• Schedule 1 Patch Notes Includes Off-Road Skateboard

    Schedule 1, the silly-looking drug-dealing game that took the gaming community by storm a few months back, got a new patch today, and it's headlined by the addition of an off-road skateboard. It also includes some bug fixes, tweaks, and improvements, such as a change to how stamina is consumed while skateboarding.The off-road skateboard is added to the inventory on sale at the Shred Shack, where it'll cost you While minor in the grand scheme of things, it lets you live out your mountain-boarding dreams. If you're of a certain age, it might even let you reminisce about the mountain-board levels in Rocket Power: Beach Bandits for the PS2.This patch also tweaks a couple of other skateboarding-related things. First, the developer notes that it implemented some minor changes for skateboard animations. Second, stamina consumption while on a skateboard has changed from instantaneous to gradual, which will likely smooth out the skateboarding experience.Continue Reading at GameSpot
    #schedule #patch #notes #includes #offroad
    Schedule 1 Patch Notes Includes Off-Road Skateboard
    Schedule 1, the silly-looking drug-dealing game that took the gaming community by storm a few months back, got a new patch today, and it's headlined by the addition of an off-road skateboard. It also includes some bug fixes, tweaks, and improvements, such as a change to how stamina is consumed while skateboarding.The off-road skateboard is added to the inventory on sale at the Shred Shack, where it'll cost you While minor in the grand scheme of things, it lets you live out your mountain-boarding dreams. If you're of a certain age, it might even let you reminisce about the mountain-board levels in Rocket Power: Beach Bandits for the PS2.This patch also tweaks a couple of other skateboarding-related things. First, the developer notes that it implemented some minor changes for skateboard animations. Second, stamina consumption while on a skateboard has changed from instantaneous to gradual, which will likely smooth out the skateboarding experience.Continue Reading at GameSpot #schedule #patch #notes #includes #offroad
    WWW.GAMESPOT.COM
    Schedule 1 Patch Notes Includes Off-Road Skateboard
    Schedule 1, the silly-looking drug-dealing game that took the gaming community by storm a few months back, got a new patch today, and it's headlined by the addition of an off-road skateboard. It also includes some bug fixes, tweaks, and improvements, such as a change to how stamina is consumed while skateboarding.The off-road skateboard is added to the inventory on sale at the Shred Shack, where it'll cost you $1,500. While minor in the grand scheme of things, it lets you live out your mountain-boarding dreams. If you're of a certain age, it might even let you reminisce about the mountain-board levels in Rocket Power: Beach Bandits for the PS2.This patch also tweaks a couple of other skateboarding-related things. First, the developer notes that it implemented some minor changes for skateboard animations. Second, stamina consumption while on a skateboard has changed from instantaneous to gradual, which will likely smooth out the skateboarding experience.Continue Reading at GameSpot
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  • BOUNCING FROM RUBBER DUCKIES AND FLYING SHEEP TO CLONES FOR THE BOYS SEASON 4

    By TREVOR HOGG
    Images courtesy of Prime Video.

    For those seeking an alternative to the MCU, Prime Video has two offerings of the live-action and animated variety that take the superhero genre into R-rated territory where the hands of the god-like figures get dirty, bloodied and severed. “The Boys is about the intersection of celebrity and politics using superheroes,” states Stephan Fleet, VFX Supervisor on The Boys. “Sometimes I see the news and I don’t even know we can write to catch up to it! But we try. Invincible is an intense look at an alternate DC Universe that has more grit to the superhero side of it all. On one hand, I was jealous watching Season 1 of Invincible because in animation you can do things that you can’t do in real life on a budget.” Season 4 does not tone down the blood, gore and body count. Fleet notes, “The writers almost have this dialogue with us. Sometimes, they’ll write in the script, ‘And Fleet will come up with a cool visual effect for how to kill this person.’ Or, ‘Chhiu, our fight coordinator, will make an awesome fight.’ It is a frequent topic of conversation. We’re constantly trying to be inventive and create new ways to kill people!”

    When Splintersplits in two, the cloning effect was inspired by cellular mitosis.

    “The writers almost have this dialogue with us. Sometimes, they’ll write in the script, ‘And Fleet will come up with a cool visual effect for how to kill this person.’ Or, ‘Chhiu, our fight coordinator, will make an awesome fight.’ It is a frequent topic of conversation. We’re constantly trying to be inventive and create new ways to kill people!”
    —Stephan Fleet, VFX Supervisor

    A total of 1,600 visual effects shots were created for the eight episodes by ILM, Pixomondo, MPC Toronto, Spin VFX, DNEG, Untold Studios, Luma Pictures and Rocket Science VFX. Previs was a critical part of the process. “We have John Griffith, who owns a small company called CNCPT out of Texas, and he does wonderful Unreal Engine level previs,” Fleet remarks. “On set, we have a cartoon of what is going to be done, and you’ll be amazed, specifically for action and heavy visual effects stuff, how close those shots are to the previs when we finish.” Founding Director of Federal Bureau of Superhuman Affairs, Victoria Neuman, literally gets ripped in half by two tendrils coming out of Compound V-enhanced Billy Butcher, the leader of superhero resistance group The Boys. “The word that we like to use on this show is ‘grounded,’ and I like to say ‘grounded’ with an asterisk in this day and age because we’re grounded until we get to killing people in the craziest ways. In this case, having someone floating in the air and being ripped in half by two tendrils was all CG.”

    Multiple plates were shot to enable Simon Pegg to phase through the actor laying in a hospital bed.

    Testing can get rather elaborate. “For that end scene with Butcher’s tendrils, the room was two stories, and we were able to put the camera up high along with a bunch of blood cannons,” Fleet recalls. “When the body rips in half and explodes, there is a practical component. We rained down a bunch of real blood and guts right in front of Huey. It’s a known joke that we like to douse Jack Quaid with blood as much as possible! In this case, the special effects team led by Hudson Kenny needed to test it the day before, and I said, “I’ll be the guinea pig for the test.’ They covered the whole place with plastic like it was a Dexter kill room because you don’t want to destroy the set. I’m standing there in a white hazmat suit with goggles on, covered from head to toe in plastic and waiting as they’re tweaking all of these things. It sounds like World War II going on. They’re on walkie talkies to each other, and then all of a sudden, it’s ‘Five, four, three, two, one…’  And I get exploded with blood. I wanted to see what it was like, and it’s intense.”

    “On set, we have a cartoon of what is going to be done, and you’ll be amazed, specifically for action and heavy visual effects stuff, how close those shots are to the previs when we finish.”
    —Stephan Fleet, VFX Supervisor

    The Deep has a love affair with an octopus called Ambrosius, voiced by Tilda Swinton. “It’s implied bestiality!” Fleet laughs. “I would call it more of a romance. What was fun from my perspective is that I knew what the look was going to be, so then it’s about putting in the details and the animation. One of the instincts that you always have when you’re making a sea creature that talks to a humanyou tend to want to give it human gestures and eyebrows. Erik Kripkesaid, ‘No. We have to find things that an octopus could do that conveys the same emotion.’ That’s when ideas came in, such as putting a little The Deep toy inside the water tank. When Ambrosius is trying to have an intimate moment or connect with him, she can wrap a tentacle around that. My favorite experience doing Ambrosius was when The Deep is reading poetry to her on a bed. CG creatures touching humans is one of the more complicated things to do and make look real. Ambrosius’ tentacles reach for his arm, and it becomes an intimate moment. More than touching the skin, displacing the bedsheet as Ambrosius moved ended up becoming a lot of CG, and we had to go back and forth a few times to get that looking right; that turned out to be tricky.”

    A building is replaced by a massive crowd attending a rally being held by Homelander.

    In a twisted form of sexual foreplay, Sister Sage has The Deep perform a transorbital lobotomy on her. “Thank you, Amazon for selling lobotomy tools as novelty items!” Fleet chuckles. “We filmed it with a lobotomy tool on set. There is a lot of safety involved in doing something like that. Obviously, you don’t want to put any performer in any situation where they come close to putting anything real near their eye. We created this half lobotomy tool and did this complicated split screen with the lobotomy tool on a teeter totter. The Deep wasin one shot and Sister Sage reacted in the other shot. To marry the two ended up being a lot of CG work. Then there are these close-ups which are full CG. I always keep a dummy head that is painted gray that I use all of the time for reference. In macrophotography I filmed this lobotomy tool going right into the eye area. I did that because the tool is chrome, so it’s reflective and has ridges. It has an interesting reflective property. I was able to see how and what part of the human eye reflects onto the tool. A lot of that shot became about realistic reflections and lighting on the tool. Then heavy CG for displacing the eye and pushing the lobotomy tool into it. That was one of the more complicated sequences that we had to achieve.”

    In order to create an intimate moment between Ambrosius and The Deep, a toy version of the superhero was placed inside of the water tank that she could wrap a tentacle around.

    “The word that we like to use on this show is ‘grounded,’ and I like to say ‘grounded’ with an asterisk in this day and age because we’re grounded until we get to killing people in the craziest ways. In this case, having someone floating in the air and being ripped in half by two tendrils was all CG.”
    —Stephan Fleet, VFX Supervisor

    Sheep and chickens embark on a violent rampage courtesy of Compound V with the latter piercing the chest of a bodyguard belonging to Victoria Neuman. “Weirdly, that was one of our more traditional shots,’ Fleet states. “What is fun about that one is I asked for real chickens as reference. The chicken flying through his chest is real. It’s our chicken wrangler in green suit gently tossing a chicken. We blended two real plates together with some CG in the middle.” A connection was made with a sci-fi classic. “The sheep kill this bull, and we shot it is in this narrow corridor of fencing. When they run, I always equated it as the Trench Run in Star Wars and looked at the sheep as TIE fighters or X-wings coming at them.” The scene was one of the scarier moments for the visual effects team. Fleet explains, “When I read the script, I thought this could be the moment where we jump the shark. For the shots where the sheep are still and scream to the camera, Untold Studios did a bunch of R&D and came up with baboon teeth. I tried to keep anything real as much as possible, but, obviously, when sheep are flying, they have to be CG. I call it the Battlestar Galactica theory, where I like to shake the camera, overshoot shots and make it sloppy when they’re in the air so you can add motion blur. Comedy also helps sell visual effects.”

    The sheep injected with Compound V develop the ability to fly and were shot in an imperfect manner to help ground the scenes.

    Once injected with Compound V, Hugh Campbell Sr.develops the ability to phase through objects, including human beings. “We called it the Bro-nut because his name in the script is Wall Street Bro,” Fleet notes. “That was a complicated motion control shot, repeating the move over and over again. We had to shoot multiple plates of Simon Pegg and the guy in the bed. Special effects and prosthetics created a dummy guy with a hole in his chest with practical blood dripping down. It was meshing it together and getting the timing right in post. On top of that, there was the CG blood immediately around Simon Pegg.” The phasing effect had to avoid appearing as a dissolve. “I had this idea of doing high-frequency vibration on the X axis loosely based on how The Flash vibrates through walls. You want everything to have a loose motivation that then helps trigger the visuals. We tried not to overcomplicate that because, ultimately, you want something like that to be quick. If you spend too much time on phasing, it can look cheesy. In our case, it was a lot of false walls. Simon Pegg is running into a greenscreen hole which we plug in with a wall or coming out of one. I went off the actor’s action, and we added a light opacity mix with some X-axis shake.”

    Providing a different twist to the fights was the replacement of spurting blood with photoreal rubber duckies during a drug-induced hallucination.

    Homelanderbreaks a mirror which emphasizes his multiple personality disorder. “The original plan was that special effects was going to pre-break a mirror, and we were going to shoot Anthony Starr moving his head doing all of the performances in the different parts of the mirror,” Fleet reveals. “This was all based on a photo that my ex-brother-in-law sent me. He was walking down a street in Glendale, California, came across a broken mirror that someone had thrown out, and took a photo of himself where he had five heads in the mirror. We get there on the day, and I’m realizing that this is really complicated. Anthony has to do these five different performances, and we have to deal with infinite mirrors. At the last minute, I said, ‘We have to do this on a clean mirror.’ We did it on a clear mirror and gave Anthony different eyelines. The mirror break was all done in post, and we were able to cheat his head slightly and art-direct where the break crosses his chin. Editorial was able to do split screens for the timing of the dialogue.”

