Goldsmith
Reckless - Jennifer Quach and Yining
The Endless - Edouard Calemard
Negative Space - Max PORTER & Ru KUWAHATA
Photonic State - Vivid Sydney 2018 - TAFE NSW Design Centre Enmore
Boris-Noris - Laura-Beth Cowley - University of the West of England
Natural Engineering - Sarah Muuray - JMC Academy
Corporate Ladder - John Joseph Feeley - AIE
The Good Deed - Title Sequence - John Power - RMIT
Romper Stomper (Titles) - Resin
Grace Beside Me - Opening Titles - Cutting Edge
Harrow - Cutting Edge
Comtes de Barcelona - Counts of Barcelona - J A Duran
2018 I Heart Radio Music Awards - iTSPT!
Romper Stomper - Resin
Cycling CENTRAL on SBS - SBS
Movie Mayhem with Marc Fennell - See Gee Studio
Show Me the Movie! - Studio Hackett
SBS The World Game - VANDAL & Frost.
2018 Tencent Sports - Vanta Collective
2018 NBA on Tencent - Vanta Collective
2018 Australian Open - Vanta Collective
Happy! - axisVFX
Neanderthal: Meet your Ancestors - Jellyfish Pictures
Electric Dreams - Resin
Game of Thrones season 7 - Rodeo FX
Game of Thrones Series 7 - Screen Scene Post Productions
Lost In Space Season 1 - Screen Scene Post Productions
Todd Sampson's Body Hack 2.0 - silo6
Lost in Space - The Embassy
Minibeast Heroes: Eps 1-6 - Australian Broadcasting Corporation - ABC Education/R+D
Guess How Much I Love You - SLR Productions
Reggie & Friends - Studio Hackett
Jar Dwellers SOS - Viskatoons
The Deep 2 - Thunder and Lightning - A Stark Production (In association with DHX)
Antoine BOURDELLE's Sculptor's Studio - ArtofCorner
Inside Manus - Cutting Edge
Q-Ride - VR Experience - Cutting Edge
Samsung - A Moon for All Mankind - Framestore
Sky 4D VR - Framestore
USC Shoah Foundation - The Last Goodbye - MPC
Recycling Discover Hub - Rotor Studios
Jasper - UTS / Animal Logic Academy
Volkswagen Golf - Experience the Future in 360 - Alt.vfx
Uganda Schools for Life - Experience The Pulse
Balmain: My City of Lights - MPC
ABC Fierce Girls podcast: Animated promos - ABC
Barley+ - Chello
Simply Vital Health - Jason Poley
Deadly Voices from the House - In The Thicket
Zotac - Jumbla
Fernwood - Jumbla
KFC Youth Foundation - Jumbla
Nokia Digital Health - Kapwa
Outcomex - Motionlab
RAV4 Global Launch - Rotor Studios
Star Wars - Everything You Need to Know - See Gee Studio
Solo - See Gee Studio
Zero-Point Season Zero - Undergrowth Productions, Poke The Bear Animation
I Am George - VANDAL
Expand Your Horizons with Etihad - Sydney Opera House - In The Thicket
Jasper - UTS / Animal Logic Academy
You can watch many of the finalists on the AEAF Online Festival where you can see more entries in this and all of the Awards categories. Better still come to theAEAF Awards Night on 30 August in Sydney, where you can see the full Finalists Showreel, meet all the artists and congratulate the winning teams.
AEAF is a celebration of VFX and Animation with a speaker program and awards evening.
AEAF takes place on 30 August, in Paddington, Sydney. Following a packed day of talks from the leading lights of the VFX industry, the AEAF Awards Night is a celebration of the best work by digital artists artists from around the world.
AEAF’s speakers include VFX Supervisors, Animation and Creative Directors, who will enlighten the industry with new, creative approaches to their work and insights into the projects they have contributed
Find all details and book your tickets here
Keep your eyes on the TV Series category at AEAF. The well-known series 'Game of Thrones' has consistently called for top notch visual effects during its seven seasons. This year, AEAF has received work for the show from Screen Scene VFX in Ireland and Rodeo FX in Canada, both very experienced in effects for episodic television. Screen Scene has won several AEAF Awards for their work on the long-running series 'Ripper Street'.
The 7th season of Game of Thrones required Screen Scene VFX to work on over 250 VFX shots. The bulk of this work was on the epic Loot Train attack sequence in episode 4, 'The Spoils of War'. The team augmented mass fire FX, ash and embers, blood and gore and various weapon extensions into the scene, transforming it into a horrific inferno of death. The effect of the compositing looks very real and terrifying.
Rodeo FX returns to the fiercely battling ships on the open sea, requiring water FX and interactions as well as building the ships themselves, often in various stages of destruction as fires and flaming projectiles surround them. The team also extended the sea cliffs with massive, snow covered structures, and then engineered their destruction by compositing Rhythm & Hues' dragons into the video as they fly in from above, breathing fire and causing the frozen cliff extensions to collapse into the sea. The results are tremendous. www.aeaf.tv
Weta Digital's VFX Supervisor Matt Aitken presents his insights into the new techniques his team used in 'Avengers: Infinity War', including animation for Thanos and bespoke FX for Titan.
Read more: Weta Digital's Matt Aitken Battles for Planet Titan at AEAF
