All 16 felony charges against the Empire actor have been dropped. Smollett, who was accused of staging a phony hate crime against himself, has had his record wiped clean.Cook County States Attorney Kimberly Fox said: After reviewing all of the facts and circumstances of the case, including Mr. Smollets volunteer service in the community and agreement to forfeit his bond to the City of Chicago, we believe this outcome is a just disposition and appropriate resolution to this case. We standby the Chicago Police Departments investigation and our decision to approve charges in this case.While Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said: I stand behind the detectives investigation. Do I think justice was served? No, I think this city is still owed an apology. Johnson was joined by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel who criticized the Cook County States Attorneys office decision: This is a whitewash of justice. A grand jury could not have been clearer.Jussie Smolletts legal team shared this statement in the Chicago Tribune: He was a victim who was vilified and made to appear as a perpetrator as a result of false and inappropriate remarks made to the public, causing an inappropriate rush to judgment. Jussie and many others were hurt by these unfair and unwarranted actions. This entire situation is a reminder that there should never be an attempt to prove a case in the court of public opinion. That is wrong. It is a reminder that a victim, in this case, Jussie, deserves dignity and respect. Dismissal of charges against the victim, in this case, was the only just result. Jussie is relieved to have this situation behind him and is very much looking forward to getting back to focusing on his family, friends, and career.What a turn of events in this case! Do you think the court made the right decision? Sound off in the comments below.The post Jussie Smollett: All Charges Dropped appeared first on Fame Focus.

The Coldplay frontman has just been granted a restraining order which protects him and his girlfriend Dakota Johnson against an alleged stalker. On Monday, Martin reportedly filed paperwork against a woman who he believes has been stalking him for awhile. The stranger has allegedly visited the singers house multiple times, and even placed a package inside his gate. The stalker is said to have also left letters at his residence referencing his children, suicide, death, and delusions about what she believes is a romantic relationship with Gwyneth Paltrows ex-husband. Martin said the police have told her to stay away. But, now the 42-year-old has taken the matter into his own hands and officially filed a restraining order that protects him, Dakota and his children Apple and Moses whom he shares with Paltrow.The woman has been ordered to stay at least 100 yards away from the aforementioned parties until a court hearing next month.The post Chris Martin Granted a Restraining Order appeared first on Fame Focus.

In these VFX show reels we take a look behind the scenes of the 2017 movie Logan and find out just how they created all of the incredible and unbelievable VFX shots. Plus, we also take a look at how they make realistic 3D versions of actor Hugh Jackman who plays the mutant character Logan and Dafne Keen who plays the character Laura. Both incredibly realistic digital doubles that, arguably, seem to have almost broken free from the uncanny valley. See for yourselves! VFX by: Image Engine and Rising Sun Pictures Music by Monkey Media Like the music in this video? Get it onitunes,Google Play,SpotifyandAmazonThe post Amazing Before & After Hollywood VFX: Logan appeared first on Fame Focus.

The Boy Is Mine singer has officially filed for divorce from her ex-NBA star husband Shannon Brown.Monica met Brown in June 2010 when looking for someone to play the love interest in her video for Love All Over Me. The couple wed less than six months later in November 2010. Monica filed the paperwork earlier this month in Atlanta. The pair, who have been married nearly a decade, have a five-year-old daughter Laiyah together. Monica also has two sons from a previous relationship with rapper Rocko.No details have been released regarding whether she will be seeking child or spousal support from Brown. Monica and Shannon reportedly separated in October 2018, but then the 38-year-old shared a loving photo of the two together on Instagram. Fans recently noticed that she hasnt been wearing her ring in Instagram photos for the past month.Monica has been in the music business for over 25 years and shes still going strong. In December 2018, she released the ballad Be Human to introduce The Be Human Foundation, a non profit organization founded by herself. In January 2019, she released Commitment, the first single on her own label, Mondeenise Music. Best of luck to Monica and her family during this separation. The post Singer Monica Files for Divorce from Ex-NBA Baller Husband appeared first on Fame Focus.

By now, most Wendy Williams fans have heard about the talk show hosts latest drama (her husbands mistress recently gave birth to a baby girl), but now were hearing that Williams has been unfaithful herself.The TV personalitys ex-husband, Bert Girigorie, spoke with Radar Online and shared the details of her alleged infidelity during their marriage. Williams and Girigorie were married in 1994, and they reportedly called it quits a year later in 1995.Girigorie said: She would stay out all night and come home about 10 or 11 oclock in the morning and was like Oh? and she didnt offer any explanation. And that pissed me off. I just let it go. I do not wish her any ill will. I hope that she is able to find some peace of mind. After we broke up people started calling me up and telling me different things. At that point it didnt matter. Several people came to me with stories about her being with other people.He went on to say that he thinks their marriage was a complete publicity stunt: I didnt really consider it but looking back part of the reason why we hooked up was because I fit the profile that she thought would be acceptable to her parents. I came from a good family, a middle class/upper middle class family, educated. I was working at the radio station. I just fit the profile of the guy that she could bring home to her parents.With all thats going on in Wendy Williams world, this doesnt look too good for the TV star. The post Wendy Williams Ex-Husband Accuses Her of Infidelity appeared first on Fame Focus.