    “For the shots where the sheep are still and scream to the camera, Untold Studios did a bunch of R&D and came up with baboon teeth. I tried to keep anything real as much as possible, but, obviously, when sheep are flying, they have to be CG. I call it the Battlestar Galactica theory, where I like to shake the camera, overshoot shots and make it sloppy when they’re in the air so you can add motion blur. Comedy also helps sell visual effects.”
    —Stephan Fleet, VFX Supervisor

    Initially, the plan was to use a practical mirror, but creating a digital version proved to be the more effective solution.

    A different spin on the bloodbath occurs during a fight when a drugged Frenchiehallucinates as Kimiko Miyashirogoes on a killing spree. “We went back and forth with a lot of different concepts for what this hallucination would be,” Fleet remarks. “When we filmed it, we landed on Frenchie having a synesthesia moment where he’s seeing a lot of abstract colors flying in the air. We started getting into that in post and it wasn’t working. We went back to the rubber duckies, which goes back to the story of him in the bathtub. What’s in the bathtub? Rubber duckies, bubbles and water. There was a lot of physics and logic required to figure out how these rubber duckies could float out of someone’s neck. We decided on bubbles when Kimiko hits people’s heads. At one point, we had water when she got shot, but it wasn’t working, so we killed it. We probably did about 100 different versions. We got really detailed with our rubber duckie modeling because we didn’t want it to look cartoony. That took a long time.”

    Ambrosius, voiced by Tilda Swinton, gets a lot more screentime in Season 4.

