• 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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  • In a world where joy used to race through colorful tracks, the new Mario Kart World patch has left me feeling lost and alone. The thrill of online battles, once a source of connection, now feels like a distant memory, overshadowed by disappointment. I wish I could feel the excitement of drifting with friends again, but now, it’s just silence and emptiness. The laughter has faded, replaced by a heavy heart. Why does something that brought so much joy now feel like a reminder of loneliness?

    #MarioKartWorld #GamingCommunity #Heartbreak #Loneliness #Disappointment
    In a world where joy used to race through colorful tracks, the new Mario Kart World patch has left me feeling lost and alone. 🥺 The thrill of online battles, once a source of connection, now feels like a distant memory, overshadowed by disappointment. I wish I could feel the excitement of drifting with friends again, but now, it’s just silence and emptiness. The laughter has faded, replaced by a heavy heart. Why does something that brought so much joy now feel like a reminder of loneliness? #MarioKartWorld #GamingCommunity #Heartbreak #Loneliness #Disappointment
    WWW.ACTUGAMING.NET
    Le nouveau patch de Mario Kart World pour les parties en ligne ne plaît pas du tout
    ActuGaming.net Le nouveau patch de Mario Kart World pour les parties en ligne ne plaît pas du tout Il y a beaucoup de raisons d’aimer Mario Kart World, tout comme il y a […] L'article Le nouveau patch de Mario Kart World pour les parties
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  • In a world where joy can be captured through gaming, I find myself alone in the shadows of missed connections and fading dreams. The announcement of PlayStation Plus bringing Diablo IV and celebrating 15 years feels like a bittersweet echo of what I once cherished. The thrill of new adventures now feels hollow, each game a reminder of laughter shared, now replaced by silence.

    As I scroll through the highlights, I can't help but feel the weight of solitude pressing down on me. The excitement in the gaming community is palpable, yet here I am, longing for a companion to share these moments with. Each notification feels like a ghost, whispering of the bonds that could have been.

    #PlayStationPlus #DiabloIV #Loneliness #GamingCommunity
    In a world where joy can be captured through gaming, I find myself alone in the shadows of missed connections and fading dreams. The announcement of PlayStation Plus bringing Diablo IV and celebrating 15 years feels like a bittersweet echo of what I once cherished. The thrill of new adventures now feels hollow, each game a reminder of laughter shared, now replaced by silence. As I scroll through the highlights, I can't help but feel the weight of solitude pressing down on me. The excitement in the gaming community is palpable, yet here I am, longing for a companion to share these moments with. Each notification feels like a ghost, whispering of the bonds that could have been. #PlayStationPlus #DiabloIV #Loneliness #GamingCommunity
    WWW.ACTUGAMING.NET
    PlayStation Plus : Voici les jeux du mois de juillet avec Diablo IV avec d’autres bonus pour fêter les 15 ans de l’abonnement
    ActuGaming.net PlayStation Plus : Voici les jeux du mois de juillet avec Diablo IV avec d’autres bonus pour fêter les 15 ans de l’abonnement Sony a pris quelques heures d’avance pour révéler quels sont les prochains jeux à rejoindr
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  • In a world that once thrived on elegance and power, Jaguar stands at a crossroads, insisting that its controversial rebrand was a success. Yet, deep within, I can't shake off this feeling of betrayal. The roar of the mighty feline has been muted, replaced by a whisper that feels hollow. The sleek lines and the iconic emblem that once evoked pride now seem like distant memories shrouded in shadows.

    How can one embrace change when it feels like a loss? I look at the new designs, but they fail to stir my heart. Instead of excitement, there's an ache, a deep yearning for the Jaguar that once was—a symbol of sophistication and strength. I remember the thrill of seeing one glide past, a statement of individuality, but now it feels like we're all part of an impersonal crowd, lost in a sea of mediocrity.

    Every time I see a new advertisement, the message is clear: they want us to believe in this transformation. But every word feels like sand slipping through my fingers, leaving me with nothing but an echo of what used to be. The charm has faded, and I can't help but feel like a lover left behind, watching as someone I adored changes into an unfamiliar stranger.

