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Rob Legato creates visual effects for big-budget movies.
(Video link) In this TED talk, he shares how he created effects sequences for Apollo 13, Titanic, and Hugo. In the first two cases, actual documentary film footage exists of some of the scenes he was visualizing. The real footage served as a reality check against the cinematic invention.
One of the surprising revelations is that our sense of what looks real is greatly influenced by the emotional processes of our memories, which reorder reality into a composite fiction.
That emotionally tinged version of reality is what moviemakers need to bring to life if they want to create convincing illusions. The same general principle applies to painting. Often it's necessary to go beyond optical or photographic realism in order to achieve psychological realism. It's the difference between mere accuracy and true believability. ------ Rob Legato on TED: The Art of Creating Awe
7 Comments on Reality vs. Screen Illusion, last added: 9/3/2012
James, what do you think of this line? When an artist creates a plein air study he paints what his EYES see. When an artist creates a work of art he paints what his SOUL sees.
I may have heard that line from you at some point.
(Correcting terrible typo and adding additional commentary)
Having worked in visual effects for six years (albeit as a techie rather than an artist), here's something to balance out this post as to what it's actually like working in the visual effects industry:
http://vfxsoldier.wordpress.com/
VFX is VERY labour intensive despite all the technical jiggery pokery behind it, and it's a damn shame that the bigger Hollywood studios are exploiting artists trying to make a living from it.
Martyn, thanks for that link. I had read about some of the problems in the VFX industry in Variety, and it's pretty upsetting, especially in a time when FX-heavy films are doing so well.
To create the film illusion of an imaginary landscape or city, nowadays moviemakers create 3D digital environments, generally by replacing the greenscreen behind the action with a layered virtual environment.
But in the early days of film, the art of matte painting was the province of oil painters with traditional skills. Their scenic paintings had to seamlessly match the photographed action, but they also had to convey the emotional spirit of the scene.
(Video Link) One of the most remarkable pioneers in this field was a British-born painter named Peter Ellenshaw (1913-2007). In this video, he tells his story: how he started painting scene extensions for Thief of Baghdad (1940) and how he got some dream jobs for Walt Disney on Treasure Island, Mary Poppins, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, and Darby O'Gill and the Little People.
It's worth mentioning that 2d matte paintings are still used all the time for film, though they're normally painted digitally. Or, alternately, they'll use a mixed approach, projecting a matte painting onto very simple 3d geometry. Creating a fully 3d city or landscape, while possible, tends to be far more expensive than a matte painting, and, depending on the camera moves required, won't necessarily give a better result.
I'm always amazed at the random precision (to quote Pink Floyd) required of a successful matte painting. Not too tight and not to loose. Brushwork that achieves a consistent texture but is both descriptive and evocative without drawing attention to itself.
I wonder if the style developed from observing and evaluating the painting through the single eye of the camera lens.
Thanks for these links. Such an insightful and interesting documentary. Its interesting to see just how far the production of special effects has come in the past 50 or so years.
Thank you James for a great connection to Peter Ellenshaw. I've enjoyed his work at Norton Art Museum in Shreveport LA. for years. They have his Himalayan painting and 20-30 more from his travels in later years. If you're ever in East Texas, come by and we'll go see them.
Jordu Schell wants to scare the daylights out of you.
In Allentown, Pennsylvania last weekend, Schell gave a lecture about designing monsters for Hollywood movies. I'm an admirer of his work, so I sat up front and sketched him as he spoke about the things that scared him as a kid.
He started out by showing examples of weird animals in nature, then gave an overview of creature design in movies, and spotlighted some of his inspiration from the field of illustration, ending with examples of his own work.
Schell has done concept work for “Avatar”, “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian”, “300”, “Hellboy”, “Aliens vs. Predator – Requiem” and many other films since he began in the field in 1987. He also makes props, masks, model kits, and effects — and he offers classes.
I'm not scrared of Schell. But the monster scares me because it reminds me of people I've known. That proximity to real life is where I don't want monsters to be. It is however, my favorite blanket over my head, fingers in my ears scared place.
The digital artists at WETA Digital’s creature department have breathed life into Gollum, King Kong (video below), and the District 9 aliens.
They are experts in anatomy. They build creatures from from the inside out: skeleton, muscles, skin and hair. Then they apply their knowledge of physics and acting to make their creatures move.
Digital creatures must share the stage with live-action actors. They have to perform every kind of movement from a subtle eye twitch to a deadly body slam.
Simon and Rachael Haupt of WETA’s digital creature department (click to enlarge) planned a fun New Year’s gift for their team: a set of 47 signed copies of Color and Light. They went outdoors yesterday in that fine New Zealand summer weather to take this group photo. These artists been living for weeks in the caves with the dragon Smaug so a little sunlight won’t hurt them.
Since they ordered such a big batch of books, and since I’m such a huge fan of WETA, I wanted to make the gift extra special. So I carved a unique rubber stamp using craft foam glued to a wood block.