Marsai Martin, best known for playing the Johnson familys brainiac daughter Diane on Blackish, is now the youngest executive producer of a big-budget film.The 14-year-old came up with a new plot idea for the body-swap genre entitled Little. The film stars Regina Hall as Jordan Sanders, a hotheaded tech mogul known for her ruthless leadership style, who transforms into a teenage boss. When she happens to cross a 13-year-old girl armed with literal Black Girl Magic, Sanders is transformed into an actual Girlboss. Marsai is a perfect example of a young girl having creative ideas and anything-is-possible energy, says director Tina Gordon, who cowrote 2002s Drumline.Marsai Martin, born just outside Dallas, has been performing since she was just two years old. When Martin was nine, her family moved from suburban Texas to Southern California. Within months, she had landed over a dozen commercials and a role on a new ABC pilot, about an upper-middle-class black family in Los Angeles, which would later become Blackish.This is just the beginning for the successful young actress who wants to do a live-action Marvel film and is already diving into her own online beauty tutorials. The post Blackish Star Becomes Youngest Executive Producer Ever appeared first on Fame Focus.

According to court documents filed in Clark County, Nevada, the Oscar-winning actor filed for annulment just four days after tying the knot with his makeup artist girlfriend Erika Koike.Cage and Koike obtained a marriage license on March 23 and wed that same day at the Bellagio casino on the Las Vegas Strip.The Ghost Rider actor reportedly filed an annulment request on March 27. If the court refuses his request he wants a divorce, the filing noted.Cage, 55, and Koike, 35, had been together for at least a year, its unclear why the two split so suddenly.This was the fourth marriage for Cage. He was previously married to actress Patricia Arquette for six years from 1995-2001. His second wife was singer Lisa Marie Presley whom he married in 2002, but divorced three months later. He wed Alice Kim, his third wife, in 2004, the couple were together for 12 years before splitting. They had a son, Kal-El, in 2005 and divorced in 2016. Maybe marriage just isnt in the cards for Cage?The post Nicholas Cage Seeks Annulment Less Than a Week After Marriage appeared first on Fame Focus.

Law enforcement had been tracking 38-year-old John Ford, the guy who showed up twice at Kendalls home, for the past few weeks.Last October, Ford scaled a hill and ended up by Jenners swimming pool and came back again shortly after and ended up on her front porch.Ford who is actually a Canadian citizen whose visitor visa expired months ago, has been living illegally in the U.S. Ford entered the country a year ago from Canada at Sweetwater, Montana, with a non-immigrant B-2 visa, which allowed him to stay in the States for no longer than six months. ICE agents immediately began searching for Ford, and they got their man Monday at a New Mexico hotel.An ICE spokesperson said: This timely arrest could very well have prevented a violent crime. Our special agents acted quickly on this tip to ensure that this obsessive behavior didnt escalate to become a tragedy.Ford is currently in ICE custody in El Paso, Texas and is awaiting a deportation hearing.The Kardashian-Jenner family responded, We are extremely appreciative of the hard work by the Los Angeles Police Dept. and ICE, whose swift response and professionalism led to this mans apprehension. His actions have not only had a severe impact on Kendalls life, but the entire familys sense of security, causing us to fear for Kendalls safety as well as our own. Knowing this individual is in custody gives us peace of mind.The post Kendall Jenners Alleged Stalker Arrested by ICE appeared first on Fame Focus.

Ermias Davidson Asghedom, professionally known as Nipsey Hussle, was a Grammy-nominated rapper and songwriter from Los Angeles. Hussle was shot dead Sunday afternoon outside of his store, Marathon Clothing, in South Los Angeles. He was 33.Hussle emerged as a part of the West Coast hip-hop scene in the mid-2000s and he initially became known for his numerous mixtapes, including his Bullets Aint Got No Nameseries,The Marathon,The Marathon ContinuesandCrenshaw.The late rappers debut studio album, Victory Lap, was released in February 2018 to critical acclaim and commercial success, and was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards in 2019.Hussle was raised in the Crenshaw neighborhood of South Los Angeles, where he was member of the local Rollin 60s Neighborhood Crips gang. He leaves behind his girlfriend of six years, actress Lauren London, their son together, Kross and a daughter, Emani, from a previous relationship.The post Rapper Nipsey Hussle Shot Dead in Los Angeles appeared first on Fame Focus.

The 34-year-old actress is engaged to longtime boyfriend Louis Diame. RaesInsecurecostars Jay Ellis andYvonne Orjiconfirmed the news while walking the red carpet at the 2019 NAACP Image Awards over the weekend.Oriji told Entertainment Tonight: Were very excited for her, with Ellis adding, We all found out in different ways because were all on different text chains. We talk at different times, so we all found out at different times in different ways.Surprisingly, Rae also attended the NAACP Image Awards, but she did not comment on her relationship status. Rae played coy during her appearance on The View on Monday, saying, I have a lot of rings on my fingers.Rae and Diame try to keep their relationship out of the spotlight, though the businessman has accompanied the actress on several red carpets over the years.Rae prefers to keep her personal life private: I get so much feedback about everything. The one thing I dont need feedback on is who Im sleeping with.Well, congrats to the lovely couple, we wish them all the best!The post Insecure Star Issa Rae Is Engaged appeared first on Fame Focus.

