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8.10.01
Homing Beacon #41!
The latest Homing Beacon has arrived with a great article called "Creating a Performance" that talks about the effects that will be used for Attack of the Clones.
With over 2,000 visual effects shots to complete for Attack of the Clones, it's no wonder the post-production process will cover nearly two years. George Lucas' visits to Industrial Light & Magic have become more frequent, as he meets with the effects supervisors and makes decisions about nearly every element of each shot as it moves from concept to final.
Moving throughout the facility from tables covered with concepts on paper, to computer terminal screens, to the seats of ILM's screening theater, Animation Director Rob Coleman and Visual Effects Supervisors John Knoll and Pablo Helman consult with the director, gathering feedback for their teams comprised of dozens of artists working on hundreds of shots at a time at various stages of completion.
With digital tools created for The Phantom Menace and perfected in subsequent ground-breaking ILM projects, Lucas and the ILM team's focus is not on technology, but on getting the best possible performance from their creations, be they locations, ships, creatures or characters. Attention to detail beyond the focal point of the action can be key to making the audience believe in the fantasy being presented. The slight skid of a ship turning a corner, the shadows cast by digitally created furniture, the short attention span of a walnut-sized-brained monster and the growing discomfort of a guard as tension builds in the room are all observed through preliminary positioning, refinement of articulation and eventually final rendering critiqued on a theatrical-sized screen.
Coleman, who jokingly claims that he has the longest list of items to review because he "has the most interesting stuff", delights in finalizing an animated performance and passing it off to the group responsible for the automated simulation of real-world physics including movement of armor, material, wings and floppy ears.
"Excellent. I'll send that off to the clothing team," smiles Coleman in what has become a familiar refrain.
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