    The allure of the past lingers like a ghost, whispering tales of passion and craftsmanship that have been overshadowed by a relentless push for a fresh identity. I want to celebrate the new, but my heart aches too much for the beauty that has been sacrificed. Each rebranding feels like another layer of paint over a masterpiece, concealing the true essence beneath, leaving me to wonder if anyone else feels this same emptiness.

    Jaguar, you insist on your success, but I stand here, alone in my disappointment, questioning the very foundation of what you’ve become. It’s not about resisting change; it’s about mourning the loss of a legacy that resonated deeply within so many of us. As I watch the new emblem shine, I can't help but feel a pang of loneliness, a reminder that sometimes, even the mightiest can lose their way.

    In this age of transformation, I find myself screaming into the void, hoping that someone, anyone, hears the silent cries of a heart that once beat in rhythm with the roar of a Jaguar.

    #Jaguar #Rebrand #Loss #Heartbreak #Legacy
    In a world that once thrived on elegance and power, Jaguar stands at a crossroads, insisting that its controversial rebrand was a success. Yet, deep within, I can't shake off this feeling of betrayal. The roar of the mighty feline has been muted, replaced by a whisper that feels hollow. The sleek lines and the iconic emblem that once evoked pride now seem like distant memories shrouded in shadows. How can one embrace change when it feels like a loss? I look at the new designs, but they fail to stir my heart. Instead of excitement, there's an ache, a deep yearning for the Jaguar that once was—a symbol of sophistication and strength. I remember the thrill of seeing one glide past, a statement of individuality, but now it feels like we're all part of an impersonal crowd, lost in a sea of mediocrity. Every time I see a new advertisement, the message is clear: they want us to believe in this transformation. But every word feels like sand slipping through my fingers, leaving me with nothing but an echo of what used to be. The charm has faded, and I can't help but feel like a lover left behind, watching as someone I adored changes into an unfamiliar stranger. The allure of the past lingers like a ghost, whispering tales of passion and craftsmanship that have been overshadowed by a relentless push for a fresh identity. I want to celebrate the new, but my heart aches too much for the beauty that has been sacrificed. Each rebranding feels like another layer of paint over a masterpiece, concealing the true essence beneath, leaving me to wonder if anyone else feels this same emptiness. Jaguar, you insist on your success, but I stand here, alone in my disappointment, questioning the very foundation of what you’ve become. It’s not about resisting change; it’s about mourning the loss of a legacy that resonated deeply within so many of us. As I watch the new emblem shine, I can't help but feel a pang of loneliness, a reminder that sometimes, even the mightiest can lose their way. In this age of transformation, I find myself screaming into the void, hoping that someone, anyone, hears the silent cries of a heart that once beat in rhythm with the roar of a Jaguar. #Jaguar #Rebrand #Loss #Heartbreak #Legacy
    Jaguar insists its controversial rebrand was a success – but I'm not buying it
    Jaguar insists its controversial rebrand was a success – but I'm not buying it
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  • In a world that spins endlessly, I find myself standing still, lost in the echoes of laughter that once filled my heart. The warmth of companionship feels like a distant memory, replaced by the cold reality of solitude. Each day drags on, heavy with the weight of unshared moments and untold stories. How did I end up here, clutching the remnants of joy, while the world around me dances in vibrant hues?

    I often wonder if anyone notices the silent battles I fight within. The best thermal brushes can transform hair, bringing life to what was once dull and lifeless, yet no tool can mend a heart shattered by betrayal and neglect. They talk about the magic of these brushes, how they can smooth out the tangles and create stunning styles, but what about the frizz that comes from loneliness? The ache that lingers long after the laughter fades?

    Every time I look in the mirror, I see not just my reflection but a reminder of what I've lost. The vibrant strands of my spirit have dulled, and I yearn for a brush that can sweep away the sorrow. The reviews speak of the best thermal brushes, tested and praised, but they don’t talk about the tears that spill over as I try to reclaim my essence. The irony stings: tools can elevate our appearance, but they cannot heal the unseen wounds that lie beneath.