Each book got the custom stamp, as well as a one-of-a-kind creature sketch that I made with pens and colored pencils. I imagined them as the “47 Creatures of Whangakokototoi Island,” —a tiny island off the coast of New Zealand that no one has discovered yet.
Here’s a sampling of the sketches, about one third of the whole set. Of course I didn’t know what each of the artists looked like, or what sorts of animals they liked, so I just guessed and drew the whatever popped into my head.
Simon and Rachael, I thank you. And WETA Creatures, I salute you!
If YOU, dear blog reader, are part of a large game company, movie studio, or art school, maybe you can get your department head or club organizer to put together a group purchase of Color and Light or Imaginative Realism. If there are more than 30 books in a single order, I’ll do a some sort of special design for you. Also, with a big order, I can ship internationally. —— Color and Light signed from the Dinotopia Store Questions about group ordering: jgurneyart y
15 Comments on WETA Creatures, last added: 1/19/2011
I think WETA workshop is really good. I was surprised to learn that they helped with The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and just now when I read that they also helped with the remake of King Kong. I liked how they brought the creatures in the Chronicles of Narnia series to life. Maybe they could do a movie of Dinotopia (they're very talented of making life-like creatures).
How thoughtful of you to make each book for the WETA team special! I really admire how you give back to the artist community and your fans. If you have time to post all the thumbnails of the creatures your readers and I would enjoy seeing the rest.
That's great! I bought your book for a new years gift for myself. I am recommending it to everyone.
I am glad to see that I am not alone in that sentiment, and that such obviously bad ass artists are also reading it. You really went all out on the book and it shows.
Very Cool. Weta is amazing! They have definitely raised the bar for all other SFX companies. It is so cool that you have added a special picture for all of them.
James, I think this is fantastic how you go to such extra effort to create these inscriptions with custom drawings. They must be a real treasure for each recipient.
As an aside, I spent a year in New Zealand animating on Jackson's KONG movie and want clear up some misconceptions about Weta. There are two completely separate Weta divisions; WETA DIGITAL which creates and breathes life into the amazing CGI creatures, and WETA WORKSHOP, which makes real world practical props and miniature sets. Richard Taylor runs the workshop only. The two divisions have very minimal contact with each other, almost like they have a sibling rivalry. Also from what I have observed, the Workshop tends to use local artists, whereas Weta Digital relies heavily on imported talent from other countries. Both are exceptional in their respective fields and have my full admiration, but again they not the same.
Joel, thanks for explaining the difference between the two WETA divisions. I hope my post didn't confuse them. The copy signed to Richard Taylor of WETA Workshop was a gift of Simon Haupt, sent over from WETA Digital.
Yes --we planned a xmas present from Simon Clutterbuck for his Creatures dept at Weta Digital and James was extremely generous with his artwork for each book!
We also gave one copy to Richard and Workshop as we knew it would be of great interest - thats why you see that pic on the post.
It probably depends in what dept you work as to whether you have allot of contact with Workshop/Digi. I also worked on Kong - matte painting - so I had quite a bit of contact with the concept designers at Workshop/art dir etc even though I worked at Digi.
It's a super awesome present thank you very much James. I'm really enjoying the sections on lighting types right now and it's relevance to my other passion: photograpy. I also shot the photo you have ;-) thanks again!
Hello Sir! I collaborate in The One Ring Dot Net, the most important Tolkien fan site, and as you know, I am a regular reader of your blog.
We report anything related with anyone who worked in the Lord of the Rings movies, so when I read this entry, I had to share it with community. I posted about it in the News at the site. I posted links to here, the Dinotopia site and the store for the art books, so hopefully, there will be some new awareness for your work among a sector of avid fantasy fans. I wanted to let you know about the piece. Please, do let me know if you need any change in the body of the note. All the best!
James, I hope you are not disappointed that the concept art team over at workshop has not put in a similar order. Many of us individually had the book on pre-order from book depository or amazon long before the thought of doing a bulk order was suggested. We are all big fans, and appreciate the great drawing in the book that made it to us.
Thanks also for the plug for White Cloud Worlds :)
hmmm....didnt know WETA and james gurney were so close....i'm hoping somthing is taking place behind the scenes!
a WETA produced Dinotopia film would be AMAZING!
and i've been thinking of all the books being converted into big time movies, dinotopia is well well well over due, for gosh sakes they made two Jumanji films, haha
especially since the technology boom in terms of what is possible now with creatures.
WETA and Dinotopia are a match made in heaven.
WETA + Peter Jackson + James Gurney + Dinotopia= my head exploding sideways!!!!
There's kind of a prejudice against computer generated creatures nowadays. Some argue that CGI looks incredibly fake compared to the old stop-motion and blue screen matting techniques.
I don't understand - how can a fictitious creation made of computer commands be any more "fake" than a creation made of plastic, rubber, etc?
