theHunter: Call of the Wild brings the excitement of the great outdoors into the comfort of your home with amazing gameplay, deep mechanics, and gorgeous visuals.Experiencing the sights and sounds of the wilderness through the lens of an expert hunter is something truly specialand developer Avalanche Studios keeps theHunter: Call of the Wild engaging by releasing a steady stream of map expansions and updates.A game is only as strong as the maps within it, and theHunter: Call of the Wild features 13 outstandings map expansions based on real-world locations!Lets rank the best theHunter: Call of the Wild map expansions based on content currently available, animal diversity, gameplay experience, and critical reception.Dont confuse the ranking with quality, theHunter: Call of the Wild doesnt have a bad maptheyre all great hunting destinations!First, Some Honorable Mentions: New England Mountains, United StatesStarting off our Honorable Mentions are the New England Mountains. While being a gorgeous map with nice moose and Green-winged Teal options, it suffers a bit from a lack of total content and overly dense forests, making it too difficult to see prey. Mississippi Acres Preserve, United StatesThe South offers a noteworthy assortment of wildlife, including the American Alligator, Black Bear, and Wild Hog, all of which are fun to hunt. However, gameplay issueslike alligators scaring off prey like Whitetail Deercan lead to frustrating tracking situations. While this realism adds to the experience, it can sometimes make the hunt feel a bit too realistic for it to rank higher on our list. Parque Fernando, ArgentinaParque Fernando is large and brimming with amazing wildlife to hunt. You can bag a rare Cinnamon Teal or Blackbuck, hone your skills at the archery range, or simply enjoy the views. While the map has a lot to offer, it was affected when quality prey like the Mule Deer became available in other locations through updates, making it less competitive compared to the maps that made our list.Top-10 DLC Map Expansions10. Cuatro Colinas Game Reserve; SpainThe vistas and charms of Spain are captured perfectly throughout Cuatro Colinas Game Reserve, and the large range of available animal classes are so much fun to hunt.Majestic ibex, prancing deer, and scattered remains of Spains history welcome players with a taste for adventure. There are 3 Iberian Wolf boss animals, but we wish the reserve offered a larger diversity of total animals to hunt so the gameplay experience feels a little stunted.9. Medved-Taiga National Park; SiberiaHunt the vast, snow-covered lands of Northern Asia and explore countless miles of frozen lakes, forests, and fields. The terrains blankets of white make night hunting a delight, and you can even battle a rare cave-dwelling albino bear.The Musk Deer and Reindeer are two very popular and exclusive to this snowy map expansion. But the balanced roster of huntable animals is small, and the Revontuli Coast map expansion took away Medved-Taigas exclusivity to the Eurasian lynx and Eurasian brown bear.8. Rancho Del Arroyo; MxicoThis gorgeous ranch, located on the border of Northern Mexico and the Southwest United States, features two map-exclusive animals: the Rio Grande Turkey and Antelope Jackrabbit. Youll feel like a lively desperado as you hunt these warm colored lands. While Rancho Del Arroyo is vast and beautiful, it suffers from a lack of topographical diversity, and there are no boss animals. Youll have a great time in Mexico, but be sure to save some energy for the other maps as well.7. Silver Ridge Peaks; United StatesTackling the Southern Rocky Mountains isnt for the faint of heart; it requires a hunters mentality to thrive in these rugged landsluckily, you were made for this! The Silver Ridge Peaks map expansion offers gamers the chance to hunt a full spectrum of Animal Classes from 1 to 9, so youll never run out of interesting expeditions. Unfortunately, recent updates to drinking times and spawn locations have negatively impacted the hunting experience.6. Yukon Valley Nature Reserve; United StatesAlaskas mystical frontier has captivated hunters for centuries, and the video game version is no less magical. A community favorite map, the Yukon is stunning and offers excellent Class 8 and 9 hunting for Grizzly Bears and Plains Bison. If this map expansion included about four more animals, it would rank higher on our list. While the Yukon Valley Nature Reserve is far from a bad map, theHunter: Call of the Wild simply has many strong contenders!5. Vurhonga Savanna; AfricaTravel to south-west Africa for a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Amazing situational hunts like the Blue Wildebeest, Cape Buffalo, and African Lion will net you countless trophies and bundles of cash of traditional setups, you will find great drinking zones and wide plaine hunting too. Hunting zebras and other rare animals would have been nice, but we understand why they werent included. If you love unique hunts then youll easily fall for the Vurhonga Savanna.4. Te Awaroa National Park; New ZealandWelcome back to the southern hemisphere where youll find the Te Awaroa National Parkthe best map for fallow hunting. You can grind through turkey, deer, duck, and rabbit across the stunning, untamed landscape. Lush forests in the west also provide dynamic opportunities to hunt Sika Deer and Feral Pigs. The visuals and effects on this map expansion are absolutely breathtaking, so stick around New Zealand for a bit and fatten that in-game wallet of yours.3. Emerald Coast; AustraliaFinally, the top 3! The Emerald Coast is truly a gem of theHunter: Call of the Wild. Explore the ocean coast, dense forests, and more as you hunt a jaw-dropping mix of animals. Saltwater Crocodiles and Eastern Grey Kangaroos are unique to this map expansion and present some amazing challenges. Big game enthusiasts will feel right at home, as the Emerald Coasts excellent layout is designed for taking down epic Banteng, Sambar, and