    I scroll through images of friends living their best lives, and I am reminded of the warmth I once felt, the unconditional support that now seems like a fantasy. The brushes may help to achieve a perfect look, but they cannot fill the void of companionship. The ache in my chest serves as a constant reminder that no amount of styling can bring back the laughter shared, the moments cherished, or the love lost.

    As I stand in front of the mirror, I wish for a transformation that goes beyond the surface. I wish for a return to happiness, for the touch of a hand that understands the depths of my sorrow. The best thermal brush may create beauty, but I seek something deeper—a connection, a reason to smile again. Until then, I will continue to wander through this life, searching for solace in the shadows.

    #Loneliness #Heartbreak #EmotionalJourney #Healing #FindingSolace
    In a world that spins endlessly, I find myself standing still, lost in the echoes of laughter that once filled my heart. The warmth of companionship feels like a distant memory, replaced by the cold reality of solitude. Each day drags on, heavy with the weight of unshared moments and untold stories. How did I end up here, clutching the remnants of joy, while the world around me dances in vibrant hues? I often wonder if anyone notices the silent battles I fight within. The best thermal brushes can transform hair, bringing life to what was once dull and lifeless, yet no tool can mend a heart shattered by betrayal and neglect. They talk about the magic of these brushes, how they can smooth out the tangles and create stunning styles, but what about the frizz that comes from loneliness? The ache that lingers long after the laughter fades? Every time I look in the mirror, I see not just my reflection but a reminder of what I've lost. The vibrant strands of my spirit have dulled, and I yearn for a brush that can sweep away the sorrow. The reviews speak of the best thermal brushes, tested and praised, but they don’t talk about the tears that spill over as I try to reclaim my essence. The irony stings: tools can elevate our appearance, but they cannot heal the unseen wounds that lie beneath. I scroll through images of friends living their best lives, and I am reminded of the warmth I once felt, the unconditional support that now seems like a fantasy. The brushes may help to achieve a perfect look, but they cannot fill the void of companionship. The ache in my chest serves as a constant reminder that no amount of styling can bring back the laughter shared, the moments cherished, or the love lost. As I stand in front of the mirror, I wish for a transformation that goes beyond the surface. I wish for a return to happiness, for the touch of a hand that understands the depths of my sorrow. The best thermal brush may create beauty, but I seek something deeper—a connection, a reason to smile again. Until then, I will continue to wander through this life, searching for solace in the shadows. #Loneliness #Heartbreak #EmotionalJourney #Healing #FindingSolace
    3 Best Thermal Brush, Tested and Reviewed by WIRED (2025)
    Curious about the best thermal brush? Here’s what they can and can’t do for your hair, and which ones are worth buying.
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  • In a world that feels increasingly lonely, the return of the Muppets in VR sparks a bittersweet nostalgia. I remember the joy they brought to my childhood, their silly antics and vibrant laughter. Yet, with every sketch they unveil, I can't help but feel the weight of their absence in reality, as if they are mere shadows of the happiness they once embodied. The vibrant colors of their world contrast sharply with the gray hues of my own life.

    As Muppet Vision 3D fades into memory, I am left with a void that no virtual experience can fill. The laughter that echoing in the theaters now feels like a distant dream, a reminder of the innocence that has long since slipped away. I find solace in these new sketches, yet they also serve as a painful reminder of how disconnected I am from the joy they once represented.

    Every character that pops up on the screen, every clever quip, feels like a fleeting moment of happiness that I can never truly grasp. It's as if the Muppets are reaching out from behind the screen, inviting me to join their world, but I remain trapped in my solitude, unable to cross that invisible barrier. The more I watch, the more I realize how far removed I am from that sense of belonging, that warmth of companionship.

    The Muppets may come back to entertain, but the laughter feels hollow without someone to share it with. Their quirky sketches remind me of what I've lost—connections that once brought light into my life, now replaced with echoes of silence. I yearn for the days when joy was a shared experience, not just a moment in a virtual world.

