From the subtle environmental embellishments in 'The Theory of Everything' to the enormity of the black hole in 'Interstellar', a recap of the greatest visual effects from the Oscars this year
From the most subtle of lighting effects depicting a setting sun in a WWII period drama to in-your-face havoc of transforming alien mutant machines slugging the metal out of each other, the boundaries of visual effects are ever-expanding. Each year when the the magic of movies is celebrated during the Oscar awards, the magicians that conjure these other-worldly effects are celebrated for expanding our imaginations and keeping us ever in awe.
At the 2015 Oscar ceremony, there was no dearth of visual splendour in the movies that were nominated for the best visual effects. Here, some of the spectacular effects we saw on screen this year, and the techniques, tools and people that made them happen.
Interstellar - Building a Black Hole
The sheer enormity and scale of Interstellar were perhaps two of the factors that instantly blew audiences away--whether they were science fiction fans or not. Playing a large part in this suspension of reality is the fact that they did actually make the whole experience hugely real.
In depicting the Black Hole--that centerpiece of the movie’s plot--Director Christopher Nolan along with visual effects supervisor Paul Franklin actually set upon finding out how to depict this enigmatic celestial phenomenon in the most scientifically accurate way possible. To start, they turned to one of the foremost authorities on the subject: Kip Thorne, one of the world’s leading theoretical physicists. The combined result of his mathematical rigor and the ability of the VFX artists to translate this spectacle to the screen is unprecedented: never has depicting a black hole been more mathematically correct, all the while being jaw-droppingly grand for the viewer. Watch the clip above, describing this fascinating, path-breaking process.
The Theory of Everything - Re-creating the period
While on the face of it not appearing to be a candidate for extensive special effects, this movie is a classic example of subtlety being exercised in some of today’s cutting-edge movie productions. In the award-winning Theory of Everything, the creators went about re-creating the visual signature of the period in which the drama played out, and they did so using about 160 visual effects shots comprising environment and lighting of several key scenes that lent credence to the movie’s context. Here, some of the instances where effects like green screening and fluid simulations were used to supplement to the movie’s already excellent storyline and acting.
Birdman - VFX that supplement amazing performances
In the telling of the complex story that is Birdman, visual effects supervisor Ara Khanikian uses a spectrum of special effects tools that range from subtle to all-out overt. In continuing the portrayal of Riggan’s own demons (or hero, in this case) that plague the autumn of his existence as an actor, the visual effects in this movie do a spectacular job of keeping the user guessing about what really is going on, all the way to that final frame. Also did you notice the one-shot treatment, a la Gravity? The movie wasn’t really executed in one shot, of course, but it was made to look like it. And therein lies another special effect.
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