Red Deer. This fan-favorite map will keep you entertained for weeks!2. Revontuli Coast; FinlandAn elite sense of balance is why the Revontuli Coast finds itself high on our list. This map offers everything a gamer could want with a perfect assortment of both big and small animals. Bird hunters, especially those after ducks, will adore these Finnish lands, home to 13 unique species of birds. The Revontuli Coast expansion flows exceptionally wellthe lower half is brushy with great drink zone hunting, while the northern portion is hilly, open, and perfect for run-and-gun gameplay. Start your adventure on the Revontuli Coast today and discover why it secured the second spot in our ranking!1. Sundarpatan; NepaltheHunter: Call of the Wilds latest map expansion is also the games best. Sundarpatan stands alone when compared to other maps because of the opportunities to hunt the most challenging animals, alongside a fantastic roster of small to mid-range huntables. Bengal Tigers are voracious and formidable foes, but the Snow Leopard presents the toughest challenge in the game. Their agility, awareness, and speed are unmatched, offering a truly rewarding gameplay experience. With three major biomesmountains, hills, and tropical plainsevery inch of Sundarpatan feels distinct and unique to hunt.Did we miss anything? Which theHunter: Call of the Wild map expansion is your favorite?Tell usdrop a comment down below with your ranking!

How many remakes does one game need? Pixel Remaster doesn't even have the GBA content, so it's not even definitive. Did they purposefully impair the Pixel Remaster version so that they could make a HD-2D definitive version later, or what? is that why they're talking about another remake so soon after we just got one?Hey I have an idea. they won't do it, but... What if they just made Final Fantasy 17 a HD-2D pixel art game? Just straight up do the next mainline FF game in this style. Would be more interesting than yet another extremely high budget hack n slash after FF16 and FF7R , right?

Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube785kPokmon Scarlet & Violet is celebrating its two-year anniversary with a bumper list of in-game events, all of which culminate in the arrival of shiny Rayquaza, which you'll be able to get for a limited time via Tera Raid Battles.The black-coloured Rayquaza will be available in Scarlet & Violet from 20th December 2024 to 5th January 2025, but you'll have to take it down and capture it in a 5-Star Tera Raid Battle. That's not before a whole slew of events taking place in Paldea, Kitakami, and the Blueberry Academy, however.Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube785kWatch on YouTube Between 29th November and 19th December, three sets of Tera Raid Battle Events will be taking place. the first will feature Corbiknight and Bellibolt (until 5th December), the second Azumarill and Clodsire (until 12th December), and the third Annihilape and Kingambit (until 19th December).Three Mass Outbreaks will also be popping up across all three regions in Scarlet & Violet during those same dates. Outbreaks of Tinkatink with the Ferocious Mark will pop up in Paldea until 5th December, followed by Wooper outbreaks in Kitakami with the Absent-Minded Mark until 12th December. Then, at the Blueberry Academy, Girafarig outbreaks (with the Intellectual Mark) will be happening until 19th December.Images: The Pokmon CompanyOther featured Pokmon, during the Rayquaza part of the event, will be Cetoddle (in Paldea), Carbink (Kitakami), and Fraxure (Blueberry Academy). So you'll need both The Teal Mask and The Indigo Disk DLC if you want to get everything.Plus, if you want an easy way to level up, Chansey will also be appearing in mass outbreaks across Paldea for the duration of the event.Shiny Rayquaza will also be getting a Multi Battle campaign in Pokmon UNITE in December, so it's a busy month for what might be one of the best-looking shiny Pokmon.Will you be attempting to capture shiny Rayquaza in Scarlet & Violet? Can you believe the game is two years old already? Let us know in the comments. Sparkle and shine[source scarletviolet.pokemon.com]Related GamesSee AlsoShare:692 Alana has been with Nintendo Life since 2022, and while RPGs are her first love, Nintendo is a close second. She enjoys nothing more than overthinking battle strategies, characters, and stories. She also wishes she was a Sega air pirate. Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...Related ArticlesNew Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Update Leaves The Switch BehindLa-li-lu-le-lower resolutionReview: Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake (Switch) - Square Doesn't Drop The Ball, Just Some FramesThe wait is finally overThe First Review For Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake Is InFamitsu rates itGrand Theft Auto Trilogy Receives A Surprise Update, Here's What's IncludedUpdate: The Switch patch has also gone live

In BriefPosted:4:43 PM PST November 18, 2024Image Credits:Rodin Eckenroth/FilmMagic / Getty ImagesBen Affleck tells actors and writers not to worry about AIUnions representing Hollywood actors and writers went on strike last year to secure protections against AI systems taking their jobs. But Ben Affleck says that actors and screenwriters shouldnt worry about AI because its not capable of doing either job today, and likely wont for a long time.Movies will be one of the last things if everything gets replaced to be replaced by AI, said Affleck during an onstage interview with CNBC last week. AI can write you an excellent imitative verse that sounds Elizabethan; it cannot write you Shakespeare.Affleck, who runs a movie studio with Matt Damon now, seems to have a decent grasp on how AI works, offering a barebones definition of transformer architectures at one point in the interview. Hes surprisingly optimistic regarding AIs impact on the film industry, saying it may actually create more work for actors and screenwriters. That said, Affleck notes that the visual effects business could be in trouble.Topics