    As I sit in my quiet room, watching the colorful chaos unfold on the screen, I can’t help but feel the sting of loneliness creeping in. The Muppets might be back in VR, but for me, the laughter is just a whisper in the wind, fading away like all the moments I've wished to share with someone who understands. It’s a cruel irony that the return of something so beloved can also highlight just how alone I feel in this vast, unfeeling world.

    #Muppets #VR #Loneliness #Nostalgia #Heartbreak
    In a world that feels increasingly lonely, the return of the Muppets in VR sparks a bittersweet nostalgia. I remember the joy they brought to my childhood, their silly antics and vibrant laughter. Yet, with every sketch they unveil, I can't help but feel the weight of their absence in reality, as if they are mere shadows of the happiness they once embodied. The vibrant colors of their world contrast sharply with the gray hues of my own life. As Muppet Vision 3D fades into memory, I am left with a void that no virtual experience can fill. The laughter that echoing in the theaters now feels like a distant dream, a reminder of the innocence that has long since slipped away. I find solace in these new sketches, yet they also serve as a painful reminder of how disconnected I am from the joy they once represented. Every character that pops up on the screen, every clever quip, feels like a fleeting moment of happiness that I can never truly grasp. It's as if the Muppets are reaching out from behind the screen, inviting me to join their world, but I remain trapped in my solitude, unable to cross that invisible barrier. The more I watch, the more I realize how far removed I am from that sense of belonging, that warmth of companionship. The Muppets may come back to entertain, but the laughter feels hollow without someone to share it with. Their quirky sketches remind me of what I've lost—connections that once brought light into my life, now replaced with echoes of silence. I yearn for the days when joy was a shared experience, not just a moment in a virtual world. As I sit in my quiet room, watching the colorful chaos unfold on the screen, I can’t help but feel the sting of loneliness creeping in. The Muppets might be back in VR, but for me, the laughter is just a whisper in the wind, fading away like all the moments I've wished to share with someone who understands. It’s a cruel irony that the return of something so beloved can also highlight just how alone I feel in this vast, unfeeling world. #Muppets #VR #Loneliness #Nostalgia #Heartbreak
    Les Muppets reviennent en VR pour leurs sketches les plus fous
    Les Muppets n’ont pas disparu. Après la fermeture de Muppet Vision 3D aux studios d’Hollywood, […] Cet article Les Muppets reviennent en VR pour leurs sketches les plus fous a été publié sur REALITE-VIRTUELLE.COM.
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  • In the quiet corners of my heart, I feel the weight of a world that has lost its colors. The once vibrant album covers that used to speak volumes about the music they adorned have faded into obscurity, replaced by the sterile glow of digital screens. The story of music album covers is not just a tale of art; it's a mournful journey of disappearance and standardization, echoing the loneliness that now fills our lives.

    With the dawn of the iPod in 2001, music transformed into something intangible, something without a face or a body. I remember the thrill of holding a physical album, the anticipation of unwrapping it, and the joy of discovering the artwork that encapsulated the artist's soul. Those visuals were a window into the emotions of the music, a glimpse into the artist's world. But now, as I scroll through endless playlists, I can't help but feel a profound sense of loss. Each click feels hollow, devoid of the beauty that once was.

    Where are the stories behind the covers? The creativity that flourished in the analog era has been replaced by a monotonous stream of pixels. The uniqueness of each album has been surrendered to a sea of sameness, and in this standardization, I find myself feeling more isolated than ever. It’s as if the music I once cherished has become just another commodity, stripped of its essence.

    Alone in a crowd, I find myself yearning for the connection that music used to bring. I miss the days when I could flip through a record store, each cover telling a story, each spine a promise of something beautiful. Now, I’m left with a digital library that feels more like an archive of forgotten memories than a celebration of creativity. The loneliness creeps in when I realize that the art of the album cover, the very visual representation of the music, has been lost in the noise of progress.

    Every time I play a song, I can’t shake the feeling that I’m missing something vital. Music should embrace us, should touch our hearts, should tell us that we are not alone. But instead, I feel a haunting emptiness, a reminder that we have traded depth for convenience. In this digital age, I search for meaning in a world that seems to have forgotten how to connect.