    When Splintersplits in two was achieved heavily in CG. “Erik threw out the words ‘cellular mitosis’ early on as something he wanted to use,” Fleet states. “We shot Rob Benedict on a greenscreen doing all of the different performances for the clones that pop out. It was a crazy amount of CG work with Houdini and particle and skin effects. We previs’d the sequence so we had specific actions. One clone comes out to the right and the other pulls backwards.” What tends to go unnoticed by many is Splinter’s clones setting up for a press conference being held by Firecracker. “It’s funny how no one brings up the 22-hour motion control shot that we had to do with Splinter on the stage, which was the most complicated shot!” Fleet observes. “We have this sweeping long shot that brings you into the room and follows Splinter as he carries a container to the stage and hands it off to a clone, and then you reveal five more of them interweaving each other and interacting with all of these objects. It’s like a minute-long dance. First off, you have to choreograph it. We previs’d it, but then you need to get people to do it. We hired dancers and put different colored armbands on them. The camera is like another performer, and a metronome is going, which enables you to find a pace. That took about eight hours of rehearsal. Then Rob has to watch each one of their performances and mimic it to the beat. When he is handing off a box of cables, it’s to a double who is going to have to be erased and be him on the other side. They have to be almost perfect in their timing and lineup in order to take it over in visual effects and make it work.”
    #bouncing #rubber #duckies #flying #sheep
    BOUNCING FROM RUBBER DUCKIES AND FLYING SHEEP TO CLONES FOR THE BOYS SEASON 4
    By TREVOR HOGG Images courtesy of Prime Video. For those seeking an alternative to the MCU, Prime Video has two offerings of the live-action and animated variety that take the superhero genre into R-rated territory where the hands of the god-like figures get dirty, bloodied and severed. “The Boys is about the intersection of celebrity and politics using superheroes,” states Stephan Fleet, VFX Supervisor on The Boys. “Sometimes I see the news and I don’t even know we can write to catch up to it! But we try. Invincible is an intense look at an alternate DC Universe that has more grit to the superhero side of it all. On one hand, I was jealous watching Season 1 of Invincible because in animation you can do things that you can’t do in real life on a budget.” Season 4 does not tone down the blood, gore and body count. Fleet notes, “The writers almost have this dialogue with us. Sometimes, they’ll write in the script, ‘And Fleet will come up with a cool visual effect for how to kill this person.’ Or, ‘Chhiu, our fight coordinator, will make an awesome fight.’ It is a frequent topic of conversation. We’re constantly trying to be inventive and create new ways to kill people!” When Splintersplits in two, the cloning effect was inspired by cellular mitosis. “The writers almost have this dialogue with us. Sometimes, they’ll write in the script, ‘And Fleet will come up with a cool visual effect for how to kill this person.’ Or, ‘Chhiu, our fight coordinator, will make an awesome fight.’ It is a frequent topic of conversation. We’re constantly trying to be inventive and create new ways to kill people!” —Stephan Fleet, VFX Supervisor A total of 1,600 visual effects shots were created for the eight episodes by ILM, Pixomondo, MPC Toronto, Spin VFX, DNEG, Untold Studios, Luma Pictures and Rocket Science VFX. Previs was a critical part of the process. “We have John Griffith, who owns a small company called CNCPT out of Texas, and he does wonderful Unreal Engine level previs,” Fleet remarks. “On set, we have a cartoon of what is going to be done, and you’ll be amazed, specifically for action and heavy visual effects stuff, how close those shots are to the previs when we finish.” Founding Director of Federal Bureau of Superhuman Affairs, Victoria Neuman, literally gets ripped in half by two tendrils coming out of Compound V-enhanced Billy Butcher, the leader of superhero resistance group The Boys. “The word that we like to use on this show is ‘grounded,’ and I like to say ‘grounded’ with an asterisk in this day and age because we’re grounded until we get to killing people in the craziest ways. In this case, having someone floating in the air and being ripped in half by two tendrils was all CG.” Multiple plates were shot to enable Simon Pegg to phase through the actor laying in a hospital bed. Testing can get rather elaborate. “For that end scene with Butcher’s tendrils, the room was two stories, and we were able to put the camera up high along with a bunch of blood cannons,” Fleet recalls. “When the body rips in half and explodes, there is a practical component. We rained down a bunch of real blood and guts right in front of Huey. It’s a known joke that we like to douse Jack Quaid with blood as much as possible! In this case, the special effects team led by Hudson Kenny needed to test it the day before, and I said, “I’ll be the guinea pig for the test.’ They covered the whole place with plastic like it was a Dexter kill room because you don’t want to destroy the set. I’m standing there in a white hazmat suit with goggles on, covered from head to toe in plastic and waiting as they’re tweaking all of these things. It sounds like World War II going on. They’re on walkie talkies to each other, and then all of a sudden, it’s ‘Five, four, three, two, one…’  And I get exploded with blood. I wanted to see what it was like, and it’s intense.” “On set, we have a cartoon of what is going to be done, and you’ll be amazed, specifically for action and heavy visual effects stuff, how close those shots are to the previs when we finish.” —Stephan Fleet, VFX Supervisor The Deep has a love affair with an octopus called Ambrosius, voiced by Tilda Swinton. “It’s implied bestiality!” Fleet laughs. “I would call it more of a romance. What was fun from my perspective is that I knew what the look was going to be, so then it’s about putting in the details and the animation. One of the instincts that you always have when you’re making a sea creature that talks to a humanyou tend to want to give it human gestures and eyebrows. Erik Kripkesaid, ‘No. We have to find things that an octopus could do that conveys the same emotion.’ That’s when ideas came in, such as putting a little The Deep toy inside the water tank. When Ambrosius is trying to have an intimate moment or connect with him, she can wrap a tentacle around that. My favorite experience doing Ambrosius was when The Deep is reading poetry to her on a bed. CG creatures touching humans is one of the more complicated things to do and make look real. Ambrosius’ tentacles reach for his arm, and it becomes an intimate moment. More than touching the skin, displacing the bedsheet as Ambrosius moved ended up becoming a lot of CG, and we had to go back and forth a few times to get that looking right; that turned out to be tricky.” A building is replaced by a massive crowd attending a rally being held by Homelander. In a twisted form of sexual foreplay, Sister Sage has The Deep perform a transorbital lobotomy on her. “Thank you, Amazon for selling lobotomy tools as novelty items!” Fleet chuckles. “We filmed it with a lobotomy tool on set. There is a lot of safety involved in doing something like that. Obviously, you don’t want to put any performer in any situation where they come close to putting anything real near their eye. We created this half lobotomy tool and did this complicated split screen with the lobotomy tool on a teeter totter. The Deep wasin one shot and Sister Sage reacted in the other shot. To marry the two ended up being a lot of CG work. Then there are these close-ups which are full CG. I always keep a dummy head that is painted gray that I use all of the time for reference. In macrophotography I filmed this lobotomy tool going right into the eye area. I did that because the tool is chrome, so it’s reflective and has ridges. It has an interesting reflective property. I was able to see how and what part of the human eye reflects onto the tool. A lot of that shot became about realistic reflections and lighting on the tool. Then heavy CG for displacing the eye and pushing the lobotomy tool into it. That was one of the more complicated sequences that we had to achieve.” In order to create an intimate moment between Ambrosius and The Deep, a toy version of the superhero was placed inside of the water tank that she could wrap a tentacle around. “The word that we like to use on this show is ‘grounded,’ and I like to say ‘grounded’ with an asterisk in this day and age because we’re grounded until we get to killing people in the craziest ways. In this case, having someone floating in the air and being ripped in half by two tendrils was all CG.” —Stephan Fleet, VFX Supervisor Sheep and chickens embark on a violent rampage courtesy of Compound V with the latter piercing the chest of a bodyguard belonging to Victoria Neuman. “Weirdly, that was one of our more traditional shots,’ Fleet states. “What is fun about that one is I asked for real chickens as reference. The chicken flying through his chest is real. It’s our chicken wrangler in green suit gently tossing a chicken. We blended two real plates together with some CG in the middle.” A connection was made with a sci-fi classic. “The sheep kill this bull, and we shot it is in this narrow corridor of fencing. When they run, I always equated it as the Trench Run in Star Wars and looked at the sheep as TIE fighters or X-wings coming at them.” The scene was one of the scarier moments for the visual effects team. Fleet explains, “When I read the script, I thought this could be the moment where we jump the shark. For the shots where the sheep are still and scream to the camera, Untold Studios did a bunch of R&D and came up with baboon teeth. I tried to keep anything real as much as possible, but, obviously, when sheep are flying, they have to be CG. I call it the Battlestar Galactica theory, where I like to shake the camera, overshoot shots and make it sloppy when they’re in the air so you can add motion blur. Comedy also helps sell visual effects.” The sheep injected with Compound V develop the ability to fly and were shot in an imperfect manner to help ground the scenes. Once injected with Compound V, Hugh Campbell Sr.develops the ability to phase through objects, including human beings. “We called it the Bro-nut because his name in the script is Wall Street Bro,” Fleet notes. “That was a complicated motion control shot, repeating the move over and over again. We had to shoot multiple plates of Simon Pegg and the guy in the bed. Special effects and prosthetics created a dummy guy with a hole in his chest with practical blood dripping down. It was meshing it together and getting the timing right in post. On top of that, there was the CG blood immediately around Simon Pegg.” The phasing effect had to avoid appearing as a dissolve. “I had this idea of doing high-frequency vibration on the X axis loosely based on how The Flash vibrates through walls. You want everything to have a loose motivation that then helps trigger the visuals. We tried not to overcomplicate that because, ultimately, you want something like that to be quick. If you spend too much time on phasing, it can look cheesy. In our case, it was a lot of false walls. Simon Pegg is running into a greenscreen hole which we plug in with a wall or coming out of one. I went off the actor’s action, and we added a light opacity mix with some X-axis shake.” Providing a different twist to the fights was the replacement of spurting blood with photoreal rubber duckies during a drug-induced hallucination. Homelanderbreaks a mirror which emphasizes his multiple personality disorder. “The original plan was that special effects was going to pre-break a mirror, and we were going to shoot Anthony Starr moving his head doing all of the performances in the different parts of the mirror,” Fleet reveals. “This was all based on a photo that my ex-brother-in-law sent me. He was walking down a street in Glendale, California, came across a broken mirror that someone had thrown out, and took a photo of himself where he had five heads in the mirror. We get there on the day, and I’m realizing that this is really complicated. Anthony has to do these five different performances, and we have to deal with infinite mirrors. At the last minute, I said, ‘We have to do this on a clean mirror.’ We did it on a clear mirror and gave Anthony different eyelines. The mirror break was all done in post, and we were able to cheat his head slightly and art-direct where the break crosses his chin. Editorial was able to do split screens for the timing of the dialogue.” “For the shots where the sheep are still and scream to the camera, Untold Studios did a bunch of R&D and came up with baboon teeth. I tried to keep anything real as much as possible, but, obviously, when sheep are flying, they have to be CG. I call it the Battlestar Galactica theory, where I like to shake the camera, overshoot shots and make it sloppy when they’re in the air so you can add motion blur. Comedy also helps sell visual effects.” —Stephan Fleet, VFX Supervisor Initially, the plan was to use a practical mirror, but creating a digital version proved to be the more effective solution. A different spin on the bloodbath occurs during a fight when a drugged Frenchiehallucinates as Kimiko Miyashirogoes on a killing spree. “We went back and forth with a lot of different concepts for what this hallucination would be,” Fleet remarks. “When we filmed it, we landed on Frenchie having a synesthesia moment where he’s seeing a lot of abstract colors flying in the air. We started getting into that in post and it wasn’t working. We went back to the rubber duckies, which goes back to the story of him in the bathtub. What’s in the bathtub? Rubber duckies, bubbles and water. There was a lot of physics and logic required to figure out how these rubber duckies could float out of someone’s neck. We decided on bubbles when Kimiko hits people’s heads. At one point, we had water when she got shot, but it wasn’t working, so we killed it. We probably did about 100 different versions. We got really detailed with our rubber duckie modeling because we didn’t want it to look cartoony. That took a long time.” Ambrosius, voiced by Tilda Swinton, gets a lot more screentime in Season 4. When Splintersplits in two was achieved heavily in CG. “Erik threw out the words ‘cellular mitosis’ early on as something he wanted to use,” Fleet states. “We shot Rob Benedict on a greenscreen doing all of the different performances for the clones that pop out. It was a crazy amount of CG work with Houdini and particle and skin effects. We previs’d the sequence so we had specific actions. One clone comes out to the right and the other pulls backwards.” What tends to go unnoticed by many is Splinter’s clones setting up for a press conference being held by Firecracker. “It’s funny how no one brings up the 22-hour motion control shot that we had to do with Splinter on the stage, which was the most complicated shot!” Fleet observes. “We have this sweeping long shot that brings you into the room and follows Splinter as he carries a container to the stage and hands it off to a clone, and then you reveal five more of them interweaving each other and interacting with all of these objects. It’s like a minute-long dance. First off, you have to choreograph it. We previs’d it, but then you need to get people to do it. We hired dancers and put different colored armbands on them. The camera is like another performer, and a metronome is going, which enables you to find a pace. That took about eight hours of rehearsal. Then Rob has to watch each one of their performances and mimic it to the beat. When he is handing off a box of cables, it’s to a double who is going to have to be erased and be him on the other side. They have to be almost perfect in their timing and lineup in order to take it over in visual effects and make it work.” #bouncing #rubber #duckies #flying #sheep
    WWW.VFXVOICE.COM
    BOUNCING FROM RUBBER DUCKIES AND FLYING SHEEP TO CLONES FOR THE BOYS SEASON 4
    By TREVOR HOGG Images courtesy of Prime Video. For those seeking an alternative to the MCU, Prime Video has two offerings of the live-action and animated variety that take the superhero genre into R-rated territory where the hands of the god-like figures get dirty, bloodied and severed. “The Boys is about the intersection of celebrity and politics using superheroes,” states Stephan Fleet, VFX Supervisor on The Boys. “Sometimes I see the news and I don’t even know we can write to catch up to it! But we try. Invincible is an intense look at an alternate DC Universe that has more grit to the superhero side of it all. On one hand, I was jealous watching Season 1 of Invincible because in animation you can do things that you can’t do in real life on a budget.” Season 4 does not tone down the blood, gore and body count. Fleet notes, “The writers almost have this dialogue with us. Sometimes, they’ll write in the script, ‘And Fleet will come up with a cool visual effect for how to kill this person.’ Or, ‘Chhiu, our fight coordinator, will make an awesome fight.’ It is a frequent topic of conversation. We’re constantly trying to be inventive and create new ways to kill people!” When Splinter (Rob Benedict) splits in two, the cloning effect was inspired by cellular mitosis. “The writers almost have this dialogue with us. Sometimes, they’ll write in the script, ‘And Fleet will come up with a cool visual effect for how to kill this person.’ Or, ‘Chhiu, our fight coordinator, will make an awesome fight.’ It is a frequent topic of conversation. We’re constantly trying to be inventive and create new ways to kill people!” —Stephan Fleet, VFX Supervisor A total of 1,600 visual effects shots were created for the eight episodes by ILM, Pixomondo, MPC Toronto, Spin VFX, DNEG, Untold Studios, Luma Pictures and Rocket Science VFX. Previs was a critical part of the process. “We have John Griffith [Previs Director], who owns a small company called CNCPT out of Texas, and he does wonderful Unreal Engine level previs,” Fleet remarks. “On set, we have a cartoon of what is going to be done, and you’ll be amazed, specifically for action and heavy visual effects stuff, how close those shots are to the previs when we finish.” Founding Director of Federal Bureau of Superhuman Affairs, Victoria Neuman, literally gets ripped in half by two tendrils coming out of Compound V-enhanced Billy Butcher, the leader of superhero resistance group The Boys. “The word that we like to use on this show is ‘grounded,’ and I like to say ‘grounded’ with an asterisk in this day and age because we’re grounded until we get to killing people in the craziest ways. In this case, having someone floating in the air and being ripped in half by two tendrils was all CG.” Multiple plates were shot to enable Simon Pegg to phase through the actor laying in a hospital bed. Testing can get rather elaborate. “For that end scene with Butcher’s tendrils, the room was two stories, and we were able to put the camera up high along with a bunch of blood cannons,” Fleet recalls. “When the body rips in half and explodes, there is a practical component. We rained down a bunch of real blood and guts right in front of Huey. It’s a known joke that we like to douse Jack Quaid with blood as much as possible! In this case, the special effects team led by Hudson Kenny needed to test it the day before, and I said, “I’ll be the guinea pig for the test.’ They covered the whole place with plastic like it was a Dexter kill room because you don’t want to destroy the set. I’m standing there in a white hazmat suit with goggles on, covered from head to toe in plastic and waiting as they’re tweaking all of these things. It sounds like World War II going on. They’re on walkie talkies to each other, and then all of a sudden, it’s ‘Five, four, three, two, one…’  And I get exploded with blood. I wanted to see what it was like, and it’s intense.” “On set, we have a cartoon of what is going to be done, and you’ll be amazed, specifically for action and heavy visual effects stuff, how close those shots are to the previs when we finish.” —Stephan Fleet, VFX Supervisor The Deep has a love affair with an octopus called Ambrosius, voiced by Tilda Swinton. “It’s implied bestiality!” Fleet laughs. “I would call it more of a romance. What was fun from my perspective is that I knew what the look was going to be [from Season 3], so then it’s about putting in the details and the animation. One of the instincts that you always have when you’re making a sea creature that talks to a human [is] you tend to want to give it human gestures and eyebrows. Erik Kripke [Creator, Executive Producer, Showrunner, Director, Writer] said, ‘No. We have to find things that an octopus could do that conveys the same emotion.’ That’s when ideas came in, such as putting a little The Deep toy inside the water tank. When Ambrosius is trying to have an intimate moment or connect with him, she can wrap a tentacle around that. My favorite experience doing Ambrosius was when The Deep is reading poetry to her on a bed. CG creatures touching humans is one of the more complicated things to do and make look real. Ambrosius’ tentacles reach for his arm, and it becomes an intimate moment. More than touching the skin, displacing the bedsheet as Ambrosius moved ended up becoming a lot of CG, and we had to go back and forth a few times to get that looking right; that turned out to be tricky.” A building is replaced by a massive crowd attending a rally being held by Homelander. In a twisted form of sexual foreplay, Sister Sage has The Deep perform a transorbital lobotomy on her. “Thank you, Amazon for selling lobotomy tools as novelty items!” Fleet chuckles. “We filmed it with a lobotomy tool on set. There is a lot of safety involved in doing something like that. Obviously, you don’t want to put any performer in any situation where they come close to putting anything real near their eye. We created this half lobotomy tool and did this complicated split screen with the lobotomy tool on a teeter totter. The Deep was [acting in a certain way] in one shot and Sister Sage reacted in the other shot. To marry the two ended up being a lot of CG work. Then there are these close-ups which are full CG. I always keep a dummy head that is painted gray that I use all of the time for reference. In macrophotography I filmed this lobotomy tool going right into the eye area. I did that because the tool is chrome, so it’s reflective and has ridges. It has an interesting reflective property. I was able to see how and what part of the human eye reflects onto the tool. A lot of that shot became about realistic reflections and lighting on the tool. Then heavy CG for displacing the eye and pushing the lobotomy tool into it. That was one of the more complicated sequences that we had to achieve.” In order to create an intimate moment between Ambrosius and The Deep, a toy version of the superhero was placed inside of the water tank that she could wrap a tentacle around. “The word that we like to use on this show is ‘grounded,’ and I like to say ‘grounded’ with an asterisk in this day and age because we’re grounded until we get to killing people in the craziest ways. In this case, having someone floating in the air and being ripped in half by two tendrils was all CG.” —Stephan Fleet, VFX Supervisor Sheep and chickens embark on a violent rampage courtesy of Compound V with the latter piercing the chest of a bodyguard belonging to Victoria Neuman. “Weirdly, that was one of our more traditional shots,’ Fleet states. “What is fun about that one is I asked for real chickens as reference. The chicken flying through his chest is real. It’s our chicken wrangler in green suit gently tossing a chicken. We blended two real plates together with some CG in the middle.” A connection was made with a sci-fi classic. “The sheep kill this bull, and we shot it is in this narrow corridor of fencing. When they run, I always equated it as the Trench Run in Star Wars and looked at the sheep as TIE fighters or X-wings coming at them.” The scene was one of the scarier moments for the visual effects team. Fleet explains, “When I read the script, I thought this could be the moment where we jump the shark. For the shots where the sheep are still and scream to the camera, Untold Studios did a bunch of R&D and came up with baboon teeth. I tried to keep anything real as much as possible, but, obviously, when sheep are flying, they have to be CG. I call it the Battlestar Galactica theory, where I like to shake the camera, overshoot shots and make it sloppy when they’re in the air so you can add motion blur. Comedy also helps sell visual effects.” The sheep injected with Compound V develop the ability to fly and were shot in an imperfect manner to help ground the scenes. Once injected with Compound V, Hugh Campbell Sr. (Simon Pegg) develops the ability to phase through objects, including human beings. “We called it the Bro-nut because his name in the script is Wall Street Bro,” Fleet notes. “That was a complicated motion control shot, repeating the move over and over again. We had to shoot multiple plates of Simon Pegg and the guy in the bed. Special effects and prosthetics created a dummy guy with a hole in his chest with practical blood dripping down. It was meshing it together and getting the timing right in post. On top of that, there was the CG blood immediately around Simon Pegg.” The phasing effect had to avoid appearing as a dissolve. “I had this idea of doing high-frequency vibration on the X axis loosely based on how The Flash vibrates through walls. You want everything to have a loose motivation that then helps trigger the visuals. We tried not to overcomplicate that because, ultimately, you want something like that to be quick. If you spend too much time on phasing, it can look cheesy. In our case, it was a lot of false walls. Simon Pegg is running into a greenscreen hole which we plug in with a wall or coming out of one. I went off the actor’s action, and we added a light opacity mix with some X-axis shake.” Providing a different twist to the fights was the replacement of spurting blood with photoreal rubber duckies during a drug-induced hallucination. Homelander (Anthony Starr) breaks a mirror which emphasizes his multiple personality disorder. “The original plan was that special effects was going to pre-break a mirror, and we were going to shoot Anthony Starr moving his head doing all of the performances in the different parts of the mirror,” Fleet reveals. “This was all based on a photo that my ex-brother-in-law sent me. He was walking down a street in Glendale, California, came across a broken mirror that someone had thrown out, and took a photo of himself where he had five heads in the mirror. We get there on the day, and I’m realizing that this is really complicated. Anthony has to do these five different performances, and we have to deal with infinite mirrors. At the last minute, I said, ‘We have to do this on a clean mirror.’ We did it on a clear mirror and gave Anthony different eyelines. The mirror break was all done in post, and we were able to cheat his head slightly and art-direct where the break crosses his chin. Editorial was able to do split screens for the timing of the dialogue.” “For the shots where the sheep are still and scream to the camera, Untold Studios did a bunch of R&D and came up with baboon teeth. I tried to keep anything real as much as possible, but, obviously, when sheep are flying, they have to be CG. I call it the Battlestar Galactica theory, where I like to shake the camera, overshoot shots and make it sloppy when they’re in the air so you can add motion blur. Comedy also helps sell visual effects.” —Stephan Fleet, VFX Supervisor Initially, the plan was to use a practical mirror, but creating a digital version proved to be the more effective solution. A different spin on the bloodbath occurs during a fight when a drugged Frenchie (Tomer Capone) hallucinates as Kimiko Miyashiro (Karen Fukuhara) goes on a killing spree. “We went back and forth with a lot of different concepts for what this hallucination would be,” Fleet remarks. “When we filmed it, we landed on Frenchie having a synesthesia moment where he’s seeing a lot of abstract colors flying in the air. We started getting into that in post and it wasn’t working. We went back to the rubber duckies, which goes back to the story of him in the bathtub. What’s in the bathtub? Rubber duckies, bubbles and water. There was a lot of physics and logic required to figure out how these rubber duckies could float out of someone’s neck. We decided on bubbles when Kimiko hits people’s heads. At one point, we had water when she got shot, but it wasn’t working, so we killed it. We probably did about 100 different versions. We got really detailed with our rubber duckie modeling because we didn’t want it to look cartoony. That took a long time.” Ambrosius, voiced by Tilda Swinton, gets a lot more screentime in Season 4. When Splinter (Rob Benedict) splits in two was achieved heavily in CG. “Erik threw out the words ‘cellular mitosis’ early on as something he wanted to use,” Fleet states. “We shot Rob Benedict on a greenscreen doing all of the different performances for the clones that pop out. It was a crazy amount of CG work with Houdini and particle and skin effects. We previs’d the sequence so we had specific actions. One clone comes out to the right and the other pulls backwards.” What tends to go unnoticed by many is Splinter’s clones setting up for a press conference being held by Firecracker (Valorie Curry). “It’s funny how no one brings up the 22-hour motion control shot that we had to do with Splinter on the stage, which was the most complicated shot!” Fleet observes. “We have this sweeping long shot that brings you into the room and follows Splinter as he carries a container to the stage and hands it off to a clone, and then you reveal five more of them interweaving each other and interacting with all of these objects. It’s like a minute-long dance. First off, you have to choreograph it. We previs’d it, but then you need to get people to do it. We hired dancers and put different colored armbands on them. The camera is like another performer, and a metronome is going, which enables you to find a pace. That took about eight hours of rehearsal. Then Rob has to watch each one of their performances and mimic it to the beat. When he is handing off a box of cables, it’s to a double who is going to have to be erased and be him on the other side. They have to be almost perfect in their timing and lineup in order to take it over in visual effects and make it work.”
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  • Street Fighter Movie Adds Dan And Balrog Actors, Confirms Akuma Casting - Report