Funding for European tech appears to have stabilised in 2024 after dropping precipitously in 2023, but the signs continue to point to more tough times ahead, according to the latest State of European Tech report.The annual survey produced by European VC firm Atomico notes that startups in the region are on track to raise $45 million this year. While far from the 50% drop of 2023, the figure is still down by $2 billion compared to a year ago. (Note: Atomico originally projected $45 billion for 2023; it has since revised 2023 up to $47 billion.)Atomico has been producing these reports annually for the last decade so this latest edition makes a lot of noise about how much things have grown. Its undeniable that the tech ecosystem in Europe has blown up: Atomico says that there are now 35,000 tech companies in the region that could be classified as early stage, with a 3,400 late-stage companies and 358 valued at over $1 billion. Compare that to 2015, when there were a mere 7,800 early-stage startups, 450 late-stage startups and just 72 tech companies valued at over $1 billion. Yet there is a lot of sobering reading, too, about some of the challenges of the moment and signs of how geopolitical and economic unrest despite that shiny stories about the boom in AI continue to weigh down the market.Here are some of the breakout stats:Exits have fallen off a cliff. This is one of the more stark tables in the report that underscores some of the liquidity pressure that ultimately trickles down to earlier-stage tech companies. Put simply, M&As and IPOs are relatively non-existent right now in European tech. 2024, at the time of the report being published in mid-November, saw just $3 billion in IPO value and $10 billion in M&A, according to S&P Capital figures. Both of these a big drops on the overall trend, which had otherwise seen steady rises in both, consistently surpassing $50 billion per year threshold. (Granted, sometimes all it takes is one big deal to make a year. In 2023, for example, ARMs $65 billion IPO accounted for a full 92% of total IPO value, and clearly it didnt have the knock-on effect many had hoped for in kick-starting more activity.) Transaction volumes, Atomico notes, are at their lowest points in a decade.Debt on the rise. As you might expect, debt financing is filling in the funding gap especially for startups raising growth rounds. So far this year, debt financing made up a full 14% of all VC investments, totalling some $4.7 billion. Thats a big jump on last year, according to Dealrooms figures: in 2023, debt made up just $2.6 billion of financing, accounting for 5.5% of all VC investments.Average round sizes bounce back. Last year, the average size of every stage of funding from Series A to D all declined in Europe, with only seed stage rounds continuing to increase. However, amid an overall decline in number of funding rounds in the region, those startups that are managing to close deals are, on average, raising more. Series A is now $10.6 million (2023: $9.3 million), Series B $25.4 million (2023: $21.3 million), Series C $55 million (2023: $43 million). The U.S. continues to outpace Europe on round sizes overall.But dont expect rounds to be raised in quick successions. Atomico noted that the number of startups on average raising within a 24-month timeframe declined by 20%, and it has taken longer for a company to convert from A to B on what it calls compressed time frames of 15 months or less, with just 16% raising a Series B in that period in 2024.As you can see in the table below the number of rounds in this year is down on the year before.AI continues to lead the pack. As with 2023, Artificial intelligence continued to dominate conversations. Atomico spells this out with a graphic showing the burst of AI mentions in earnings calls:And that has carried through as a strong theme among private companies. Between companies like Wayve, Helsing, Mistral, Poolside, DeepL and many others, AI startups have led the pack when it comes to the biggest venture deals this year in Europe, raising $11 billion in all. Yet even so, Atomico points out, Europe has a long way to close the gap with the U.S. in terms of AI funding. Thanks to outsized rounds for companies like OpenAI, all told the U.S. shaping up to have invested $47 billion in AI companies this year thats right, $2 billion more than all startup investment in Europe, combined. The U.K. (thanks to Wayve) is currently the biggest market for AI funding in the region, it said.Valuations improving After startup valuations bottomed out in 2023, Atomico writes, they are now heading back up, a lagged result of the slow return of activity in the public markets. Some of that is likely also due to the outsized rounds raised by certain companies in certain fields like AI. More generally, the rule appears to be that founders are more open to dilution on larger rounds in earlier stages and that plays out as higher valuations. Then startups raising at later stages are picking up the pieces of that earlier exuberance and are raising down rounds, Atomico said. European startups continue to see valuations on average lower than those of their American counterparts, on average between 29% and 52% lower, Atomico notes.(In the graphic below, charting Series C, the average valuation for a U.S. startup is $218 million, compared to $155 million for startup in Europe.)But sentiment is not. If confidence is a strong indicator of the health of a market, there might be some work ahead for the motivators in out there. Atomico has been polling founders and investors annually asking how they feel about the state of the market compared to a year ago, and 2024 appears to a high watermark for low confidence. In a frank assessment of how founders and investors are viewing the market at the moment, a record proportion respectively 40% and 26% said they felt less confident than 12 months ago.