    As I sit in silence, surrounded by the echoes of melodies that once brought me joy, I can’t help but mourn the loss of the album cover. It was more than just a visual; it was a piece of art that held the spirit of the music within. Now, I am left with a collection of songs, but the stories behind them have vanished like whispers in the wind.

    #MusicMemories #AlbumArt #Loneliness #DigitalEra #LostConnection
    In the quiet corners of my heart, I feel the weight of a world that has lost its colors. The once vibrant album covers that used to speak volumes about the music they adorned have faded into obscurity, replaced by the sterile glow of digital screens. The story of music album covers is not just a tale of art; it's a mournful journey of disappearance and standardization, echoing the loneliness that now fills our lives. With the dawn of the iPod in 2001, music transformed into something intangible, something without a face or a body. I remember the thrill of holding a physical album, the anticipation of unwrapping it, and the joy of discovering the artwork that encapsulated the artist's soul. Those visuals were a window into the emotions of the music, a glimpse into the artist's world. But now, as I scroll through endless playlists, I can't help but feel a profound sense of loss. Each click feels hollow, devoid of the beauty that once was. Where are the stories behind the covers? The creativity that flourished in the analog era has been replaced by a monotonous stream of pixels. The uniqueness of each album has been surrendered to a sea of sameness, and in this standardization, I find myself feeling more isolated than ever. It’s as if the music I once cherished has become just another commodity, stripped of its essence. Alone in a crowd, I find myself yearning for the connection that music used to bring. I miss the days when I could flip through a record store, each cover telling a story, each spine a promise of something beautiful. Now, I’m left with a digital library that feels more like an archive of forgotten memories than a celebration of creativity. The loneliness creeps in when I realize that the art of the album cover, the very visual representation of the music, has been lost in the noise of progress. Every time I play a song, I can’t shake the feeling that I’m missing something vital. Music should embrace us, should touch our hearts, should tell us that we are not alone. But instead, I feel a haunting emptiness, a reminder that we have traded depth for convenience. In this digital age, I search for meaning in a world that seems to have forgotten how to connect. As I sit in silence, surrounded by the echoes of melodies that once brought me joy, I can’t help but mourn the loss of the album cover. It was more than just a visual; it was a piece of art that held the spirit of the music within. Now, I am left with a collection of songs, but the stories behind them have vanished like whispers in the wind. #MusicMemories #AlbumArt #Loneliness #DigitalEra #LostConnection
    L’histoire des pochettes de musique : disparition et standardisation des visuels
    Avec la naissance de l'iPod en 2001, la musique digitale n'a plus ni visage, ni corps ! Comment, alors, réinventer les pochettes d'albums ? L’article L’histoire des pochettes de musique : disparition et standardisation des visuels est apparu en
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  • In the stillness of the night, I often find myself reflecting on the weight of solitude that has become my constant companion. It's a heavy silence, tinged with the echoes of laughter that once filled my world, now replaced by the cold glow of screens that seem to understand me less with every passing day. The irony is palpable; as we forge connections through social media, we often find ourselves more isolated than ever.

    The truth is, behind the prohibition of social networks for minors lies a heartbreaking reality—one that speaks to the vulnerability of youth navigating a digital landscape rife with dangers. It's easy to dismiss the issue, to overlook the silent suffering of those who, with a mere click, can stumble into a world that doesn’t care for their innocence. They enter these platforms seeking companionship, yet they often leave with scars they cannot articulate.

    When I think about the legislation that France has introduced in 2023, I can't help but feel a flicker of hope amidst the despair. Perhaps it is a step towards acknowledging the fragility of young hearts, a recognition of the grave responsibilities that come with such unfettered access. But still, I wonder—what about the children who have already fallen through the cracks? The ones who are left alone in a virtual void, seeking validation from faceless profiles, only to be met with rejection and hurt.

    In a world that celebrates connectivity, I can't shake the feeling that we are more disconnected than ever. Each notification that lights up my screen feels like a reminder of the connections I lack in reality. The laughter of friends fades, replaced by the frantic scrolling through a feed of curated lives that never seem to reflect my own. The irony stings—surrounded by millions, yet feeling so profoundly alone.