In a recent speech the Venom actress revealed how she found out she was paid less than a tenth of her male co-stars salary. Williams admitted she felt paralyzed in feelings of futility.Williams and Wahlberg were asked to return to the set of All The Money In The World after director Ridley Scott decided to completely erase scandal-ridden Kevin Spaceys role. For a few of the scenes Spacey was digitally replaced by actor Christopher Plummer, while some scenes required the other actors to be present.Apparently the 38-year-old had agreed to receive no additional salary, just a per diem (a small stipend to cover daily expenses). While, Mark, on the other hand, had gotten his agent, Ari Emanuel, to negotiate a hefty sum for the extra ten days. Williams shared: In late 2017, the news broke that Id been paid less than $1,000 compared to the $1.5 million that my male counterpart had received for the exact same amount of work. And guess what, no one cared. This came as no surprise to me, it simply reinforced my life-learned belief that equality is not an inalienable right and that women would always be working just as hard for less money while shouldering more responsibility at home. Ive been a working actress since the age of 12. Ive been accredited by my industry at the highest levels and that still didnt translate to equal compensation.Then, Wahlberg was shamed into donating his outlandish salary thanks to Jessica Chastain. Williams said: Months passed and the actress Jessica Chastain, with whom I had in fact played sisters, offered to take my story to her Twitter. Jessicas audience was much wider than mine and she wasnt afraid to pick up a megaphone and be heard. Heard she was, there was an uproar and a public shaming within my industry that resulted in a $2 million donation to the Times Up Defense Fund.Michelle thinks there has been a slight shift in the industry noting: On the job I just completed two weeks ago, I have to tell you, I was paid equally with my male costar.Its about time!The post Mark Wahlberg Made 1,000 Times Michelle Williams Salary appeared first on Fame Focus.

The Hills alum has just announced that she and her husband, William Tell, are expecting their second child.The 33-year-old took to Instagram to share the news: Its been hard to keep this one to myself! Conrad captioned the pic of herself holding her baby bump. Very excited to share that our family will be getting a little bigger this year.Conrad and Tell who have been together since 2012, tied the knot back in September 2014. The pair already share son Liam, who will turn two in July.The ex-reality star turned lifestyle aficionado opened up about wanting children in a2015 blog poston her website. When asked how many kids she wanted, Conrad replied, Maybe two, that way we arent outnumbered.Well, it seems like everything is going to plan! Congrats to Conrad and her growing family.The post Lauren Conrad Pregnant with Baby Number 2 appeared first on Fame Focus.

Alec Baldwins wife opened up to her Instagram followers today in a very vulnerable way. The 35-year-old shared that she is most likely experiencing a miscarriage. Baldwin candidly wrote: I want to share with you that I am most likely experiencing a miscarriage. I always promised myself that if I were to get pregnant again, I would share the news with you guys pretty early, even if that means suffering a public loss. I have always been so open with you all about my family, fitness, pregnanciesand I dont want to keep this from you, just because it isnt as positive and shiny as the rest. I think its important to show the truthbecause my job is to help people by being real and open. Furthermore, I have no shame or embarrassment with this experience. I want to be a part of the effort to normalize miscarriage and remove the stigma from it. There is so much secrecy during the first trimester. This works for some, but I personally find it to be exhausting. Im nauseous, tired, my body is changing. And I have to pretend that everything is just fineand it truly isnt. I dont want to have to pretend anymore. I hope you understand.Hilaria continued: So, this is what is going on now: the embryo has a heartbeat, but it isnt strong, and the baby isnt growing very much. So we waitand this is hard. So much uncertainty, but the chances are very, very small that this is a viable pregnancy. I have complete confidence that my family and I will get through this, even if the journey is difficult. I am so blessed with my amazing doctor, my dear friends, and my loving familyMy husband and my four very healthy babies help me keep it together and have the perspective of how truly beautiful life is, even when it occasionally seems ugly. The luck and gratitude I feel that I am my babies mommy, is wonderfully overwhelming and comforting.The couple who share four young children together Carmen (born August 2013), and sons Rafael (born June 2015), Leonardo Angel Charles (born September 2016) and Romeo Alejandro David (born May 2018), have been married since June 2012. We will keep the Baldwin family in our prayers.The post Hilaria Baldwin Opens Up About Possible Miscarriage appeared first on Fame Focus.