    The new Street Fighter movie has added a few more names to the cast. Earlier this week, rapper-turned-actor Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson teased that he will play Balrog in the film. That rumor now appears to be confirmed, and another performer has signed up to play Dan Hibiki, one of the weakest fighters in the Street Fighter universe.According to Deadline, comedian Andrew Schulz will play Dan in the film. That's appropriate, since Dan is largely a comic relief character who gets played for laughs. This will mark Dan's first-ever appearance in live-action media. Schulz has previously appeared in The Underdoggs and the remake of White Men Can’t Jump, as well as the second season of Netflix's sitcom Tires. He is also the host of Flagrant Pod, a popular comedy podcast, and his most recent comedy special was streamed on Netflix.Jackson's casting as Balrog was confirmed in a subsequent report by The Hollywood Reporter. THR went a step further by confirming the roles of a few previously cast actors including Andrew Koji as Ryu, Noah Centineo as Ken, Jason Momoa as Blanka, and Orville Peck as Vega. Additionally, the outlet notes that Joe "Roman Reigns" Anoa’i, a longtime WWE superstar and former World Champion, will play Akuma, one of the film's primary villains.Continue Reading at GameSpot
    #street #fighter #movie #adds #dan
    Street Fighter Movie Adds Dan And Balrog Actors, Confirms Akuma Casting - Report
    The new Street Fighter movie has added a few more names to the cast. Earlier this week, rapper-turned-actor Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson teased that he will play Balrog in the film. That rumor now appears to be confirmed, and another performer has signed up to play Dan Hibiki, one of the weakest fighters in the Street Fighter universe.According to Deadline, comedian Andrew Schulz will play Dan in the film. That's appropriate, since Dan is largely a comic relief character who gets played for laughs. This will mark Dan's first-ever appearance in live-action media. Schulz has previously appeared in The Underdoggs and the remake of White Men Can’t Jump, as well as the second season of Netflix's sitcom Tires. He is also the host of Flagrant Pod, a popular comedy podcast, and his most recent comedy special was streamed on Netflix.Jackson's casting as Balrog was confirmed in a subsequent report by The Hollywood Reporter. THR went a step further by confirming the roles of a few previously cast actors including Andrew Koji as Ryu, Noah Centineo as Ken, Jason Momoa as Blanka, and Orville Peck as Vega. Additionally, the outlet notes that Joe "Roman Reigns" Anoa’i, a longtime WWE superstar and former World Champion, will play Akuma, one of the film's primary villains.Continue Reading at GameSpot #street #fighter #movie #adds #dan
    WWW.GAMESPOT.COM
    Street Fighter Movie Adds Dan And Balrog Actors, Confirms Akuma Casting - Report
    The new Street Fighter movie has added a few more names to the cast. Earlier this week, rapper-turned-actor Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson teased that he will play Balrog in the film. That rumor now appears to be confirmed, and another performer has signed up to play Dan Hibiki, one of the weakest fighters in the Street Fighter universe.According to Deadline, comedian Andrew Schulz will play Dan in the film. That's appropriate, since Dan is largely a comic relief character who gets played for laughs. This will mark Dan's first-ever appearance in live-action media. Schulz has previously appeared in The Underdoggs and the remake of White Men Can’t Jump, as well as the second season of Netflix's sitcom Tires. He is also the host of Flagrant Pod, a popular comedy podcast, and his most recent comedy special was streamed on Netflix.Jackson's casting as Balrog was confirmed in a subsequent report by The Hollywood Reporter. THR went a step further by confirming the roles of a few previously cast actors including Andrew Koji as Ryu, Noah Centineo as Ken, Jason Momoa as Blanka, and Orville Peck as Vega. Additionally, the outlet notes that Joe "Roman Reigns" Anoa’i, a longtime WWE superstar and former World Champion, will play Akuma, one of the film's primary villains.Continue Reading at GameSpot
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  • HOW DISGUISE BUILT OUT THE VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS FOR A MINECRAFT MOVIE

    By TREVOR HOGG

    Images courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.

    Rather than a world constructed around photorealistic pixels, a video game created by Markus Persson has taken the boxier 3D voxel route, which has become its signature aesthetic, and sparked an international phenomenon that finally gets adapted into a feature with the release of A Minecraft Movie. Brought onboard to help filmmaker Jared Hess in creating the environments that the cast of Jason Momoa, Jack Black, Sebastian Hansen, Emma Myers and Danielle Brooks find themselves inhabiting was Disguise under the direction of Production VFX Supervisor Dan Lemmon.

    “s the Senior Unreal Artist within the Virtual Art Departmenton Minecraft, I experienced the full creative workflow. What stood out most was how deeply the VAD was embedded across every stage of production. We weren’t working in isolation. From the production designer and director to the VFX supervisor and DP, the VAD became a hub for collaboration.”
    —Talia Finlayson, Creative Technologist, Disguise

    Interior and exterior environments had to be created, such as the shop owned by Steve.

    “Prior to working on A Minecraft Movie, I held more technical roles, like serving as the Virtual Production LED Volume Operator on a project for Apple TV+ and Paramount Pictures,” notes Talia Finlayson, Creative Technologist for Disguise. “But as the Senior Unreal Artist within the Virtual Art Departmenton Minecraft, I experienced the full creative workflow. What stood out most was how deeply the VAD was embedded across every stage of production. We weren’t working in isolation. From the production designer and director to the VFX supervisor and DP, the VAD became a hub for collaboration.” The project provided new opportunities. “I’ve always loved the physicality of working with an LED volume, both for the immersion it provides and the way that seeing the environment helps shape an actor’s performance,” notes Laura Bell, Creative Technologist for Disguise. “But for A Minecraft Movie, we used Simulcam instead, and it was an incredible experience to live-composite an entire Minecraft world in real-time, especially with nothing on set but blue curtains.”

    Set designs originally created by the art department in Rhinoceros 3D were transformed into fully navigable 3D environments within Unreal Engine. “These scenes were far more than visualizations,” Finlayson remarks. “They were interactive tools used throughout the production pipeline. We would ingest 3D models and concept art, clean and optimize geometry using tools like Blender, Cinema 4D or Maya, then build out the world in Unreal Engine. This included applying materials, lighting and extending environments. These Unreal scenes we created were vital tools across the production and were used for a variety of purposes such as enabling the director to explore shot compositions, block scenes and experiment with camera movement in a virtual space, as well as passing along Unreal Engine scenes to the visual effects vendors so they could align their digital environments and set extensions with the approved production layouts.”

    A virtual exploration of Steve’s shop in Midport Village.

    Certain elements have to be kept in mind when constructing virtual environments. “When building virtual environments, you need to consider what can actually be built, how actors and cameras will move through the space, and what’s safe and practical on set,” Bell observes. “Outside the areas where strict accuracy is required, you want the environments to blend naturally with the original designs from the art department and support the story, creating a space that feels right for the scene, guides the audience’s eye and sets the right tone. Things like composition, lighting and small environmental details can be really fun to work on, but also serve as beautiful additions to help enrich a story.”

    “I’ve always loved the physicality of working with an LED volume, both for the immersion it provides and the way that seeing the environment helps shape an actor’s performance. But for A Minecraft Movie, we used Simulcam instead, and it was an incredible experience to live-composite an entire Minecraft world in real-time, especially with nothing on set but blue curtains.”
    —Laura Bell, Creative Technologist, Disguise

    Among the buildings that had to be created for Midport Village was Steve’sLava Chicken Shack.

    Concept art was provided that served as visual touchstones. “We received concept art provided by the amazing team of concept artists,” Finlayson states. “Not only did they send us 2D artwork, but they often shared the 3D models they used to create those visuals. These models were incredibly helpful as starting points when building out the virtual environments in Unreal Engine; they gave us a clear sense of composition and design intent. Storyboards were also a key part of the process and were constantly being updated as the project evolved. Having access to the latest versions allowed us to tailor the virtual environments to match camera angles, story beats and staging. Sometimes we would also help the storyboard artists by sending through images of the Unreal Engine worlds to help them geographically position themselves in the worlds and aid in their storyboarding.” At times, the video game assets came in handy. “Exteriors often involved large-scale landscapes and stylized architectural elements, which had to feel true to the Minecraft world,” Finlayson explains. “In some cases, we brought in geometry from the game itself to help quickly block out areas. For example, we did this for the Elytra Flight Chase sequence, which takes place through a large canyon.”