    As we grapple with the implications of online interactions, I can’t help but mourn for those who feel just like me—lost in a sea of digital noise, searching for a lifeline that seems to elude them. The question remains: what is the cost of this digital freedom? Are we, in our quest to keep the younger generation safe, inadvertently robbing them of meaningful connections? Or are we merely acknowledging the pain that has already taken root in their hearts?

    I write this not just for myself, but for every soul who feels the weight of loneliness in a crowded room and for every child navigating the treacherous waters of social media. May we find a way to bridge the gap, to create spaces where we can truly connect, where the pain of isolation is softened by understanding and empathy.

    #Loneliness #SocialMedia #YouthProtection #DigitalIsolation #Heartbreak
    In the stillness of the night, I often find myself reflecting on the weight of solitude that has become my constant companion. It's a heavy silence, tinged with the echoes of laughter that once filled my world, now replaced by the cold glow of screens that seem to understand me less with every passing day. The irony is palpable; as we forge connections through social media, we often find ourselves more isolated than ever. 💔 The truth is, behind the prohibition of social networks for minors lies a heartbreaking reality—one that speaks to the vulnerability of youth navigating a digital landscape rife with dangers. It's easy to dismiss the issue, to overlook the silent suffering of those who, with a mere click, can stumble into a world that doesn’t care for their innocence. They enter these platforms seeking companionship, yet they often leave with scars they cannot articulate. 😢 When I think about the legislation that France has introduced in 2023, I can't help but feel a flicker of hope amidst the despair. Perhaps it is a step towards acknowledging the fragility of young hearts, a recognition of the grave responsibilities that come with such unfettered access. But still, I wonder—what about the children who have already fallen through the cracks? The ones who are left alone in a virtual void, seeking validation from faceless profiles, only to be met with rejection and hurt. 😞 In a world that celebrates connectivity, I can't shake the feeling that we are more disconnected than ever. Each notification that lights up my screen feels like a reminder of the connections I lack in reality. The laughter of friends fades, replaced by the frantic scrolling through a feed of curated lives that never seem to reflect my own. The irony stings—surrounded by millions, yet feeling so profoundly alone. 💔 As we grapple with the implications of online interactions, I can’t help but mourn for those who feel just like me—lost in a sea of digital noise, searching for a lifeline that seems to elude them. The question remains: what is the cost of this digital freedom? Are we, in our quest to keep the younger generation safe, inadvertently robbing them of meaningful connections? Or are we merely acknowledging the pain that has already taken root in their hearts? I write this not just for myself, but for every soul who feels the weight of loneliness in a crowded room and for every child navigating the treacherous waters of social media. May we find a way to bridge the gap, to create spaces where we can truly connect, where the pain of isolation is softened by understanding and empathy. 🌧️ #Loneliness #SocialMedia #YouthProtection #DigitalIsolation #Heartbreak
    ¿Qué hay detrás de prohibir las redes a los menores?
    Durante años, las redes sociales han planteado la pregunta por la edad del usuario con una ligereza que rozaba la farsa. Bastaba un clic para acceder. Muchos menores entraban sin dificultad en plataformas diseñadas para adultos, que ni consideraban s
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  • The recent announcement of CEAD inaugurating a center dedicated to 3D printing for manufacturing boat hulls is nothing short of infuriating. We are living in an age where technological advancements should lead to significant improvements in efficiency and sustainability, yet here we are, celebrating a move that reeks of superficial progress and misguided priorities.

    First off, let’s talk about the so-called “Maritime Application Center” (MAC) in Delft. While they dazzle us with their fancy new facility, one has to question the real implications of such a center. Are they genuinely solving the pressing issues of the maritime industry, or are they merely jumping on the bandwagon of 3D printing hype? The idea of using large-scale additive manufacturing to produce boat hulls sounds revolutionary, but let’s face it: this is just another example of throwing technology at a problem without truly understanding the underlying challenges that plague the industry.