The Amazon CEO and his wife MacKenzie have officially finalized their hefty divorce. Mackenzie says shes finished the process of dissolving my marriage with Jeff, and says shes given him all of her interests in the Washington Post and 75% of their Amazon stock. Shes also surrendered her interest in Blue Origin, the aerospace company Jeff started in 2000. Jeff will also be paying out a generous portion of what was the couples $149 billion net worth. Jeff and MacKenzie, who married back in 1993, just six months after meeting and way before Amazon, have four children together ranging in age from 13 to 18. The ex-couple both went to Princeton, but they met in New York when he was vice president of a hedge fund. After getting married, they quit their Wall Street jobs and moved to Seattle, where Jeff started an online bookstore in his garage- the beginning of Amazon.MacKenzie is an award-winning novelist and the executive director of an anti-bullying org. called Bystander Revolution.The division of their assets couldve been complicated by how much they have, and not only in cash. The pair own 400,000 acres of property and are two of the biggest landholders in the country. But, the split appears to be fair and amicable.The now-exes announced their plans to split following what they called a trial separation. Jeff has already moved on to former So You Think You Can Dance host Lauren Sanchez, who many speculated he was having an affair with while he was married. Glad the divorce was able to be civil.The post Jeff Bezos Divorce Is Finalized appeared first on Fame Focus.

So many bests, so much need for CGI! And we have some amazing VFX for you to see. In this showreel, we explore the epic action adventure fantasy film that is a sequel to the 2010 film Clash of the Titans. Of course, creating all of these incredible effects no only took huge amounts of computer animation know how but also some amazing artwork by very talented individuals. Come and see just what went into the making of Wrath of the Titans in these incredible VFX showreels! VFX By: MPC and Method StudiosMusic By: Monkey Media IncorporatedSong Title: Monkay BusinessMusic Links:Get it on itunesGet it on Google PlayFind it on SpotifyBuy it on AmazonThe post Amazing Before & After Hollywood VFX: Wrath of the Titans appeared first on Fame Focus.

Come and find out how the special effects in Terminator Salvation were done. See how modern day, ground breaking, CGI has helped movie makers add enhancements to their practical effects to the point where you cant tell if it was actually filmed or just a puppet in front of a green screen. In these reels we explore some subtle effects that really add that sense of realism. And some more involved effects that make bringing Terminator Salvations fictional world to the big screen possible. Enjoy VFX Reels By: Rodeo FX and Rising Sun Pictures Like the music in this video? Get it onitunes,Google Play,SpotifyandAmazon The post Amazing Before & After Hollywood VFX: Terminator Salvation appeared first on Fame Focus.

After 11 years of drinking wine alongside Hoda Kotb, Kathie Lee Giffords final day of Today has arrived.After a special performance from Flo Rida, who turned his hit My House turned into Kathie Lees House, Gifford sat down with Kotb for the last time.Gifford shared: I feel great, I do. The last two weeks, since all this crazy stuff began, I had no expectations. You want to bear it well. You want to honor the Lord with whatever you say and do, but you also want to have fun and remind people of why this show worked in the beginning. Because we have fun and we have a friendship and its real.In April 2008, everything changed when Gifford replaced Natalie MoralesandAnn Curryfor the last hour ofThe Today Show, chemistry was magnetic between her and Kotb.Gifford has been a daytime favorite since her days on Live! With Regis & Kathie Lee, so fans are going to miss her on the small screen Monday through Friday while she pursues other endeavors.Gifford will be devoting her time to writing and producing Christian music: The work that I want to do isnt here anymore. I am an artist, Im an actress, Im a writer, Im a songwriter, a director now. Thats the stuff that feeds my soul and I know that Im running out of time to do those things.Former first daughter Jenna Bush Hager is set to step in as co-host alongside Kotb on April 8. The post Kathie Lee Gifford Says Goodbye to Today appeared first on Fame Focus.

The 35-year-old model is expecting her second child. Rose and her boyfriend Alexander Edwards both announced the news on Instagram last week. This will be the first child for the couple, while Rose shares six-year-old Sebastian Sebastian Taylor Thomazwith rapperWiz Khalifa.Rose wrote: @ae4president and I are SUPER excited to announce that we have a Sweet little Baby Boy on the way! P.S Sebastian is soooooo Happy to be a big brother!Shes currently 13 weeks pregnant and is suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum, a severe type of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. Sources told TMZ that Amber was hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for a few days, getting IV treatments because she was sick and losing weight. The baby boy is due in October, close to Ambers birthday, and were told shes excited to share the same zodiac sign Libra.The post Amber Rose Is Pregnant and Feeling Sick appeared first on Fame Focus.

The reality star has plans to follow in her father Robert Kardashians footsteps by becoming an attorney, and shes aiming to get it done within three years.Kim revealed to Vogue that shes actively studying to become a lawyer. Shes not attending a law school as of now, but she does have a master plan to take the bar exam by 2022. The 38-year-old has begun a four-year apprenticeship at a San Francisco-based law firm, which she got started last summer with support and consulting from Van Jones and attorney Jessica Jackson.Kim admits her inspiration came from getting ex-con Alice Marie Johnson released early, which she did by lobbying President Trump and meeting with him face-to-face in the Oval Office.She admits the impact of Johnsons case was bigger than she expected: Im sitting in the Roosevelt Room with, like, a judge who had sentenced criminals and a lot of really powerful people and I just sat there, like, Oh, sh*t. I need to know more. I would say what I had to say, about the human side and why this is so unfair. But I had attorneys with me who could back that up with all the facts of the case. Its never one person who gets things done; its always a collective of people, and Ive always known my role, but I just felt like I wanted to be able to fight for people who have paid their dues to society.The post Kim Kardashian Taking Bar Exam in 2022 appeared first on Fame Focus.