    Flexibility was critical. “A key technical challenge we faced was ensuring that the Unreal levels were built in a way that allowed for fast and flexible iteration,” Finlayson remarks. “Since our environments were constantly being reviewed by the director, production designer, DP and VFX supervisor, we needed to be able to respond quickly to feedback, sometimes live during a review session. To support this, we had to keep our scenes modular and well-organized; that meant breaking environments down into manageable components and maintaining clean naming conventions. By setting up the levels this way, we could make layout changes, swap assets or adjust lighting on the fly without breaking the scene or slowing down the process.” Production schedules influence the workflows, pipelines and techniques. “No two projects will ever feel exactly the same,” Bell notes. “For example, Pat Younisadapted his typical VR setup to allow scene reviews using a PS5 controller, which made it much more comfortable and accessible for the director. On a more technical side, because everything was cubes and voxels, my Blender workflow ended up being way heavier on the re-mesh modifier than usual, definitely not something I’ll run into again anytime soon!”

    A virtual study and final still of the cast members standing outside of the Lava Chicken Shack.

    “We received concept art provided by the amazing team of concept artists. Not only did they send us 2D artwork, but they often shared the 3D models they used to create those visuals. These models were incredibly helpful as starting points when building out the virtual environments in Unreal Engine; they gave us a clear sense of composition and design intent. Storyboards were also a key part of the process and were constantly being updated as the project evolved. Having access to the latest versions allowed us to tailor the virtual environments to match camera angles, story beats and staging.”
    —Talia Finlayson, Creative Technologist, Disguise

    The design and composition of virtual environments tended to remain consistent throughout principal photography. “The only major design change I can recall was the removal of a second story from a building in Midport Village to allow the camera crane to get a clear shot of the chicken perched above Steve’s lava chicken shack,” Finlayson remarks. “I would agree that Midport Village likely went through the most iterations,” Bell responds. “The archway, in particular, became a visual anchor across different levels. We often placed it off in the distance to help orient both ourselves and the audience and show how far the characters had traveled. I remember rebuilding the stairs leading up to the rampart five or six times, using different configurations based on the physically constructed stairs. This was because there were storyboarded sequences of the film’s characters, Henry, Steve and Garrett, being chased by piglins, and the action needed to match what could be achieved practically on set.”

    Virtually conceptualizing the layout of Midport Village.

    Complex virtual environments were constructed for the final battle and the various forest scenes throughout the movie. “What made these particularly challenging was the way physical set pieces were repurposed and repositioned to serve multiple scenes and locations within the story,” Finlayson reveals. “The same built elements had to appear in different parts of the world, so we had to carefully adjust the virtual environments to accommodate those different positions.” Bell is in agreement with her colleague. “The forest scenes were some of the more complex environments to manage. It could get tricky, particularly when the filming schedule shifted. There was one day on set where the order of shots changed unexpectedly, and because the physical sets looked so similar, I initially loaded a different perspective than planned. Fortunately, thanks to our workflow, Lindsay Georgeand I were able to quickly open the recorded sequence in Unreal Engine and swap out the correct virtual environment for the live composite without any disruption to the shoot.”

    An example of the virtual and final version of the Woodland Mansion.

    “Midport Village likely went through the most iterations. The archway, in particular, became a visual anchor across different levels. We often placed it off in the distance to help orient both ourselves and the audience and show how far the characters had traveled.”
    —Laura Bell, Creative Technologist, Disguise

    Extensive detail was given to the center of the sets where the main action unfolds. “For these areas, we received prop layouts from the prop department to ensure accurate placement and alignment with the physical builds,” Finlayson explains. “These central environments were used heavily for storyboarding, blocking and department reviews, so precision was essential. As we moved further out from the practical set, the environments became more about blocking and spatial context rather than fine detail. We worked closely with Production Designer Grant Major to get approval on these extended environments, making sure they aligned with the overall visual direction. We also used creatures and crowd stand-ins provided by the visual effects team. These gave a great sense of scale and placement during early planning stages and allowed other departments to better understand how these elements would be integrated into the scenes.”

    Cast members Sebastian Hansen, Danielle Brooks and Emma Myers stand in front of the Earth Portal Plateau environment.

    Doing a virtual scale study of the Mountainside.

    Practical requirements like camera moves, stunt choreography and crane setups had an impact on the creation of virtual environments. “Sometimes we would adjust layouts slightly to open up areas for tracking shots or rework spaces to accommodate key action beats, all while keeping the environment feeling cohesive and true to the Minecraft world,” Bell states. “Simulcam bridged the physical and virtual worlds on set, overlaying Unreal Engine environments onto live-action scenes in real-time, giving the director, DP and other department heads a fully-realized preview of shots and enabling precise, informed decisions during production. It also recorded critical production data like camera movement paths, which was handed over to the post-production team to give them the exact tracks they needed, streamlining the visual effects pipeline.”

    Piglots cause mayhem during the Wingsuit Chase.

    Virtual versions of the exterior and interior of the Safe House located in the Enchanted Woods.