Efficient Techniques using Maya & ZBrush with Joo VictorLearn how to build a complete character for animation with clean topology. Being a modeler in the animation industry puts you in a flexible position but also demands a lot of you, both artistically and technically. In this 2-hour workshop by Joo Victor, who has contributed to movies including Pixars Inside Out 2, he demonstrates the technical side of character modeling for animation, including the very important topological solutions needed to ensure clean models that correctly deform when animated.This comprehensive workshop begins with the basics and works through to more advanced techniques using Maya and ZBrush. For Joo, topological tasks are like challenging games; artists need to create unique solutions for different characters to create meshes that are as efficient as possible. The work done by modelers is critical for the success of characters as they move through the animation pipeline to be used by various departments. Joo not only discusses the important topology concepts that professional modeling teams consider when preparing meshes for other departments in a studio environment but also provides professional tips and tricks for you to take with you into your personal and studio projects alike.WATCH NOW

Were loving the battle rhino in the visually stunning, often brutal ancient Roman world of Sir Ridley Scott's Oscar-winning Gladiator sequel, coming to theaters November 22.

After striking Oscar gold in the spice fields of Arrakis for the visual effects in Dune, Paul Lambert returns to helm the VFX on the sequel, Dune: Part Two, which further expands the storytelling and the epic vision of filmmaker Denis Villeneuve. The story picks up with House Harkonnen taking over the prized planetary possession and decimating the House Atreides which has sought refuge and gathering rebellion support from the Indigenous desert dwellers known as Freman. 2,156 shots were produced by DNEG, Wylie Co., and Territory Studio with concept art provided by Rodeo FX and previs by MPC. Denis Villeneuve sees the movie and of course there are times hell embrace a slightly different approach, but he knows what he wants, states the production VFX supervisor. Thats what makes it such a pleasure and joy to work with him. Because you know when you do a particular shot that the background isnt going to become something completely different. We have a certain trust with each other as to how we approach the visual effects. I know that if there has been a concept, were going to stick to that, and that allows me to setup the shots in a way which is good for the over-all composite. The idea of shooting sand screens came from me knowing what that background or a proxy version of it was going to be.Unlike Ridley Scott, who is known to use as many as 12 cameras at one time, Villeneuve and cinematographer Greig Fraser favor framing and lighting for a single camera. Honestly, from a visual effects standpoint its a godsend! laughs Lambert. The moment you start to add additional cameras, especially four, you know that there are going to be certain cameras that will always be compromised because you cant plan for four cameras. Great attention was paid to get the desired backlight for each shot. According to Lambert, I introduced Greig to the world of LiDAR scanning apps on an iPhone. When we were going on another recce you would look around and ask, Wheres Greig? And hed be over somewhere scanning the earth or the actual rock structure. That geometry was brought into Unreal Engine.Shadows were critical for the Harkonnen harvester attack that takes place during daylight, in the middle of the desert, so special effects supervisor Gerd Nefzer and his team had industrial tractors hold large black screens in designated areas. Its all about sun and shade, notes Lambert. We needed to think of a visual way to understand what that shadow would do. We had an iPad with custom software from DNEG where we had a huge spice crawler in there. But we were also able to cast a shadow from a spice crawler. We could look at where the camera was going to be, see the structure and see where the shadow was on the ground. We definitely dont want to be running [the characters in the film] into this particular area because we dont have a real shadow for that. One of the main rules I had with Denis was, To try to keep things believable I never want to change the lighting on a character. If we shoot in the daylight and I try to make Paul look as if hes in shadow, it will look wrong. Theres nothing I can do to make that look correct. Another rule in the desert is we never step through previous footprints, which meant whenever we destroyed an area with footprints we would move over. If we couldnt move over to shoot, we would then rake the sand. Trying to simulate that is a big old problem. Given the time of year in the United Arab Emirates, it was extremely difficult locating a backlit dune with the correct wind direction for the iconic moment where Paul Atreides rides a sandworm. We found one, and that was the dune we would run along and then replicate to create the cascade, explains Lambert. But also, when you see some closeups of Paul running on top of the dune, we had to replicate the peak of the dune because what we needed to do is create a physical collapsable dune. What we came up with were these three huge steel tubes attached to industrial tractors. These were embedded into the dune we had created. A stuntie attached to a wire with a camera on a crane behind him would run, we would then callout for those tubes to be pulled out, the dune would collapse, then the stuntie would fall down and the camera would follow. Because of the light direction, which we needed to match the photography, we could only do it at one particular time of day. Obviously, there was a massive reset. We could do it once