Charles Van Doren, one of the most infamous TV game show contestants of all time, has passed away. According to Van Dorens family, the subject of an Oscar-nominated film died Tuesday at his Connecticut retirement home. Charles famously admitted to cheating on the NBC game show, Twenty-One, back in the 1950s. Van Doren actually testified before Congressional investigators in 1959, saying the shows were rigged. This lead to a huge scandal, because prime time game shows were enormously popular back then, drawing up to 50 million viewers.The 1994 film, Quiz Show directed by Robert Redford, was inspired by Van Doren. The movie, who starred Ralph Fiennes, earned four Oscar nominations and four Golden Globes nominations.Van Doren won $129,000, which would be equivalent to more than $1 million today, but later told Congress he had been given the questions and answers in advance. He also said he was coached up on how to create more drama as he pondered his answers on the show.Van Doren was disgraced after the cheating scandal. He went on to become an editor for Encyclopedia Britannica and wrote a few books.The post Charles Van Doren Dead at 93 appeared first on Fame Focus.

The late rappers Celebration of Life is taking place at the Staples Center today, and TMZ is live streaming whats expected to be a very emotional memorial service. Nipsey Hussle is being honored with an extravagant service in downtown Los Angeles, where 21,000 people are expected to attend. So far G-Eazy, Big Sean, Big Boy, James Harden, DeMar DeRozan, Russell Westbrook and Meek Mill have arrived for the event.Free tickets to the late 33-year-olds memorial were hard to come by this week, as they were purchased within minutes after they were made available to California residents. The heavily guarded affair is protected by a mix security from LAPD and Nation of Islam, as well as Staples Center personnel. The memorial program is full of notes of goodbye and memories from close friends and family. There are also letters written by James Harden, DJ Khaled, Kendrick Lamar, LeBron James, The Game, and many others.We also got the Order of Service and it confirms many of Nipseys celeb friends will be heavily involved, including Anthony Hamilton,Marsha Ambrosius,Snoop Dogg,Jhene Aiko,YG,Stevie WonderandBig Boy.Minister Louis Farrakhanwill also speak during the ceremony.May Nipsey Hussle rest in peace. The post Nipsey Hussle Memorial Service Draws Thousands appeared first on Fame Focus.

Yesterday, it was confirmed that the daytime talk show host has officially filed for divorce from her husband of over two decades, Kevin Hunter. TMZ confirmed that Williams served Kevin Hunter with divorce papers on the set of her show Thursday, finally ending things amid years of rumored infidelity and Kevins alleged mistress recently having a baby.The couple who have been married since 1997, share one son together, Kevin Jr., 19. Hunter also serves as Williams manager and is a producer on her show.In hopes of starting fresh, Williams has been scouring Manhattan looking for a new place to call home.Wendy and Kevin lived in New Jersey together for a large part of their marriage, but now Wendy believes starting over in new surroundings is what she needs. The post Wendy Williams Files for Divorce appeared first on Fame Focus.

Following Tuesday mornings episode of Today, the co-anchor announced via phone that she has adopted a second child, a daughter named Hope Catherine Kotb.The 54-year-old is now a mom for the second time, she previously adopted her now two-year-old daughter, Haley Joy in February 2017.Kotb got candid with her co-workers, some of whom were visibly emotional, when she revealed how big sister Haley is adjusting to having a new baby in the house: This morning at breakfast Haley was trying to feed the new baby her raspberries and I was like, Not yet, babe, Hoda said. She was literally marching around saying, Im a big sister.So happy to see that mom, baby, and big sis all appear to be in GREAT spirits!The post Hoda Kotb Adopts Her Second Child appeared first on Fame Focus.

The Game of Thrones actress has been done filming Season 8 since last summer, and apparently shes been on a hiatus from acting ever since.Turner explained to Dr. Phil during his new podcast, Phil In The Blanks: I actually am still on my break, I took a break off of work to focus on my mental health because I thought it was important.The future Mrs. Joe Jonas has been very candid with her fans about her mental health issues in the past.She tweeted back in January: If we can just all speak out about our experiences or our loved ones experiences we can help other people who suffer with mental illness not feel so alone. Lets keep this dialogue going.She told Dr. Phil: So Im still on that, and Im just about to go into press for the final season of Game Of Thrones, and a movieDark Phoenix that I did, the latest X-Men, is about to come out in June, so Im getting ready for a big press tour for that. So, it seems like her big hiatus wont last forever, although she does have another career in mind if she decides to leave Hollywood forever: I want to do a lot of things, and not just in the film world, at the moment I have a real urge to go to a police academy and become a copIm fascinated by crime and why people do things and the interrogation process, and how you can manipulate your words in order to get someone to confess, that interests me.Well, that would be an interesting turn of events, for now GoT fans can look forward to watching her in the epic shows final season.The post Sophie Turner Quitting Acting appeared first on Fame Focus.