    “One of the biggest challenges for me was managing constant iteration while keeping our environments clean, organized and easy to update,” Finlayson notes. “Because the virtual sets were reviewed regularly by the director and other heads of departments, feedback was often implemented live in the room. This meant the environments had to be flexible. But overall, this was an amazing project to work on, and I am so grateful for the incredible VAD team I was a part of – Heide Nichols, Pat Younis, Jake Tuckand Laura. Everyone on this team worked so collaboratively, seamlessly and in such a supportive way that I never felt like I was out of my depth.” There was another challenge that is more to do with familiarity. “Having a VAD on a film is still a relatively new process in production,” Bell states. “There were moments where other departments were still learning what we did and how to best work with us. That said, the response was overwhelmingly positive. I remember being on set at the Simulcam station and seeing how excited people were to look at the virtual environments as they walked by, often stopping for a chat and a virtual tour. Instead of seeing just a huge blue curtain, they were stoked to see something Minecraft and could get a better sense of what they were actually shooting.”
    #how #disguise #built #out #virtual
    HOW DISGUISE BUILT OUT THE VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS FOR A MINECRAFT MOVIE
    By TREVOR HOGG Images courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures. Rather than a world constructed around photorealistic pixels, a video game created by Markus Persson has taken the boxier 3D voxel route, which has become its signature aesthetic, and sparked an international phenomenon that finally gets adapted into a feature with the release of A Minecraft Movie. Brought onboard to help filmmaker Jared Hess in creating the environments that the cast of Jason Momoa, Jack Black, Sebastian Hansen, Emma Myers and Danielle Brooks find themselves inhabiting was Disguise under the direction of Production VFX Supervisor Dan Lemmon. “s the Senior Unreal Artist within the Virtual Art Departmenton Minecraft, I experienced the full creative workflow. What stood out most was how deeply the VAD was embedded across every stage of production. We weren’t working in isolation. From the production designer and director to the VFX supervisor and DP, the VAD became a hub for collaboration.” —Talia Finlayson, Creative Technologist, Disguise Interior and exterior environments had to be created, such as the shop owned by Steve. “Prior to working on A Minecraft Movie, I held more technical roles, like serving as the Virtual Production LED Volume Operator on a project for Apple TV+ and Paramount Pictures,” notes Talia Finlayson, Creative Technologist for Disguise. “But as the Senior Unreal Artist within the Virtual Art Departmenton Minecraft, I experienced the full creative workflow. What stood out most was how deeply the VAD was embedded across every stage of production. We weren’t working in isolation. From the production designer and director to the VFX supervisor and DP, the VAD became a hub for collaboration.” The project provided new opportunities. “I’ve always loved the physicality of working with an LED volume, both for the immersion it provides and the way that seeing the environment helps shape an actor’s performance,” notes Laura Bell, Creative Technologist for Disguise. “But for A Minecraft Movie, we used Simulcam instead, and it was an incredible experience to live-composite an entire Minecraft world in real-time, especially with nothing on set but blue curtains.” Set designs originally created by the art department in Rhinoceros 3D were transformed into fully navigable 3D environments within Unreal Engine. “These scenes were far more than visualizations,” Finlayson remarks. “They were interactive tools used throughout the production pipeline. We would ingest 3D models and concept art, clean and optimize geometry using tools like Blender, Cinema 4D or Maya, then build out the world in Unreal Engine. This included applying materials, lighting and extending environments. These Unreal scenes we created were vital tools across the production and were used for a variety of purposes such as enabling the director to explore shot compositions, block scenes and experiment with camera movement in a virtual space, as well as passing along Unreal Engine scenes to the visual effects vendors so they could align their digital environments and set extensions with the approved production layouts.” A virtual exploration of Steve’s shop in Midport Village. Certain elements have to be kept in mind when constructing virtual environments. “When building virtual environments, you need to consider what can actually be built, how actors and cameras will move through the space, and what’s safe and practical on set,” Bell observes. “Outside the areas where strict accuracy is required, you want the environments to blend naturally with the original designs from the art department and support the story, creating a space that feels right for the scene, guides the audience’s eye and sets the right tone. Things like composition, lighting and small environmental details can be really fun to work on, but also serve as beautiful additions to help enrich a story.” “I’ve always loved the physicality of working with an LED volume, both for the immersion it provides and the way that seeing the environment helps shape an actor’s performance. But for A Minecraft Movie, we used Simulcam instead, and it was an incredible experience to live-composite an entire Minecraft world in real-time, especially with nothing on set but blue curtains.” —Laura Bell, Creative Technologist, Disguise Among the buildings that had to be created for Midport Village was Steve’sLava Chicken Shack. Concept art was provided that served as visual touchstones. “We received concept art provided by the amazing team of concept artists,” Finlayson states. “Not only did they send us 2D artwork, but they often shared the 3D models they used to create those visuals. These models were incredibly helpful as starting points when building out the virtual environments in Unreal Engine; they gave us a clear sense of composition and design intent. Storyboards were also a key part of the process and were constantly being updated as the project evolved. Having access to the latest versions allowed us to tailor the virtual environments to match camera angles, story beats and staging. Sometimes we would also help the storyboard artists by sending through images of the Unreal Engine worlds to help them geographically position themselves in the worlds and aid in their storyboarding.” At times, the video game assets came in handy. “Exteriors often involved large-scale landscapes and stylized architectural elements, which had to feel true to the Minecraft world,” Finlayson explains. “In some cases, we brought in geometry from the game itself to help quickly block out areas. For example, we did this for the Elytra Flight Chase sequence, which takes place through a large canyon.” Flexibility was critical. “A key technical challenge we faced was ensuring that the Unreal levels were built in a way that allowed for fast and flexible iteration,” Finlayson remarks. “Since our environments were constantly being reviewed by the director, production designer, DP and VFX supervisor, we needed to be able to respond quickly to feedback, sometimes live during a review session. To support this, we had to keep our scenes modular and well-organized; that meant breaking environments down into manageable components and maintaining clean naming conventions. By setting up the levels this way, we could make layout changes, swap assets or adjust lighting on the fly without breaking the scene or slowing down the process.” Production schedules influence the workflows, pipelines and techniques. “No two projects will ever feel exactly the same,” Bell notes. “For example, Pat Younisadapted his typical VR setup to allow scene reviews using a PS5 controller, which made it much more comfortable and accessible for the director. On a more technical side, because everything was cubes and voxels, my Blender workflow ended up being way heavier on the re-mesh modifier than usual, definitely not something I’ll run into again anytime soon!” A virtual study and final still of the cast members standing outside of the Lava Chicken Shack. “We received concept art provided by the amazing team of concept artists. Not only did they send us 2D artwork, but they often shared the 3D models they used to create those visuals. These models were incredibly helpful as starting points when building out the virtual environments in Unreal Engine; they gave us a clear sense of composition and design intent. Storyboards were also a key part of the process and were constantly being updated as the project evolved. Having access to the latest versions allowed us to tailor the virtual environments to match camera angles, story beats and staging.” —Talia Finlayson, Creative Technologist, Disguise The design and composition of virtual environments tended to remain consistent throughout principal photography. “The only major design change I can recall was the removal of a second story from a building in Midport Village to allow the camera crane to get a clear shot of the chicken perched above Steve’s lava chicken shack,” Finlayson remarks. “I would agree that Midport Village likely went through the most iterations,” Bell responds. “The archway, in particular, became a visual anchor across different levels. We often placed it off in the distance to help orient both ourselves and the audience and show how far the characters had traveled. I remember rebuilding the stairs leading up to the rampart five or six times, using different configurations based on the physically constructed stairs. This was because there were storyboarded sequences of the film’s characters, Henry, Steve and Garrett, being chased by piglins, and the action needed to match what could be achieved practically on set.” Virtually conceptualizing the layout of Midport Village. Complex virtual environments were constructed for the final battle and the various forest scenes throughout the movie. “What made these particularly challenging was the way physical set pieces were repurposed and repositioned to serve multiple scenes and locations within the story,” Finlayson reveals. “The same built elements had to appear in different parts of the world, so we had to carefully adjust the virtual environments to accommodate those different positions.” Bell is in agreement with her colleague. “The forest scenes were some of the more complex environments to manage. It could get tricky, particularly when the filming schedule shifted. There was one day on set where the order of shots changed unexpectedly, and because the physical sets looked so similar, I initially loaded a different perspective than planned. Fortunately, thanks to our workflow, Lindsay Georgeand I were able to quickly open the recorded sequence in Unreal Engine and swap out the correct virtual environment for the live composite without any disruption to the shoot.” An example of the virtual and final version of the Woodland Mansion. “Midport Village likely went through the most iterations. The archway, in particular, became a visual anchor across different levels. We often placed it off in the distance to help orient both ourselves and the audience and show how far the characters had traveled.” —Laura Bell, Creative Technologist, Disguise Extensive detail was given to the center of the sets where the main action unfolds. “For these areas, we received prop layouts from the prop department to ensure accurate placement and alignment with the physical builds,” Finlayson explains. “These central environments were used heavily for storyboarding, blocking and department reviews, so precision was essential. As we moved further out from the practical set, the environments became more about blocking and spatial context rather than fine detail. We worked closely with Production Designer Grant Major to get approval on these extended environments, making sure they aligned with the overall visual direction. We also used creatures and crowd stand-ins provided by the visual effects team. These gave a great sense of scale and placement during early planning stages and allowed other departments to better understand how these elements would be integrated into the scenes.” Cast members Sebastian Hansen, Danielle Brooks and Emma Myers stand in front of the Earth Portal Plateau environment. Doing a virtual scale study of the Mountainside. Practical requirements like camera moves, stunt choreography and crane setups had an impact on the creation of virtual environments. “Sometimes we would adjust layouts slightly to open up areas for tracking shots or rework spaces to accommodate key action beats, all while keeping the environment feeling cohesive and true to the Minecraft world,” Bell states. “Simulcam bridged the physical and virtual worlds on set, overlaying Unreal Engine environments onto live-action scenes in real-time, giving the director, DP and other department heads a fully-realized preview of shots and enabling precise, informed decisions during production. It also recorded critical production data like camera movement paths, which was handed over to the post-production team to give them the exact tracks they needed, streamlining the visual effects pipeline.” Piglots cause mayhem during the Wingsuit Chase. Virtual versions of the exterior and interior of the Safe House located in the Enchanted Woods. “One of the biggest challenges for me was managing constant iteration while keeping our environments clean, organized and easy to update,” Finlayson notes. “Because the virtual sets were reviewed regularly by the director and other heads of departments, feedback was often implemented live in the room. This meant the environments had to be flexible. But overall, this was an amazing project to work on, and I am so grateful for the incredible VAD team I was a part of – Heide Nichols, Pat Younis, Jake Tuckand Laura. Everyone on this team worked so collaboratively, seamlessly and in such a supportive way that I never felt like I was out of my depth.” There was another challenge that is more to do with familiarity. “Having a VAD on a film is still a relatively new process in production,” Bell states. “There were moments where other departments were still learning what we did and how to best work with us. That said, the response was overwhelmingly positive. I remember being on set at the Simulcam station and seeing how excited people were to look at the virtual environments as they walked by, often stopping for a chat and a virtual tour. Instead of seeing just a huge blue curtain, they were stoked to see something Minecraft and could get a better sense of what they were actually shooting.” #how #disguise #built #out #virtual
    WWW.VFXVOICE.COM
    HOW DISGUISE BUILT OUT THE VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS FOR A MINECRAFT MOVIE
    By TREVOR HOGG Images courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures. Rather than a world constructed around photorealistic pixels, a video game created by Markus Persson has taken the boxier 3D voxel route, which has become its signature aesthetic, and sparked an international phenomenon that finally gets adapted into a feature with the release of A Minecraft Movie. Brought onboard to help filmmaker Jared Hess in creating the environments that the cast of Jason Momoa, Jack Black, Sebastian Hansen, Emma Myers and Danielle Brooks find themselves inhabiting was Disguise under the direction of Production VFX Supervisor Dan Lemmon. “[A]s the Senior Unreal Artist within the Virtual Art Department (VAD) on Minecraft, I experienced the full creative workflow. What stood out most was how deeply the VAD was embedded across every stage of production. We weren’t working in isolation. From the production designer and director to the VFX supervisor and DP, the VAD became a hub for collaboration.” —Talia Finlayson, Creative Technologist, Disguise Interior and exterior environments had to be created, such as the shop owned by Steve (Jack Black). “Prior to working on A Minecraft Movie, I held more technical roles, like serving as the Virtual Production LED Volume Operator on a project for Apple TV+ and Paramount Pictures,” notes Talia Finlayson, Creative Technologist for Disguise. “But as the Senior Unreal Artist within the Virtual Art Department (VAD) on Minecraft, I experienced the full creative workflow. What stood out most was how deeply the VAD was embedded across every stage of production. We weren’t working in isolation. From the production designer and director to the VFX supervisor and DP, the VAD became a hub for collaboration.” The project provided new opportunities. “I’ve always loved the physicality of working with an LED volume, both for the immersion it provides and the way that seeing the environment helps shape an actor’s performance,” notes Laura Bell, Creative Technologist for Disguise. “But for A Minecraft Movie, we used Simulcam instead, and it was an incredible experience to live-composite an entire Minecraft world in real-time, especially with nothing on set but blue curtains.” Set designs originally created by the art department in Rhinoceros 3D were transformed into fully navigable 3D environments within Unreal Engine. “These scenes were far more than visualizations,” Finlayson remarks. “They were interactive tools used throughout the production pipeline. We would ingest 3D models and concept art, clean and optimize geometry using tools like Blender, Cinema 4D or Maya, then build out the world in Unreal Engine. This included applying materials, lighting and extending environments. These Unreal scenes we created were vital tools across the production and were used for a variety of purposes such as enabling the director to explore shot compositions, block scenes and experiment with camera movement in a virtual space, as well as passing along Unreal Engine scenes to the visual effects vendors so they could align their digital environments and set extensions with the approved production layouts.” A virtual exploration of Steve’s shop in Midport Village. Certain elements have to be kept in mind when constructing virtual environments. “When building virtual environments, you need to consider what can actually be built, how actors and cameras will move through the space, and what’s safe and practical on set,” Bell observes. “Outside the areas where strict accuracy is required, you want the environments to blend naturally with the original designs from the art department and support the story, creating a space that feels right for the scene, guides the audience’s eye and sets the right tone. Things like composition, lighting and small environmental details can be really fun to work on, but also serve as beautiful additions to help enrich a story.” “I’ve always loved the physicality of working with an LED volume, both for the immersion it provides and the way that seeing the environment helps shape an actor’s performance. But for A Minecraft Movie, we used Simulcam instead, and it was an incredible experience to live-composite an entire Minecraft world in real-time, especially with nothing on set but blue curtains.” —Laura Bell, Creative Technologist, Disguise Among the buildings that had to be created for Midport Village was Steve’s (Jack Black) Lava Chicken Shack. Concept art was provided that served as visual touchstones. “We received concept art provided by the amazing team of concept artists,” Finlayson states. “Not only did they send us 2D artwork, but they often shared the 3D models they used to create those visuals. These models were incredibly helpful as starting points when building out the virtual environments in Unreal Engine; they gave us a clear sense of composition and design intent. Storyboards were also a key part of the process and were constantly being updated as the project evolved. Having access to the latest versions allowed us to tailor the virtual environments to match camera angles, story beats and staging. Sometimes we would also help the storyboard artists by sending through images of the Unreal Engine worlds to help them geographically position themselves in the worlds and aid in their storyboarding.” At times, the video game assets came in handy. “Exteriors often involved large-scale landscapes and stylized architectural elements, which had to feel true to the Minecraft world,” Finlayson explains. “In some cases, we brought in geometry from the game itself to help quickly block out areas. For example, we did this for the Elytra Flight Chase sequence, which takes place through a large canyon.” Flexibility was critical. “A key technical challenge we faced was ensuring that the Unreal levels were built in a way that allowed for fast and flexible iteration,” Finlayson remarks. “Since our environments were constantly being reviewed by the director, production designer, DP and VFX supervisor, we needed to be able to respond quickly to feedback, sometimes live during a review session. To support this, we had to keep our scenes modular and well-organized; that meant breaking environments down into manageable components and maintaining clean naming conventions. By setting up the levels this way, we could make layout changes, swap assets or adjust lighting on the fly without breaking the scene or slowing down the process.” Production schedules influence the workflows, pipelines and techniques. “No two projects will ever feel exactly the same,” Bell notes. “For example, Pat Younis [VAD Art Director] adapted his typical VR setup to allow scene reviews using a PS5 controller, which made it much more comfortable and accessible for the director. On a more technical side, because everything was cubes and voxels, my Blender workflow ended up being way heavier on the re-mesh modifier than usual, definitely not something I’ll run into again anytime soon!” A virtual study and final still of the cast members standing outside of the Lava Chicken Shack. “We received concept art provided by the amazing team of concept artists. Not only did they send us 2D artwork, but they often shared the 3D models they used to create those visuals. These models were incredibly helpful as starting points when building out the virtual environments in Unreal Engine; they gave us a clear sense of composition and design intent. Storyboards were also a key part of the process and were constantly being updated as the project evolved. Having access to the latest versions allowed us to tailor the virtual environments to match camera angles, story beats and staging.” —Talia Finlayson, Creative Technologist, Disguise The design and composition of virtual environments tended to remain consistent throughout principal photography. “The only major design change I can recall was the removal of a second story from a building in Midport Village to allow the camera crane to get a clear shot of the chicken perched above Steve’s lava chicken shack,” Finlayson remarks. “I would agree that Midport Village likely went through the most iterations,” Bell responds. “The archway, in particular, became a visual anchor across different levels. We often placed it off in the distance to help orient both ourselves and the audience and show how far the characters had traveled. I remember rebuilding the stairs leading up to the rampart five or six times, using different configurations based on the physically constructed stairs. This was because there were storyboarded sequences of the film’s characters, Henry, Steve and Garrett, being chased by piglins, and the action needed to match what could be achieved practically on set.” Virtually conceptualizing the layout of Midport Village. Complex virtual environments were constructed for the final battle and the various forest scenes throughout the movie. “What made these particularly challenging was the way physical set pieces were repurposed and repositioned to serve multiple scenes and locations within the story,” Finlayson reveals. “The same built elements had to appear in different parts of the world, so we had to carefully adjust the virtual environments to accommodate those different positions.” Bell is in agreement with her colleague. “The forest scenes were some of the more complex environments to manage. It could get tricky, particularly when the filming schedule shifted. There was one day on set where the order of shots changed unexpectedly, and because the physical sets looked so similar, I initially loaded a different perspective than planned. Fortunately, thanks to our workflow, Lindsay George [VP Tech] and I were able to quickly open the recorded sequence in Unreal Engine and swap out the correct virtual environment for the live composite without any disruption to the shoot.” An example of the virtual and final version of the Woodland Mansion. “Midport Village likely went through the most iterations. The archway, in particular, became a visual anchor across different levels. We often placed it off in the distance to help orient both ourselves and the audience and show how far the characters had traveled.” —Laura Bell, Creative Technologist, Disguise Extensive detail was given to the center of the sets where the main action unfolds. “For these areas, we received prop layouts from the prop department to ensure accurate placement and alignment with the physical builds,” Finlayson explains. “These central environments were used heavily for storyboarding, blocking and department reviews, so precision was essential. As we moved further out from the practical set, the environments became more about blocking and spatial context rather than fine detail. We worked closely with Production Designer Grant Major to get approval on these extended environments, making sure they aligned with the overall visual direction. We also used creatures and crowd stand-ins provided by the visual effects team. These gave a great sense of scale and placement during early planning stages and allowed other departments to better understand how these elements would be integrated into the scenes.” Cast members Sebastian Hansen, Danielle Brooks and Emma Myers stand in front of the Earth Portal Plateau environment. Doing a virtual scale study of the Mountainside. Practical requirements like camera moves, stunt choreography and crane setups had an impact on the creation of virtual environments. “Sometimes we would adjust layouts slightly to open up areas for tracking shots or rework spaces to accommodate key action beats, all while keeping the environment feeling cohesive and true to the Minecraft world,” Bell states. “Simulcam bridged the physical and virtual worlds on set, overlaying Unreal Engine environments onto live-action scenes in real-time, giving the director, DP and other department heads a fully-realized preview of shots and enabling precise, informed decisions during production. It also recorded critical production data like camera movement paths, which was handed over to the post-production team to give them the exact tracks they needed, streamlining the visual effects pipeline.” Piglots cause mayhem during the Wingsuit Chase. Virtual versions of the exterior and interior of the Safe House located in the Enchanted Woods. “One of the biggest challenges for me was managing constant iteration while keeping our environments clean, organized and easy to update,” Finlayson notes. “Because the virtual sets were reviewed regularly by the director and other heads of departments, feedback was often implemented live in the room. This meant the environments had to be flexible. But overall, this was an amazing project to work on, and I am so grateful for the incredible VAD team I was a part of – Heide Nichols [VAD Supervisor], Pat Younis, Jake Tuck [Unreal Artist] and Laura. Everyone on this team worked so collaboratively, seamlessly and in such a supportive way that I never felt like I was out of my depth.” There was another challenge that is more to do with familiarity. “Having a VAD on a film is still a relatively new process in production,” Bell states. “There were moments where other departments were still learning what we did and how to best work with us. That said, the response was overwhelmingly positive. I remember being on set at the Simulcam station and seeing how excited people were to look at the virtual environments as they walked by, often stopping for a chat and a virtual tour. Instead of seeing just a huge blue curtain, they were stoked to see something Minecraft and could get a better sense of what they were actually shooting.”
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  • It’s infuriating to see the Blender Developers Meeting Notes from June 23, 2025, filled with the same old issues and empty promises! Why are we still talking about moving the Git SSH domain to git.blender.org when there are far more pressing concerns? The upcoming Blender 5.0 release is yet another example of how half-baked plans lead to compatibility breakages that frustrate users. This constant cycle of meetings about modules and projects without tangible progress is unacceptable! Users deserve better than this lackadaisical approach! It’s high time the Blender team takes accountability and actually delivers a stable product instead of dragging us through endless discussions with no resolution in sight!