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This photo panorama stitches together the north campus (PDI DreamWorks) and the south campus (DreamWorks Animation SKG) of the DreamWorks concept art team, the masterminds behind Megamind and many other films. (Click to enlarge.)
In the left picture, I’m holding an advance copy of “Moonshine: DreamWorks Artists After Dark,” which showcases the private artwork of each of the concept artists.
The book has over 150 color illustrations by 47 artists. Images include wonderful characters, real and imagined creatures, moody cityscapes, and dreamlike wild lands. The artists at DreamWorks are equally at home in many different media: ink, charcoal, pastel, watercolor, acrylic, oil, and digital. Most switch comfortably back and forth between digital and traditional.
Oh man, Paul Lasaine is one of the most fantastic digital artists I've ever seen. I would have loved to see that demo you're talking about, his work really seems to transcend its medium.
DreamWorks Animation has an elite group concept artists divided between its two campuses in California. I visited with the dream team at the Redwood City campus to share my presentation about color and light---and to show the panda a few kung fu moves.
We then went upstairs to their very inspiring creative habitat. When they're not working on new character designs and environments for movies like Puss in Boots, The Croods, Kung Fu Panda: The Kaboom of Doom and Megamind, they have an art room for free figure drawing classes.
That "Moonshine" book, which should arrive in stores soon, showcases the personal work, done after hours, by each member of DreamWorks's creative crew. -------- DreamWorks Animation SKG Moonshine at Amazon Thanks, Angela, Katie, and the awesome DW Team!
7 Comments on DreamWorks Dream Team, last added: 10/11/2010
Hey! I loved your talk on campus the other day, I might have geeked out on you in the screening room a little bit, sorry! But since you came by I've been drawing like crazy and I'm hoping to break out the paints this weekend, so thank you again!
Awesome! Any chance you will stop by GCA this year? I am so bummed that I missed your visit; I'm a first year student and I see your signed poster in the break room every day.
Last October I gave three different hour-long lectures to the senior concept artists at Blizzard Entertainment—the company that creates World of Warcraft, Starcraft, and Diablo online games.
It took a while to get past the rather tight security at the headquarters in Irvine, California. The sleek white buildings inside contain most of the company’s 4600 employees.
The public areas of buildings are decorated with impressive sculptures of horned warriors, dangerous females, and loathsome monsters.
The guys in the art department have a pretty well developed sense of fun, like chopping up visiting artists into sausage bits. That’s senior art director Jeremy Cranford on the left.
I drew a portrait of Jeremy after the lectures. I asked him what advice he’d give to a young artist who dreams of working at a place like Blizzard. “Everyone wants to be a character designer,” he said. But portfolios that show other skills are more likely hires. Get good at environments, backgrounds, props, and vehicles. A generalist who can draw and think well is always valuable. ------ Official Blizzard website Wikipedia on Blizzard Career opportunities at Blizzard
13 Comments on Blizzard Entertainment, last added: 3/23/2010
awsome post, was hoping you got the chance to meet and talk about samwise dider, one of the best talents they have and one of the best talents creating today in my opinon!
Cool visit. Although some landscapes couldn't hurt- Being the stubborn young man that I am, I'm going to keep with my character and creature design. As that's where my passion is!
I feel like sunshine whenever I think of your artwork and your generous sharing of knowledge - hence - the sunshine award is yours today! http://lyrickinard.blogspot.com/2010/03/sunshine-award.html
Great! Those guys are incredible, and they are a model company. They have helped shape and re-define modern fantasy and science fiction, the video-game industry, on-line reality and interactions, video-gaming business models and customer service. And that's coming from a guy who hasn't played any of Blizzard's games consistently. Their impact is beyond personal taste.
They also have an incredible conceptual design department. I cannot begin to imagine the awesomeness that was shared between you and them! ;)
Also this kind of business contacts are valuable... who knows? Perhaps a Massive On-line Dinotopia game is waiting in your future! ;)
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James, what do you think of this line? When an artist creates a plein air study he paints what his EYES see. When an artist creates a work of art he paints what his SOUL sees.
I may have heard that line from you at some point.
profound statement at the end:
"(successful) ...because no-one knows you had anything to do with it."
IGNORE THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN
(Correcting terrible typo and adding additional commentary)
Having worked in visual effects for six years (albeit as a techie rather than an artist), here's something to balance out this post as to what it's actually like working in the visual effects industry:
http://vfxsoldier.wordpress.com/
VFX is VERY labour intensive despite all the technical jiggery pokery behind it, and it's a damn shame that the bigger Hollywood studios are exploiting artists trying to make a living from it.
Martyn, thanks for that link. I had read about some of the problems in the VFX industry in Variety, and it's pretty upsetting, especially in a time when FX-heavy films are doing so well.
John Keats: "a fact is not a truth until you love it."
Happy Labor Day :( RQ