In their efforts to recreate the ISS in the utmost detail, Evans and a team of artists in India began with a basic model of the station. From there, the model was split into individual assets. At that point, Evans and his team waited to see where director Daniel Espinosa would point his camera before focusing their effort into the most prominently featured parts of the model.One of the tricky things they had to deal with was how clean the actual ISS is in real life. Looking at reference photography, it all looked quite CG the normal trick to break this up would be to add layers of dirt to the object but they wanted to try their best to stay true to real-life so they erred away from dirt where they could and went crazy with things like bolts, rivets, handles, cloth basically anything that helped to add more texture onto otherwise pretty flat panels. They did, however, finally have to succumb and run a little dirt through which did actually help sell that last 2% of making something feel real.Another aspect of recreating the real-world ISS that cropped up was the literal mix-and-match nature of the station. Different modules of the International Space Station were built in different nations, by different teams of people. Huw Evans and his team went to great pains to ensure those structural differences were preserved for the final film.The planet Earth was all CGI too. As you might imagine, a special effects company like Doubled Negative has plenty of reason to have an in-house CG model of the planet Earth. And, According to Evans, the regularly-updated model can accurately portray the Earth from any angle. It rotates, it displays city lights and floating clouds. And thats just the base model.But Earth and the space station werent the only things they used CGI Models for.For a moment when Russian actor Olga Dykhovichnayas character takes a walk in space, this was done entirely by computers. As Evans explained, Dykhovichnaya submitted to a scan of her entire body to render a 3D model. From there, a team of artists in London went to work, adding details to the final version.Throughout the film, we see Jake Gyllenhaal, and crew., float through the International Space Station in zero gravity.There are many ways to achieve this effect. You could film in a Vomit Comet, but this is a very expensive method.You could have two guys in green costumes carry the actors in their arms in front of a green screen backdrop and then chroma key the background. But that would be a ridiculous idea. (3:15)No, Instead, for Life they opted to use wires to suspend the films actors. Its a cost-effective technique that allows the filmmakers to film reliably (and predictably) for long periods. Of course, on the tail end of things, Evans and his team tackled the detail-intensive work of scrubbing out every trace of the wires. Imagine the artistry involved in erasing a steel cable that happens to splice Jake Gyllenhaals face in two on-screen and removing it so cleanly that no one can tell the difference even when the image is blown up to the size of a movie screen. Maybe option two would have been a better idea after allMoving on to the films big bad alien named CalvinCalvin gets a lot of character growth over the course of Life. Like, literal character growth. He begins as a tiny organism and evolves quickly to a freaky predator. Evans and Espinosa accomplished this feat by splitting Calvins development into seven distinct parts: Petri dish Calvin, Finger-following tadpole Calvin, Finger-hugging baby Calvin, Hand-crushing flower Calvin, Mouth-erupting larger Calvin, Adult Calvin, and Final evolution stage Calvin.Now, every studio wants to deliver on a terrifying movie monster, but creature supervisor Aharon Bourland had something a little more intensive in mind. According to Evans, Bourland wanted her monster to be based in reality. Says Evans, Bourland worked up a whole biology for this creature and tried to base it all on real-world references as much as possible so each part of its design had a function. And it really paid off.Which movie VFX would you like us to breakdown next? Let us know in the comment section. Also, dont forget to like, subscribe and turn on notifications to receive updates on our latest videos.Like the music in this video?Music By: Monkey MediaSong Title:Links:Get it on Google Play:https://play.google.com/store/music/album/Monkey_Media_Monkey?id=Bowcdm4d3e27oxtldklnn7ynwju&hl=en_USGet it on itunes:https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/monkey/1457690282Listen on Spotify:Buy it on Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Monkey-Media/dp/B07NRQCQ7Y/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=monkey+media&qid=1554364061&s=gateway&sr=8-2The post Amazing Before & After Hollywood VFX: Life appeared first on Fame Focus.