    #Blender #DeveloperIssues #TechFrustration #User
    It’s infuriating to see the Blender Developers Meeting Notes from June 23, 2025, filled with the same old issues and empty promises! Why are we still talking about moving the Git SSH domain to git.blender.org when there are far more pressing concerns? The upcoming Blender 5.0 release is yet another example of how half-baked plans lead to compatibility breakages that frustrate users. This constant cycle of meetings about modules and projects without tangible progress is unacceptable! Users deserve better than this lackadaisical approach! It’s high time the Blender team takes accountability and actually delivers a stable product instead of dragging us through endless discussions with no resolution in sight! #Blender #DeveloperIssues #TechFrustration #User
    Blender Developers Meeting Notes: 23 June 2025
    Notes for weekly communication of ongoing projects and modules. Announcements Blender Projects is moving its Git SSH domain to git.blender.org Reminder: Upcoming Blender 5.0 Release & Compatibility Breakages - #6 by mont29 Modules & Projects
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  • Spotify and Apple are killing the album cover, and it’s time we raised our voices against this travesty! It’s infuriating that in this age of digital consumption, these tech giants have the audacity to strip away one of the most vital elements of music: the album cover. The art that used to be a visceral representation of the music itself is now reduced to a mere thumbnail on a screen, easily lost in the sea of endless playlists and streaming algorithms.

    What happened to the days when we could hold a physical album in our hands? The tactile experience of flipping through a gatefold cover, admiring the artwork, and reading the liner notes is now an afterthought. Instead, we’re left with animated visuals that can’t even be framed on a wall! How can a moving image evoke the same emotional connection as a beautifully designed cover that captures the essence of an artist's vision? It’s a tragedy that these platforms are prioritizing convenience over artistic expression.

    The music industry needs to wake up! Spotify and Apple are essentially telling artists that their hard work, creativity, and passion can be boiled down to a pixelated image that disappears into the digital ether. This is an outright assault on the artistry of music! Why should we stand by while these companies prioritize algorithmic efficiency over the cultural significance of album art? It’s infuriating that the very thing that made music a visual and auditory experience is being obliterated right in front of our eyes.

    Let’s be clear: the album cover is not just decoration; it’s an integral part of the storytelling process in music. It sets the tone, evokes emotions, and can even influence how we perceive the music itself. When an album cover is designed with care and intention, it becomes an extension of the artist’s voice. Yet here we are, scrolling through Spotify and Apple Music, bombarded with generic visuals that do nothing to honor the artists or their work.

    Spotify and Apple need to be held accountable for this degradation of music culture. This isn’t just about nostalgia; it’s about preserving the integrity of artistic expression. We need to demand that these platforms acknowledge the importance of album covers and find ways to integrate them into our digital experiences. Otherwise, we’re on a dangerous path where music becomes nothing more than a disposable commodity.

    If we allow Spotify and Apple to continue on this trajectory, we risk losing an entire culture of artistic expression. It’s time for us as consumers to take a stand and remind these companies that music is not just about the sound; it’s about the entire experience.

    Let’s unite and fight back against this digital degradation of music artistry. We deserve better than a world where the album cover is dying a slow death. Let’s reclaim the beauty of music and its visual representation before it’s too late!

    #AlbumArt #MusicCulture #Spotify #AppleMusic #ProtectArtistry
    Spotify and Apple are killing the album cover, and it’s time we raised our voices against this travesty! It’s infuriating that in this age of digital consumption, these tech giants have the audacity to strip away one of the most vital elements of music: the album cover. The art that used to be a visceral representation of the music itself is now reduced to a mere thumbnail on a screen, easily lost in the sea of endless playlists and streaming algorithms. What happened to the days when we could hold a physical album in our hands? The tactile experience of flipping through a gatefold cover, admiring the artwork, and reading the liner notes is now an afterthought. Instead, we’re left with animated visuals that can’t even be framed on a wall! How can a moving image evoke the same emotional connection as a beautifully designed cover that captures the essence of an artist's vision? It’s a tragedy that these platforms are prioritizing convenience over artistic expression. The music industry needs to wake up! Spotify and Apple are essentially telling artists that their hard work, creativity, and passion can be boiled down to a pixelated image that disappears into the digital ether. This is an outright assault on the artistry of music! Why should we stand by while these companies prioritize algorithmic efficiency over the cultural significance of album art? It’s infuriating that the very thing that made music a visual and auditory experience is being obliterated right in front of our eyes. Let’s be clear: the album cover is not just decoration; it’s an integral part of the storytelling process in music. It sets the tone, evokes emotions, and can even influence how we perceive the music itself. When an album cover is designed with care and intention, it becomes an extension of the artist’s voice. Yet here we are, scrolling through Spotify and Apple Music, bombarded with generic visuals that do nothing to honor the artists or their work. Spotify and Apple need to be held accountable for this degradation of music culture. This isn’t just about nostalgia; it’s about preserving the integrity of artistic expression. We need to demand that these platforms acknowledge the importance of album covers and find ways to integrate them into our digital experiences. Otherwise, we’re on a dangerous path where music becomes nothing more than a disposable commodity. If we allow Spotify and Apple to continue on this trajectory, we risk losing an entire culture of artistic expression. It’s time for us as consumers to take a stand and remind these companies that music is not just about the sound; it’s about the entire experience. Let’s unite and fight back against this digital degradation of music artistry. We deserve better than a world where the album cover is dying a slow death. Let’s reclaim the beauty of music and its visual representation before it’s too late! #AlbumArt #MusicCulture #Spotify #AppleMusic #ProtectArtistry
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  • Patch Notes #8 : Tim Sweeney se met à parler d'IA, Nintendo laisse les journalistes en plan, et Epic tease The Witcher 4. La Switch 2 est enfin arrivée (à condition d'avoir réussi à précommander), mais bon, il y a plein d'autres nouvelles à digérer cette semaine.

    Franchement, c'est pas que je sois vraiment excité par tout ça. Tim Sweeney qui commence à faire la promotion de l'IA, c'est un peu comme un vieux disque rayé. On entend toujours les mêmes choses, et ça commence à devenir lassant. Qui a vraiment besoin d'une autre promesse de révolution numérique ? Les discours sur l'IA s'empilent, mais au fond, ça reste des mots vides.

    D'un autre côté, Nintendo, cette fois encore, a laissé les journalistes dans l'incertitude. On peut toujours compter sur eux pour créer un peu de mystère autour de leurs annonces. Mais est-ce que ça nous intéresse vraiment ? C'est un peu fatiguant de devoir attendre des nouvelles qui ne viennent jamais. On dirait que l'enthousiasme s'épuise.

    Et puis, Epic qui tease The Witcher 4... encore un autre teasing. On sait tous comment ça se termine. Des promesses, des trailers, et puis... rien de concret pendant des années. C'est toujours la même histoire. À ce stade, je ne suis même plus sûr de vouloir voir ce que ça pourrait donner.

    Bien sûr, la Switch 2 est là, mais est-ce que ça change vraiment la donne ? Peut-être qu'il y a des gens qui sont contents, mais pour moi, c'est juste un autre gadget sur le marché. Je ne sens pas cette excitation ambiante. Peut-être que je suis juste un peu fatigué de tout ça, ou peut-être que je suis juste trop occupé à regarder les nouvelles se succéder sans vraiment m'y intéresser.

    Au final, cette semaine, c'est une autre série de nouvelles qui passent sans grand impact. On navigue à travers ces annonces, mais l'enthousiasme fait défaut. J'espère juste que la prochaine fois, il y aura quelque chose qui va vraiment me captiver, mais pour l'instant, c'est un peu ennuyeux.

    #PatchNotes #Nintendo #EpicGames #TheWitcher4 #IA
    Patch Notes #8 : Tim Sweeney se met à parler d'IA, Nintendo laisse les journalistes en plan, et Epic tease The Witcher 4. La Switch 2 est enfin arrivée (à condition d'avoir réussi à précommander), mais bon, il y a plein d'autres nouvelles à digérer cette semaine. Franchement, c'est pas que je sois vraiment excité par tout ça. Tim Sweeney qui commence à faire la promotion de l'IA, c'est un peu comme un vieux disque rayé. On entend toujours les mêmes choses, et ça commence à devenir lassant. Qui a vraiment besoin d'une autre promesse de révolution numérique ? Les discours sur l'IA s'empilent, mais au fond, ça reste des mots vides. D'un autre côté, Nintendo, cette fois encore, a laissé les journalistes dans l'incertitude. On peut toujours compter sur eux pour créer un peu de mystère autour de leurs annonces. Mais est-ce que ça nous intéresse vraiment ? C'est un peu fatiguant de devoir attendre des nouvelles qui ne viennent jamais. On dirait que l'enthousiasme s'épuise. Et puis, Epic qui tease The Witcher 4... encore un autre teasing. On sait tous comment ça se termine. Des promesses, des trailers, et puis... rien de concret pendant des années. C'est toujours la même histoire. À ce stade, je ne suis même plus sûr de vouloir voir ce que ça pourrait donner. Bien sûr, la Switch 2 est là, mais est-ce que ça change vraiment la donne ? Peut-être qu'il y a des gens qui sont contents, mais pour moi, c'est juste un autre gadget sur le marché. Je ne sens pas cette excitation ambiante. Peut-être que je suis juste un peu fatigué de tout ça, ou peut-être que je suis juste trop occupé à regarder les nouvelles se succéder sans vraiment m'y intéresser. Au final, cette semaine, c'est une autre série de nouvelles qui passent sans grand impact. On navigue à travers ces annonces, mais l'enthousiasme fait défaut. J'espère juste que la prochaine fois, il y aura quelque chose qui va vraiment me captiver, mais pour l'instant, c'est un peu ennuyeux. #PatchNotes #Nintendo #EpicGames #TheWitcher4 #IA
    Patch Notes #8: Tim Sweeney starts peddling AI, Nintendo leaves journalists in the lurch, and Epic teases The Witcher 4
    The Switch 2 has finally arrived (assuming you snagged a pre-order) but there's plenty of other news to chew on this week.
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  • Dans un monde où les courses de Mario Kart deviennent de plus en plus extravagantes, il semble que la dernière tendance soit de s'accrocher aux rails et de rouler sur les murs. Oui, vous avez bien entendu, mes amis ! Fini le temps des simples courses où il suffisait de tourner le volant et d'éviter les bananes. Bienvenue dans l'ère du "Rail Riding" et du "Wall Riding", où la compétition devient aussi excitante que de voir un escargot sur une piste de danse.