a day in the morning before we went off and did other things. It took us four attempts. With that element of the stuntie falling down and the camera behind kicking up sand, what I had to do was extend out the rest of the dune collapsing up ahead and the worm coming out so that you felt as if youre way the heck higher. Thats one of those things where if you get all the particulars correct it then works as a shot. Obviously, there is a lot of digital. But you have a basis that is always something real. The decision to deploy infrared cameras to emulate the black sun exterior environment of Giedi Prime brought with it some unpredictable results. We did a multitude of tests before we started the main shoot, recalls Lambert. We were going to shoot it outside between the two stadiums and on white sand, so it was a high contrast area where you had shade and this whiter than white. It was in this grey look. We tested everything. I even tested my gaffer tape for tracking markers. Cut to the day of the shoot when the fighters appeared. The three fighters appeared, and they looked great, muscular, ready to fight. And then we saw one of them through the infrared camera. They had covered his tattoos in makeup. However, in good old infrared, you get to see that. And, he had tattoos all over his body! I asked Denis, Does this fit the aesthetic? He said, No. I had to have Wylie Co. remove that, which was a substantial job. But its the day of the shoot. What are you going to do? We had to shoot.Lambert also needed to accommodate where the studio walls and buildings were casting shadows behind Feyd-Rautha and the other fighters. I made a decision, he notes. Rather than try to remove that - because if you go from something bright to something dark its always going to look bad - I decided to keep those shadows and played them as if they were stadium shadows from the big towers. If you were to look at it as a whole, it wouldnt make sense but in the fight sequence it works well. The fireworks on Giedi Prime scenes also evolved considerably during the shoot. When Feyd and Lady Margot Fenring are walking down the hall and she seduces him, we built a set with these huge structures internally, explains Lambert. The idea was we had fireworks outside that would have a certain pattern that would then play on the interactive light inside and we would extend those. But the actual fireworks, where you see the burst that went through a big development process. They looked completely different than what you see in the film. We had this idea of seeing holes in the atmosphere, and each time one opened it would open a blackness from within the white sky. But Denis was not keen on it until my producer found this little video of ink inside water, which Denis loved, and thats basically what it became!Hardly veering from the original concept was the Orni Bee. We built sections of the back of the Orni Bee for when Glossu Rabban is hanging off it and fighting the Freman. He was holding onto a particular rig, which we built close to the ground but then played as if it was way higher. We also built the Orni Bee for when theyre all taking off from Arrakeen to fight Paul out in the desert. Its a great big physical build. We didnt lift this one into the air because it was way heavier than the original ornithopter. When its flying, we built some silks around it on the actual horizon, which we then augmented. Having a practical asset helps to inspire Denis and the actors, and in the end helps visual effects because I always have something to actually work from.Paul Atreidess vision of a cataclysm became a major visual effects scene. We shot practical actors falling on the ground, who then got body parts replaced by CG to make them way thinner, while all the other characters you see in the background are all CG, states Lambert. It became a big visual effects shot. At one point the look of that particular sequence was going to be way the heck far out there because when we were shooting the plates Greig chose to do some close focus work, and everything was just shapes. It would have been hard to actually get the work inside of those plates. We pulled back a little bit to what the actual visual was going to be. Along with the visions there were holograms. Territory Studio did the Harkonnen tabletop in the city where you have Fayd and the Baron overseeing their bombing tactics on the Freman, shares Lambert. It was beautifully designed. Basically, there were some initial designs from Patrice but then Territory Studio took those to the next level in designing how to visualize a war in progress, like seeing where the spaceships and trajectories were. Denis had a lot of backwards and forwards and creative discussions directly with Territory Studio trying to get his story point across. It was a good relationship. Three puppeteers were responsible for the baby sandworm. When the baby worm was underground, that was a special effects rig that was a ball and chain being pulled, reveals Lambert. Those movements you see in the sand are practical. Then the actual puppeteers would puppeteer the baby worm when it wraps itself around the actress. She carries it and put it under the water. All the puppeteers are in the water moving the puppet. What we did in CG was whenever you see the worm above the water, we would compress the scale. But the main part of that is a puppet. We deemed that was the best approach. There were a multitude of techniques used depending on [what was required for the shot]. Its a philosophy that Denis and I have had throughout our other movies. What is the best way to actually make something believable? To make sure that you dont know that Ive done anything to it! Trevor Hogg is a freelance video editor and writer best known for composing in-depth filmmaker and movie profiles for VFX Voice, Animation Magazine, and British Cinematographer.