Amazing Hollywood VFX. So well done in fact that most of the time we dont actually see it, at all!But pretty much everything we see in the movies has a whole ton of CGI behind it, enhancing it into the polished scenes weve grown to love.For the Desolation of Smaug, Benedict Cumberbatch not only recorded the voice of Smaug but also had a camera strapped to his head as he thrashed about on the sound stage.Koba from the Dawn of The Planet of The Apes was a CG version of actor Toby Kebbell who acted out the bonobos part throughout. A fully computer-generated model was then constructed and rigged with the tracking points from Kebbells face and body. The motion capturing mixed with CGI is what made the chimps in the movie so convincing.Game of Thrones! Its pretty obvious to every viewer that Daenerys dragons were CGI. It would have been a lot less convincing to simply enhance giant puppets. But she still needed to interact with the dragons on set so rudimentary green props were used.The same challenge was encountered on a much larger scale with the skeletons.In Guardians of the Galaxy, Rocket Raccoons CG character was based on very a real raccoon named Oreo. Also, there was a teddy bear version that would be filmed after the plate, so the animators could get a feel of how its fur reacted to the scenes lighting. In many of Rockets dialogue scenes, a speaker and microphone were strapped to an extra to give the other actors something to react to and for the other scenes, actor Sean Gunn would kneel in front of them reciting Rockets lines. Many of his body movements were used in the final animation. Its no surprise that Man Of Steel is packed full of CGI.When your main character is expected to have super speed and fly around the skies, theres going to be some special effects involved. However, something that wasnt CGI was Henry Cavills pecks as the actor refused any digital touch-ups or enhancement to his body in his shirtless scenes. He also refused to take steroids to muscle up for the role saying it would have been dishonest of him to use trickery while playing Superman and he wanted to push his body to the limits to develop his physique into one that was worthy of the character.In X-Men Days of Future Past, Mystique was so much more complex than Jennifer Lawrence in a blue suit. The actors reels would have to transition seamlessly from one another and VFX artists added a system called Feather Groom tracked virtually to Lawrences blue skin changing color as the scales are flipped over. This system could be moved over her entire body like a ripple in water.For her role as Mystique, Jennifer Lawrence wore a special bodysuit. She had previously worn full-body prosthetics in X-Men: First Class but found that too uncomfortable.Some people wonder why the majority of the end fight of the Avengers was filmed on a green screen and not in the real Manhattan streets. Just the logistics alone, of shutting down a street for the entire shoot would have been a nightmare not to mention having to add so much digital debris and matte paintings afterwards anyway, that the whole thing may as well have been CGI from the start. And so it was. Artists had to create cars, mailboxes, fire hydrants, traffic lights, concrete streets, cables, bars, you name it, they CGd it.Amazing Hollywood VFX. So well done in fact that most of the time we dont actually see it, at all!But pretty much everything we see in the movies has a whole ton of CGI behind it, enhancing it into the polished scenes weve grown to love.Like the music in this video?Music By: Monkey MediaAlbum Title: MonkeyGet it on Google Play:https://play.google.com/store/music/album/Monkey_Media_Monkey?id=Bowcdm4d3e27oxtldklnn7ynwju&hl=en_USGet it on iTunes:https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/monkey/1457690282Listen on Spotify:Buy it on Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Monkey-Media/dp/B07NRQCQ7Y/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=monkey+media&qid=1554364061&s=gateway&sr=8-2The post Amazing Before & After Hollywood VFX appeared first on Fame Focus.

In this episode, we take a look at some incredible behind the scenes VFX footage from Captain Marvel. Find out just what went into this highly polished Hollywood Movie in this detailed VFX breakdown, presented by Jayme Gutierrez.How did Goose the cat fit so many tentacles into his mouth? What did actor Brie Larson have to do to shoot fire out of her hands? Was there really two guys behind her, firing flame throwers in front of a green screen? Maybe not. But find out what really went on in this amazing before and after Hollywood VFX breakdown of Captain Marvel! For those of you who enjoyed the music in this video, here are the links:Track Name: Brass MonkeyGet it on iTunes: https://music.apple.com/us/album/brass-monkey-single/1468001972?app=itunes&ign-mpt=uo%3D4Or Listen to it on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/3qfSZFaFOlOSlzBNYTujInFollow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/focusfameThe post Captain Marvel Without VFX; See Behind all the CGI appeared first on Fame Focus.

20,000 people have signed Return to Orders (a Christian Group) petition asking Netflix to cancel Amazon Prime Videos new limited series Good Omens. Youd think they wouldve at least watched an episode before calling for the ban, then at least they would perhaps realize that the show was created by Netflix and has a pretty great plot about an angel and demon cooperating to save the planet from the apocalypse.Return to Order is based on the work of John Horvat II. The Christian Group calls upon Americans to put principles into actions by working toward what is called an organic Christian society. Another Return to Order petition in April demanded Walmart to stop selling Satanic products following a protest in 2018 against a blasphemous ice cream chain called Sweet Jesus.The post Christian Group Attempts to Ban a Show They Havent Seen appeared first on Fame Focus.

The visual effects in Jordan Peeles 2019 American psychological horror US play just as important a role as the directors social themes. They help reinforce the characters motivations, act as a visual metaphor, and keep the audience glued to their seats without them even noticing any of the post-production trickery thats just happened. And thats when you can tell that the VFX have been done right; when people dont notice anything at all. Just in case you havent already seen it, spoilers ahead.Seeing as the main premise of this movie is that everyone has an evil doppelganger, it was fundamental the shots showing both versions of a character at the same time looked flawless. Now, instead of creating expensive digital doubles that sometimes dont quite convincingly mimic the motion or nuances of an actors performance, they decided to use a different technique.They shot every scene twice. Once with actors playing one character and then, having quickly gone through hair and makeup, their counterpart right after. Some scenes were also filmed using a body double in place of their counterpart.The idea was to get as much real footage of the actors playing both of their roles in order to splice it all together in postproduction. Which is far more practical than strapping a mirror to a body doubles face.Careful notes were taken for each camera movement, noting every camera position and rotation, in order to be able to recreate, as closely as possible, the same shot for each additional pass of the same scene.Having multiple versions of the same shot made it easier to track heads from other takes onto stunt doubles. The problem, however, with this method, arises when both doubles need to interact physically with each other.For this, Industrial Light and Magic ended up having to play a bit of Frankenstein by chopping and cropping actors faces and slicing and splicing parts from stunt doubles in order to create a hybrid version that made the interactions look more convincing.For the flashback where Red and Adalade first meet in the Hall of Mirrors,Jordan Peele made things look even more creepy by having actor Madison Curry stand in front of her photo double, instead of simply putting her in front of a mirror, making it feel all the more unnatural.When Adelaides counterpart reaches out and grabs Adelaides neck, Curry was filmed grabbing a green paper cup that was later replaced.Her hands were also later replaced as well as a full head replacement for an added surreal effect. For the deserted tunnels under the US, hallways were designed with movable walls, some on rollers. This allowed for them to be adjusted on the move however they wanted and meant that they could also switch to a green screen backdrop, ready for LIM to chroma in endless maze-like corridors.The ending areal shot in the movie was filmed in Nicasio, not too far from ILM studios. The only issue with the footage was that there were a lot of forested areas which meant that large parts had to be digitally removed in post-production for the line of tethered to be seen well enough.To make the huge line of tethered feel more tethered to the countryside, a team of 90 extras lined up in red jumpsuits on one of the hilltops. From there, ILM extended the rest of the line digitally to continue on as far as the eye can see. Please give us a thumbs up if you enjoyed this breakdown and be subscribe to be up to date with our latest videos!For those of you who enjoyed the music in this video, here are the links:Track Name: Brass MonkeyGet it on iTunes: https://music.apple.com/us/album/brass-monkey-single/1468001972?app=itunes&ign-mpt=uo%3D4Or listen to it on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/3qfSZFaFOlOSlzBNYTujInFollow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/focusfameThe post Amazing Hollywood VFX Breakdown: Us appeared first on Fame Focus.