    Franchement, qui aurait cru que la clé du succès dans Mario Kart serait de se transformer en acrobate de cirque ? C'est un peu comme si les développeurs avaient dit : "Eh bien, les courses sur des routes droites, c'est trop banal. Pourquoi ne pas ajouter un peu de gymnastique artistique ?" Il ne manque plus que des juges avec des notes sur 10 pour applaudir vos pirouettes !

    Et parlons de ces nouvelles techniques. Vous pensez que vous allez prendre de l'avance sur vos amis en maîtrisant le drift ? Non, non, non ! Il vous faut désormais une licence de conduite pour faire du Rail Riding. Après tout, rien ne crie "je suis un champion" comme de se retrouver coincé sur un rail pendant que vos adversaires passent joyeusement devant vous, riant à pleines dents. Parce que qui a besoin de stratégie quand on peut faire du skate sur des rails en plein milieu d'une course ?

    Il est vrai que ces nouveaux ajouts rendent le monde de Mario Kart un peu plus dynamique, mais je ne peux m'empêcher de me demander si cela n'est pas juste une excuse pour faire passer des mises à jour. "Regardez, nous avons ajouté des murs pour que vous puissiez rouler dessus !" Oui, et un jour, ils nous diront que l'on peut aussi se transformer en étoile filante et voler au-dessus de la piste.

    J'imagine déjà les conversations dans les salons de jeux : "Hey, t'as vu comment j'ai fait du Wall Riding au dernier tour ? J'ai failli tomber, mais au moins, tout le monde a vu ma chute épique !" C'est exactement ça que nous cherchions, non ? Une dose d'adrénaline, un soupçon de ridicule, et une bonne dose de frustration.

    Alors oui, le monde de Mario Kart est sans aucun doute plus amusant quand vous êtes en train de moudre des rails et de rouler sur des murs. Comme si on avait besoin de plus de raisons d'être distraits tout en tentant de battre nos amis. Mais au fond, qui peut vraiment résister à l'appel de la folie ? Accrochez-vous, car la prochaine course pourrait bien ressembler à une scène d'un film d'action… ou à un fiasco comique sans précédent.

    #MarioKart #RailRiding #WallRiding #JeuxVidéo #HumourJeux
    Dans un monde où les courses de Mario Kart deviennent de plus en plus extravagantes, il semble que la dernière tendance soit de s'accrocher aux rails et de rouler sur les murs. Oui, vous avez bien entendu, mes amis ! Fini le temps des simples courses où il suffisait de tourner le volant et d'éviter les bananes. Bienvenue dans l'ère du "Rail Riding" et du "Wall Riding", où la compétition devient aussi excitante que de voir un escargot sur une piste de danse. Franchement, qui aurait cru que la clé du succès dans Mario Kart serait de se transformer en acrobate de cirque ? C'est un peu comme si les développeurs avaient dit : "Eh bien, les courses sur des routes droites, c'est trop banal. Pourquoi ne pas ajouter un peu de gymnastique artistique ?" Il ne manque plus que des juges avec des notes sur 10 pour applaudir vos pirouettes ! Et parlons de ces nouvelles techniques. Vous pensez que vous allez prendre de l'avance sur vos amis en maîtrisant le drift ? Non, non, non ! Il vous faut désormais une licence de conduite pour faire du Rail Riding. Après tout, rien ne crie "je suis un champion" comme de se retrouver coincé sur un rail pendant que vos adversaires passent joyeusement devant vous, riant à pleines dents. Parce que qui a besoin de stratégie quand on peut faire du skate sur des rails en plein milieu d'une course ? Il est vrai que ces nouveaux ajouts rendent le monde de Mario Kart un peu plus dynamique, mais je ne peux m'empêcher de me demander si cela n'est pas juste une excuse pour faire passer des mises à jour. "Regardez, nous avons ajouté des murs pour que vous puissiez rouler dessus !" Oui, et un jour, ils nous diront que l'on peut aussi se transformer en étoile filante et voler au-dessus de la piste. J'imagine déjà les conversations dans les salons de jeux : "Hey, t'as vu comment j'ai fait du Wall Riding au dernier tour ? J'ai failli tomber, mais au moins, tout le monde a vu ma chute épique !" C'est exactement ça que nous cherchions, non ? Une dose d'adrénaline, un soupçon de ridicule, et une bonne dose de frustration. Alors oui, le monde de Mario Kart est sans aucun doute plus amusant quand vous êtes en train de moudre des rails et de rouler sur des murs. Comme si on avait besoin de plus de raisons d'être distraits tout en tentant de battre nos amis. Mais au fond, qui peut vraiment résister à l'appel de la folie ? Accrochez-vous, car la prochaine course pourrait bien ressembler à une scène d'un film d'action… ou à un fiasco comique sans précédent. #MarioKart #RailRiding #WallRiding #JeuxVidéo #HumourJeux
    Mario Kart World Is More Fun When You're Grinding Rails And Riding Walls
    Mario Kart World’s newest features aren’t limited to just the open world and huge 24-player races. Everything feels a lot more dynamic thanks to the inclusion of Rail Riding and Wall Riding. These new techniques can seem like a hassle at first, but y
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  • Blender, developers meeting notes, 4.5 LTS Beta, 5.0 Alpha, project updates, user interface, core module, pipeline and I/O module, new features

    ---

    ## Introduction

    Ah, the Blender developers, those wizards of 3D magic. If you’re wondering what they’ve been up to recently, you’re in for a treat! The latest meeting notes from June 9, 2025, are here, showcasing everything from announcements to project updates, all dressed up with a sprinkle of sarcasm. So, buckle up as we dive into this whimsica...
    Blender, developers meeting notes, 4.5 LTS Beta, 5.0 Alpha, project updates, user interface, core module, pipeline and I/O module, new features --- ## Introduction Ah, the Blender developers, those wizards of 3D magic. If you’re wondering what they’ve been up to recently, you’re in for a treat! The latest meeting notes from June 9, 2025, are here, showcasing everything from announcements to project updates, all dressed up with a sprinkle of sarcasm. So, buckle up as we dive into this whimsica...
    Blender Developers Meeting Notes: What’s Cooking for 2025?
    Blender, developers meeting notes, 4.5 LTS Beta, 5.0 Alpha, project updates, user interface, core module, pipeline and I/O module, new features --- ## Introduction Ah, the Blender developers, those wizards of 3D magic. If you’re wondering what they’ve been up to recently, you’re in for a treat! The latest meeting notes from June 9, 2025, are here, showcasing everything from announcements to...
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  • In the heart of night, where shadows dance and whispers linger, I find myself lost in the echoes of silence. The world outside moves on, oblivious to the weight that pins me down, like a forgotten dream fading into the morning light. The release of "Lunae Veritatis (Stay)" by The Avener, with its haunting melodies crafted by Seb Caudron and his dedicated team, reminds me of the beauty found in fleeting moments — moments that slip through my fingers like grains of sand.

    Three months of dedicated work from a passionate crew, their sweat and tears poured into a visual symphony meant to touch souls. Yet, here I am, standing alone amidst the beauty they created, feeling the sting of isolation more profoundly than ever. The vibrant colors of the clip contrast sharply with the monochrome palette of my heart, each frame a reminder of connections that once were, now just distant memories.

    I long for the warmth of companionship, a hand to hold as the waves of despair crash around me. Yet, each time I reach out, the void seems to grow wider, engulfing me in its darkness. The artistry of "Stay" reflects the depths of longing and the ache of absence, resonating with a truth I can’t escape: sometimes, the hardest battles are fought in silence, where no one can see the scars that bleed within.

    As I listen to the music, I can’t help but feel the bittersweet joy it brings. It captures the essence of love and loss, of a yearning that stretches beyond the stars. The visual magic woven by Seb Caudron and his team stirs something deep within me, yet it also heightens my sense of loneliness. How can such beauty exist while I feel so empty? I am but a ghost in a world that keeps moving forward, a spectator in a life that feels more like a distant memory than a present reality.

    The art created through "Lunae Veritatis (Stay)" is a testament to resilience, yet here I am, grappling with the shadows that cling to me like a second skin. I wish I could step into the world they’ve crafted, where emotions are vibrant and love is palpable. But instead, I remain trapped in a cycle of longing, watching from afar as the colors of life swirl around me, painting pictures I can only dream of.

    Perhaps one day, I will find my way back to the light, where the notes of hope and joy will resonate in my heart once more. Until then, I will carry the weight of this solitude, a silent observer of the beauty that surrounds me, forever yearning for a connection that seems just out of reach.

    #LunaeVeritatis #TheAvener #SebCaudron #Loneliness #ArtAndEmotion
    In the heart of night, where shadows dance and whispers linger, I find myself lost in the echoes of silence. The world outside moves on, oblivious to the weight that pins me down, like a forgotten dream fading into the morning light. The release of "Lunae Veritatis (Stay)" by The Avener, with its haunting melodies crafted by Seb Caudron and his dedicated team, reminds me of the beauty found in fleeting moments — moments that slip through my fingers like grains of sand. Three months of dedicated work from a passionate crew, their sweat and tears poured into a visual symphony meant to touch souls. Yet, here I am, standing alone amidst the beauty they created, feeling the sting of isolation more profoundly than ever. The vibrant colors of the clip contrast sharply with the monochrome palette of my heart, each frame a reminder of connections that once were, now just distant memories. I long for the warmth of companionship, a hand to hold as the waves of despair crash around me. Yet, each time I reach out, the void seems to grow wider, engulfing me in its darkness. The artistry of "Stay" reflects the depths of longing and the ache of absence, resonating with a truth I can’t escape: sometimes, the hardest battles are fought in silence, where no one can see the scars that bleed within. As I listen to the music, I can’t help but feel the bittersweet joy it brings. It captures the essence of love and loss, of a yearning that stretches beyond the stars. The visual magic woven by Seb Caudron and his team stirs something deep within me, yet it also heightens my sense of loneliness. How can such beauty exist while I feel so empty? I am but a ghost in a world that keeps moving forward, a spectator in a life that feels more like a distant memory than a present reality. The art created through "Lunae Veritatis (Stay)" is a testament to resilience, yet here I am, grappling with the shadows that cling to me like a second skin. I wish I could step into the world they’ve crafted, where emotions are vibrant and love is palpable. But instead, I remain trapped in a cycle of longing, watching from afar as the colors of life swirl around me, painting pictures I can only dream of. Perhaps one day, I will find my way back to the light, where the notes of hope and joy will resonate in my heart once more. Until then, I will carry the weight of this solitude, a silent observer of the beauty that surrounds me, forever yearning for a connection that seems just out of reach. #LunaeVeritatis #TheAvener #SebCaudron #Loneliness #ArtAndEmotion
    Seb Caudron signe le clip Lunae Veritatis (Stay) pour The Avener
    Le réalisateur et superviseur VFX Seb Caudron nous présente son dernier projet : le clip Lunae Veritatis (Stay). Réalisé pour The Avener. Un projet qui a demandé trois mois de travail à l’équipe impliquée. La production s’est appuyée sur
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