Breakdown & ShowreelsDeadpool & Wolverine: Digi-Doubles Breakdown by FramestoreBy Vincent Frei - 18/11/2024 How do you turn actors, dogs and flying head into digital superheroes? Framestores latest making-of reveals their techniques for crafting digital doubles of Deadpool & Wolverine!WANT TO KNOW MORE?Framestore: Dedicated page about Deadpool & Wolverine on Framestore website.Matthew Twyford: Heres my interview of Matthew Twyford, VFX Supervisor at Framestore.Swen Gillberg & Lisa Marra: Heres my interview of Production VFX Supervisor Swen Gillberg and Production VFX Producer Lisa Marra. Vincent Frei The Art of VFX 2024

Back in 2012, John Moffat shared insights into DNEGs visual effects for Snow White and the Huntsman. Since then, he has overseen the visual effects on a wide range of shows, including Life, The 15:17 to Paris, Wonder Woman 1984, and Secret Invasion.Since starting her visual effects career at Tippett Studio in 2003, Aharon Bourland has been involved in the creation of visual effects for various films such as After Earth, Avengers: Infinity War, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and The Matrix Resurrections.How was the collaboration with Director Kelly Marcel?John Moffatt // Kelly and I got on really well from the start of the show. Kelly is super talented, clear about her direction. She is also really collaborative and happy to listen to ideas and suggestions for how something may work. Through all of the stages of the movies production we discussed ideas, reviewed concept material, and iterated on shots and assets. I really love working with Kelly.AharonBourland // Working with Kelly Marcel was such a creative and open experience. She really encouraged us to bring depth to the characters. With her background in writing, her focus was always on the story and how our characters could really add to it. One of my favorite examples is how she encouraged me to keep building up the character of Lasher. She started out as a small role, but by the end, she became one of the most memorable parts of the film!John, what fresh ideas did you bring to the Venom world, and Aharon, how did you help integrate those with the established visual style from your past experience?John Moffatt // Im not sure that there are many fresh ideas, I think most good ideas are simple and its about how we as a group implement those ideas. One of things that we had to do on this movie was see Venom in the daylight. Something that had not been done in the previous two movies. I was very keen to test that early on the production and we did that with a good degree of success. Venom has not really got any Diffuse component he is pretty much all spec and reflection so it was an exercise that required a fair bit of iteration before we landed on something that we all liked. In terms of ideas, and keeping things simple I try to have clarity with the Director in terms of what they want and then look to give them as much time as possible to evolve the work as we move through the production.Aharon, John Moffatt joins you as VFX supervisor on this one. How did you integrate his contributions with the established visual style from your past experience?AharonBourland // John and I have a long history of working together, and our skills really complement each other. He comes from a compositing background and has an incredible eye for color and composition, while I lean more toward animation and FX. We each brought our strengths to the table to take Venom to the next level for this film.How did you organize the work between you two and with your VFX Producer?John Moffatt // I brought on Aharon Bourland as I think she is a fantastic talent and I love working with her. David Lee was our DNEG Supe and we also worked with Paul Franklin as we have known each other for a long time. At ILM, Simone Coco headed up the team. Greg Baxter was our Production side Producer.AharonBourland // We divided up the VFX work by vendor. I was responsible for ILM, Digital Domain (DD), and Instinctual, while John handled DNEG and Territory Studio. After I came on, I also took care of the Post Vis with The Third Floor. Greg Baxter was our Producer across all the vendors, and Mickael Bec Velazquez worked alongside him as his Associate Producer. It was a smooth system that helped keep everything running efficiently!What is the your role on set and how do you work with other departments?John Moffatt // I enjoy being on set working with the team. My role is to try and be part of the team and shoot the best possible material for the movie. With a specific eye towards how will the material we are shooting work for vfx.AharonBourland // Before the actual shoot, we collaborate with all the departments to figure out what elements will be shot and what well need to cover. On set, our main job is working with the directorsKelly Marcel for the main unit and Brian Smrz for second unitto help everyone understand how the VFX will be integrated into the footage were shooting. It can get pretty complex, especially when were dealing with animated characters that dont exist in the real world. I often find myself acting out scenes on the day so people can better visualize whats going to happen. Sometimes, Ill do quick drawings over stills to help make things clearer. I also work closely with the camera team to make sure we capture enough clean plates and alternate angles, so we have everything we need to support the work as it evolves in post-production.How did you choose the various vendors and split the work amongst them?John Moffatt // We decided to use DNEG because they had a history with the other two movies, I also worked there for almost two decades and had a good relationship. We chose to work with ILM because they are fantastic and we also had a great relationship with some of the key folk in the team they put forward for the job. We worked with Rodeo FX, because I had worked with them before and they had been great partners and we also worked with DD.We decided to put the entire third act with one vendor and the rest with another but as things developed as the work changed shape during production. Basically ILM did the River and the Third Act, DNEG did most of the rest of it, Rodeo did the Beach Flashback and DD did the Knull work.AharonBourland // We chose to work with DNEG because they had a solid history with the previous two movies, and me and john had work there for many years, so we had a great relationships built on.ILM was an easy choice because theyre fantastic, and we also had strong connections with some of the key people on their team for this project. We worked with Rodeo because john had partnered with them before, and they were great to work with, and we also collaborated with DD.How has the visual representation of Venom evolved across the three films in the saga? What new techniques were used in the latest chapter?John Moffatt // We wanted to give Venom the ability to give as emotional performance as possible, so we developed