Costing a whopping 321 million dollars to produce, Infinity Wars budget didnt just go on reuniting some of the biggest names in Hollywood. A huge whack of it went on state of the art VFX.(VFX by DNEG)Characters like Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive were actually completely CGI. Despite being played by Carrie Coon and Michael Shaw, all of their acting scenes were done in a mo-cap suit which was later used to rig their digital counterparts.(VFX by Rise)Sam Jackson plays Nick Fury in the Avengers films. However (Spoiler Alert) in the end credits after Thanos has snapped his fingers, Nick Fury is headed downtown with his closest agent Maria Hill. When suddenly half of the worlds population starts to disappear. CGI helicopters crash into buildings and all kinds of chaos ensues. This is when Fury looks at Hill and she starts to disintegrate. Using a clever mix of rotomotion, matchmoving and 3D models, VFX artists then added a soft wind to disrupt and carry away the outside shell of the 3d model, with a combination of RBD and FEM simulations. Pulling off this very convincing shot.A similar technique was planned for Nick Fury after he grabs Captain Marvels pager, but in the end, the studio decided to discard Sam Jacksons original plate, and switch over to a full CGI environment and a 3D model of Fury from the production of Winter Soldier used to bind together flakes and sand until affected by the soft wind. This way, they avoided more complicated matchmoving and rotoscoping headaches.In this Wakanda sequence, we see Okoye and King Tchalla strolling along a field which was actually a grassy hill in Atlanta. Thousands of trees and shrubbery was added using SpeedTree and Houdini. Also, many assets were pulled in from the Black Panther production and parts of the Golden City which were done by ILM.(VFX by CineSite)In his quest to steal one of the infinity stones from Thanos, Ebony Maw is torturing Dr. Strange aboard the Q ship. The character Ebony Maw was one of CineSites most difficult challenges due to him being a 100% CGI model, with some extreme close up shots.The plate featuring Benedict Cumberbatch was filmed on a half-constructed set in Atlanta and the ships interior was then rebuilt using a modular 3D construction, creating an alternative damaged version for later destruction sequences.Suits, like Starks and Parkers, were CG, and then tracked and mapped to the actors bodies, although full cgi models were used when the characters masks were on.CineSite was also tasked with tracking and sticking on the antennae to Mantis forehead.(VFX by Framestore)It was Framestores first time working with Spiderman and looked through past movies for inspiration. It has a metallic-sheen and allows Spidey to breathe in space as well as adding an additional layer of armour. Not to mention an additional 4 legsFramestores Capture Lab spent a month in Manhattan and New Jersey shooting photo reference, LIDAR and gigapixel panoramas to capture the environments that had to be recreated in CG.Framestore also worked closely with Marvel for two years, designing Iron Mans new Mark 50 bleeding edge suit. As opposed to the earlier movies, his new suit is made up of thousands of nanobots which rush into place on command, comprised of many different simulations and layers within Houdini.(VFX by Digital Domain)The pressure was on Digital Domain to make Thanos seem like a living and breathing super-villain, some would say the success of the whole movie hinged on his performance being believable. Thanks to their hard work alongside Weta Digital, Thanos is one of the most convincing CGI villains in cinema history.Like the music in this video?Music By: Monkey MediaAlbum Title: MonkeyLinks:Get it on Google Play:https://play.google.com/store/music/album/Monkey_Media_Monkey?id=Bowcdm4d3e27oxtldklnn7ynwju&hl=en_USGet it on iTunes:https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/monkey/1457690282Listen on Spotify:Buy it on Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Monkey-Media/dp/B07NRQCQ7Y/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=monkey+media&qid=1554364061&s=gateway&sr=8-2Read more here: www.famefocus.comThe post Amazing Detailed Before and After Hollywood VFX: Avengers Infinity War appeared first on Fame Focus.