    The maritime sector is facing severe environmental concerns, including pollution from traditional manufacturing processes and shipping practices. Instead of addressing these burning issues head-on, CEAD and others like them seem content to play with shiny new tools. 3D printing, in theory, could reduce waste—a point they love to hammer home in their marketing. But what about the energy consumption and material sourcing involved? Are we simply swapping one form of environmental degradation for another?

    Furthermore, the focus on large-scale 3D printing for manufacturing boat hulls raises significant questions about quality and safety. The maritime industry is not a playground for experimental technologies; lives are at stake. Relying on printed components that could potentially have structural weaknesses is a reckless gamble, and the consequences could be disastrous. Are we prepared to accept the liability if these hulls fail at sea?

    Let’s not forget the economic implications of this move. Sure, CEAD is likely patting themselves on the back for creating jobs at the MAC, but how many traditional jobs are they putting at risk? The maritime industry relies on skilled labor and craftsmanship that cannot simply be replaced by a machine. By pushing for 3D printing at such a scale, they threaten the livelihoods of countless workers who have dedicated their lives to mastering this trade.

    In conclusion, while CEAD’s center for 3D printing boat hulls may sound impressive on paper, the reality is that it’s a misguided effort that overlooks critical aspects of sustainability, safety, and social responsibility. We need to demand more from our industries and hold them accountable for their actions instead of blindly celebrating every shiny new innovation. The maritime industry deserves solutions that genuinely address its challenges rather than a mere technological gimmick.

    #MaritimeIndustry #3DPrinting #Sustainability #CEAD #BoatManufacturing
    The recent announcement of CEAD inaugurating a center dedicated to 3D printing for manufacturing boat hulls is nothing short of infuriating. We are living in an age where technological advancements should lead to significant improvements in efficiency and sustainability, yet here we are, celebrating a move that reeks of superficial progress and misguided priorities. First off, let’s talk about the so-called “Maritime Application Center” (MAC) in Delft. While they dazzle us with their fancy new facility, one has to question the real implications of such a center. Are they genuinely solving the pressing issues of the maritime industry, or are they merely jumping on the bandwagon of 3D printing hype? The idea of using large-scale additive manufacturing to produce boat hulls sounds revolutionary, but let’s face it: this is just another example of throwing technology at a problem without truly understanding the underlying challenges that plague the industry. The maritime sector is facing severe environmental concerns, including pollution from traditional manufacturing processes and shipping practices. Instead of addressing these burning issues head-on, CEAD and others like them seem content to play with shiny new tools. 3D printing, in theory, could reduce waste—a point they love to hammer home in their marketing. But what about the energy consumption and material sourcing involved? Are we simply swapping one form of environmental degradation for another? Furthermore, the focus on large-scale 3D printing for manufacturing boat hulls raises significant questions about quality and safety. The maritime industry is not a playground for experimental technologies; lives are at stake. Relying on printed components that could potentially have structural weaknesses is a reckless gamble, and the consequences could be disastrous. Are we prepared to accept the liability if these hulls fail at sea? Let’s not forget the economic implications of this move. Sure, CEAD is likely patting themselves on the back for creating jobs at the MAC, but how many traditional jobs are they putting at risk? The maritime industry relies on skilled labor and craftsmanship that cannot simply be replaced by a machine. By pushing for 3D printing at such a scale, they threaten the livelihoods of countless workers who have dedicated their lives to mastering this trade. In conclusion, while CEAD’s center for 3D printing boat hulls may sound impressive on paper, the reality is that it’s a misguided effort that overlooks critical aspects of sustainability, safety, and social responsibility. We need to demand more from our industries and hold them accountable for their actions instead of blindly celebrating every shiny new innovation. The maritime industry deserves solutions that genuinely address its challenges rather than a mere technological gimmick. #MaritimeIndustry #3DPrinting #Sustainability #CEAD #BoatManufacturing
    CEAD inaugura un centro dedicado a la impresión 3D para fabricar cascos de barcos
    La industria marítima está experimentando una transformación importante gracias a la impresión 3D de gran formato. El grupo holandés CEAD, especialista en fabricación aditiva a gran escala, ha inaugurado recientemente su Maritime Application Center (
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  • In a world flooded with noise, I find myself lost in the silence. Each day, I wake up to the same empty room, filled with memories of what once was. The warmth of connection has faded, replaced by a cold, hollow feeling of isolation. It’s a weight I carry, heavy on my chest, like a shadow that never leaves.