new face shapes for him. We tweaked the shape of Wraith Venoms head to make it less flat across the top. But really the main evolution was in the daylight look dev.AharonBourland // The look of Venom really evolved naturally over the three films. The first movie was kind of like a prototypewe were figuring out the basic forms, like the slug, wraith, and full symbiote. Since the whole movie took place at night, we mostly focused on how his skin reflected light. In the second movie, we focused more on refining Venoms animation and performance. A lot of the breakthroughs were actually with Carnage and how we used procedural animation to have him grow and even envelope a church.For the third and final chapter, we added a lot more detail to Venoms shading, especially so he would look better in daylight. We also had to upgrade the face animation system so Venom could express a wider range of emotions, which was really important for showing his relationship with Eddie. Plus, Venom got to take on some new forms in this moviehe became a fish, a frog, and even a horse! But even with these new looks, we made sure each one still felt like Venom. And we took everything we learned from the procedural animation and geometry generation from the big merge fight in the first film and Carnages transformations in the second film to create the massive final form, the Venomphage, which was a mix of Venom and five Xenophages.How did you ensure that each symbiote in this film had a unique visual identity, from their colors to the way they interact with the environment?AharonBourland // Each symbiote started with research into their comic book versions, and from there, we evolved those into hero versions that fit the story. It was really important that each symbiote had a unique set of abilities that complemented the others and helped move the story forward. For example, Lavas red and yellow fire whip worked well with the tendril cage that Animal/Tendril used to restrain the Xenophage. Dr. Paynes symbiote was also tied thematically to her character. Her life was changed by a lightning bolt, and when she bonded with the symbiote, it gave her lightning-like abilities, bringing her story full circle.What challenges did you face in portraying the complex relationship between Venom and Eddie Brock, visually speaking, in this third film?John Moffatt // I had a good relationship with Tom (Hardy) and we discussed how he wanted to do things, Kelly and Tom are really close and so we let Toms performance drive how we animated Venom. Tom is really good at keeping his eyeline alive and that constant vibrancy that he brings gave the animators great material to work with.How did the design and animation of the symbiotes interactions with their hosts evolve in this chapter compared to previous films?AharonBourland // The rules from the first two movies mostly stayed the same, but we did loosen one rule a bit: the symbiotes could bond with their hosts more easily this time around. The big advancement was in the design of the symbiote army that helped Venom in the final battle. Each symbiote had its own unique abilities, which really influenced how they behaved and how the fight was choreographed. For example, Jim (the copper-brown symbiote) was a bruiser with powerful punching fists, while Lasher (the green-red symbiote) was quick and a slashing attacker. As a team, each symbiote played a key role in the fight. We also introduced something new by having two of the symbiotes combine to create a hybrid with new powers. We did this with Animal and Tendril, and it really added another layer to the action!Venoms abilities have grown and evolved over the trilogy. What new effects or abilities did you introduce for Venom in this film that were particularly challenging or exciting to create?AharonBourland // Having venom bond with multiple different animals was the big addition to this film.In creating the Xenophage, what were the key design elements that made it a terrifying new creature? How did you approach its movement and texture?John Moffatt // We had a design that Kelly loved when I joined the show. Karl Lindberg had done a concept and DNEG had done some evolution of it and created a really solid concept version of the asset. We commisioned a movment study very early in prep and Chris Lentz and Chas Jarret at DNEG created a sequence that people at the Studio and on the Production got really excited about. Once we had a clear direction in terms of how it was going to move and behave we moved the asset back into build and created a movie quality asset based on the coneot version that was used for the movement study. The movement was actually all in black and white. So we also developed the lookdev of the creature as we refined the asset but Kelly had a very clear idea of how she wanted it to look.The Xenophage has a very distinct and menacing presence. How did you integrate practical effects with CGI to make it feel as realistic and frightening as possible?John Moffatt // As I mentioned at the outset most good ideas are simple. So we looked at all of the moments in the script when she was going to be in the scene and worked with SFX to create interactive effects that would enhance the creatures on screen presence. Often we will shoot with and without specific preactical effects in the event that things change in post and plates that have been shot with specific purpose in prep and shoot change and end up being used differently in post.AharonBourland // Whenever we could, we used practical SFX for the Xenophages interactions with the environment. This included real explosions, ratchet pulls on set pieces, and even flipping CanAms. Since we filmed so many practical effects, we had tons of great reference to use when we needed to recreate or enhance them with CGI. Another advantage of having these practical elements and stunt work was that it allowed us to choreograph the shots like we would for an action sequence. This really gave the action a grounded, realistic feel and helped make the Xenophages even more menacing.Can you walk us through the process of creating the battle sequences between Venom, the new symbiotes and the Xeonphages? What were the biggest technical hurdles?AharonBourland // Creating the battle sequences was a long, evolving process. It all started with previs, where we worked out the general outline of the action with Kelly and Brian. Once we had a rough idea, we moved into stunt rehearsals. The major story points stayed the same, but the specifics of how the action flowed were worked out on the actual location with stunt performers. This was really important because the physical realities of the location and what real performers can do dont always match up with previs. After that, we shot stunt viz for all the key action moments.Then we moved into principal photography, which closely followed the stunt viz, though we made some minor adjustments based on how things were playing out on the day. We shot clean