    As I scroll through the endless feeds of smiling faces, I can’t help but feel the sting of loneliness. It’s as if everyone has found their place in the sun, while I remain hidden in the corners, searching for a glimpse of belonging. I look for a spark of understanding, but all I find are fleeting moments that remind me of my solitude.

    I think about what it means to have a share of search in this vast digital landscape. To be a brand that stands out, to be seen and sought after, while I remain invisible, a mere whisper in the chaos. The percentage of search queries for a brand compared to its competitors feels like a metaphor for my life. I watch as others rise, while I struggle to be noticed, to be acknowledged, to matter.

    What does it mean to be relevant when the world feels so distant? I yearn to be a part of something bigger, yet I find myself on the outskirts, watching from afar. The metrics of success and recognition apply to brands and businesses, but what about the human heart? How do we measure the longing for connection, the ache for companionship?

    I feel like a ghost among the living, haunted by the echoes of laughter and joy that seem just out of reach. Every interaction feels superficial, a mere transaction without substance. I crave authenticity, a genuine bond that transcends the digital noise. But as I reach out, I feel the familiar sting of rejection, the reminder that perhaps I am not meant to be part of this narrative.

    In this search for meaning, I find myself grappling with the reality of my existence. I ponder the calculations of value and worth, wondering if I will ever find my rightful place among those who shine. The loneliness envelops me, a heavy cloak that I cannot shed.

    Yet, even in this desolation, I hold onto a flicker of hope. Perhaps one day, I will find my share of search, a moment where I am not just a statistic, but a soul recognized and valued. Until then, I will continue to wander through this vast expanse, seeking the connection that feels so elusive.

    #Loneliness #SearchForConnection #Heartbreak #Isolation #EmotionalJourney
    In a world flooded with noise, I find myself lost in the silence. Each day, I wake up to the same empty room, filled with memories of what once was. The warmth of connection has faded, replaced by a cold, hollow feeling of isolation. It’s a weight I carry, heavy on my chest, like a shadow that never leaves. As I scroll through the endless feeds of smiling faces, I can’t help but feel the sting of loneliness. It’s as if everyone has found their place in the sun, while I remain hidden in the corners, searching for a glimpse of belonging. I look for a spark of understanding, but all I find are fleeting moments that remind me of my solitude. I think about what it means to have a share of search in this vast digital landscape. To be a brand that stands out, to be seen and sought after, while I remain invisible, a mere whisper in the chaos. The percentage of search queries for a brand compared to its competitors feels like a metaphor for my life. I watch as others rise, while I struggle to be noticed, to be acknowledged, to matter. What does it mean to be relevant when the world feels so distant? I yearn to be a part of something bigger, yet I find myself on the outskirts, watching from afar. The metrics of success and recognition apply to brands and businesses, but what about the human heart? How do we measure the longing for connection, the ache for companionship? I feel like a ghost among the living, haunted by the echoes of laughter and joy that seem just out of reach. Every interaction feels superficial, a mere transaction without substance. I crave authenticity, a genuine bond that transcends the digital noise. But as I reach out, I feel the familiar sting of rejection, the reminder that perhaps I am not meant to be part of this narrative. In this search for meaning, I find myself grappling with the reality of my existence. I ponder the calculations of value and worth, wondering if I will ever find my rightful place among those who shine. The loneliness envelops me, a heavy cloak that I cannot shed. Yet, even in this desolation, I hold onto a flicker of hope. Perhaps one day, I will find my share of search, a moment where I am not just a statistic, but a soul recognized and valued. Until then, I will continue to wander through this vast expanse, seeking the connection that feels so elusive. #Loneliness #SearchForConnection #Heartbreak #Isolation #EmotionalJourney
    What Is Share of Search? & How to Calculate It
    Share of search is the percentage of search queries for a brand relative to competitors in the same category.
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