plates and alternate angles to cover any changes that might come up in post-production. There was a good amount of restructuring done during post, but we managed to pull it off by using a mix of plates and full CG shots. The biggest technical challenge was choreographing all the multi-character fight beats. These had to be hand-animated to make sure they didnt just feel like actors in rubber suits. Simone Coco and his team did an amazing job bringing life and character to those fight moments.Can you elaborate on the collaboration between the VFX team and the stunt coordinators for the various battle scenes?John Moffatt // As with Practical SFX we worked closely with the Stunt team. Stunts often produce Stunt Viz during Prep which serves as a great guid for action beats in the movie. Jim Churchman and Jake Tomuri were a joy to work with and we had a good relationship. For me and I think most folk who do this job its about choosing the best approach for each shot, or sometimes elements within a shot. So for example, if the Stunt team can do a practical wire gag and the effect can be in camera, well do that. We will then be on hand to remove the rigs or padding, but ultimately it results in a better on screen reality. Its all a conversation geared towards creating the best finished result.How did you approach the scenes where Venom and the symbiotes morph and transform in real-time during action sequences?AharonBourland // Our approach to the transformations was to keep them feeling natural and organic within the action, rather than drawing too much attention to them. We didnt want the transformations to feel like a separate momentthey should just flow with the action. On the technical side, we created a toolkit of ingredients that we could remix to achieve different styles of transformations. This involved using layers of procedurally generated geometry in Houdini, which gave us the flexibility to create the various morphs as they happened in real-time.In terms of lighting and color, how did you differentiate Venoms darker, grittier tone from the other symbiotes and the Xenophage, especially in battle scenes?AharonBourland // Our overall lighting philosophy was to keep things as photographic and grounded as possible. We didnt want to over-light the characters just for claritysometimes, we let them fall into shadow or silhouette if thats what the plates called for. This helped give the fantastical characters a more real, tangible feel. It was important to avoid that cartoonish look, especially with all the brightly colored comic book characters running around. By keeping the lighting more natural, we made sure Venoms darker, grittier tone stood out, while also differentiating him from the other symbiotes and the Xenophage, especially during the intense battle scenes.What role did previs play in developing the visual effects for the large-scale symbiote battles?John Moffatt // We Previsd a lot of this movie. But as mentioned above things evolve during the post production stage of movies. During the actor and writers strike we worked on Previs for the battle sequence which we shot as soon as production resumed. Kelly had already written it so it wasnt affected by the strike but we wanted to hit the resumption of filming with a solid plan. So It played a big part.AharonBourland // Previs played a huge role in developing the VFX-heavy sequences. It helped us map out the complex action early on. But honestly, post-vis was just as essential, maybe even more so. We used post-vis extensively to work through notes that came up in editorial and to refine the scenes. This really helped give vendors a clear sense of direction once they began tackling the shots in detail.With the introduction of Knull, how did the team conceptualize and design him and his prison?AharonBourland // We went straight to the comic source material to bring Knull to life. Our goal was to make him feel like he stepped right out of the comics, with just a few tweaks to his eyes and mouth to help with expression and clarity of speech. We wanted fans to feel like this was the Knull they knew, just in cinematic form. His prison, though, gave us more room for interpretation. We drew a lot from The King In Black series and then evolved those visuals using techniques wed developed for Venoms goo in the previous films. This approach helped integrate Knulls world into Venoms cinematic language and really cemented their connection.Were there any unexpected technical or creative challenges encountered during the production?John Moffatt // Not really I think that we have all learned that story evolves as production does and Visual effects role is to facilitate that. Id be more surprised these days if things were not challenging or unexpected.AharonBourland // There were definitely some unexpected challengeswhat would filmmaking be without them? Most were creative changes, but we had a big technical surprise with the river tank. Since it was heated, it produced a massive, unexpected amount of steam, which we then had to clean up in post. Another interesting challenge was designing the green symbiote that bonds with Mulligan. Kelly had a unique vision for himshe wanted a snake-like, semi-transparent water god look. Dave Lee and his team at DNEG did a fantastic job bringing that vision to life. Challenges like these are just part of the process, and honestly, theyre what make it all so interesting.Looking back on the project, what aspects of the visual effects are you most proud of?John Moffatt // I like the Wraith Venom performance in the desert and during the third act when Eddie and Venom decide to make the ultimate sacrifice.AharonBourland // When I look back on the project, there are two things Im especially proud of. First, the work that ILM did on the river tank is just amazing. They extended the tank seamlessly, both above and below water, in a way that really helped expand the world of the movie. The second thing is the Venomphage. Animating six characters at once, while making sure they performed a heartfelt goodbye, was a huge challenge. On top of that, we had to layer in fluid effects to simulate the burning acid that Venom uses to sacrifice himselfit was complex but really rewarding.How long have you worked on this show?John Moffatt // 22 months.AharonBourland // I was on the show for about a yearWhats the VFX shots count?John Moffatt // 1285.What is your next project?John Moffatt // Walking my dog.AharonBourland // Right now, Im working on a few things, but Id love to take on a Swamp Thing movie at some point. Though, Im probably going to take a bit of a break and recharge.A big thanks for your time.WANT TO KNOW MORE?Digital Domain: Dedicated page about Venom: The Last Dance on Digital Domain website.DNEG: Dedicated page about Venom: The Last Dance on DNEG website.ILM: Dedicated page about Venom: The Last Dance on ILM website.Rodeo FX: Dedicated page about Venom: The Last Dance on Rodeo FX website. Vincent Frei The Art of VFX 2024