As VFX technology marches on at speed, more and more of our favourite movie characters are being brought to life by actors driving a performance capture digital creation.
Though Andy Serkis's Caesar from Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and Sharlto Copley's Chappie sit at the cutting edge today, in its current form it actually stretches back nearly 20 years to Star Wars's much-maligned Jar Jar Binks.
Go back even further and take into account rotoscoping - animators drawing over an actors' performance frame-by-frame - it's possible to mark Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs as a landmark film in 1937. There, an actress was used as the basis for the titular princess.
Fast forward to 2015, and we're now at a point where many in the industry are calling for an 'Assisted Performance' Oscars category to recognise the work done by actors and VFX artists.
"I think the technology is relatively new,...
Though Andy Serkis's Caesar from Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and Sharlto Copley's Chappie sit at the cutting edge today, in its current form it actually stretches back nearly 20 years to Star Wars's much-maligned Jar Jar Binks.
Go back even further and take into account rotoscoping - animators drawing over an actors' performance frame-by-frame - it's possible to mark Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs as a landmark film in 1937. There, an actress was used as the basis for the titular princess.
Fast forward to 2015, and we're now at a point where many in the industry are calling for an 'Assisted Performance' Oscars category to recognise the work done by actors and VFX artists.
"I think the technology is relatively new,...
- 3/7/2015
- Digital Spy
Mumford & Sons, Gotye & Kimbra, Kelly Clarkson, Zac Brown Band and Fun. were just a few of the big winners at the 55th annual Grammy Awards telecast, hosted by LL Cool J and broadcast live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Read on for the recap...
For the Complete List of Winners Click Here.
The Winners
Album of the Year went to Babel by Mumford & Sons; Record of the Year went to Gotye & Kimbra's Somebody That I Used To Know; Fun. won Best New Artist, and their We Are Young (featuring Janelle Monae) was named Song of the Year; Kelly Clarkson's Stronger was named Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Country Album was awarded to Zac Brown Band's Uncaged.
Other big accolades handed out during Sunday night's telecast went to Carrie Underwood (Best Country Solo Performance: Blown Away); Frank Ocean was the Best Urban Contemporary Album Winner for Channel Orange; The Black Keys earned Best Rock...
For the Complete List of Winners Click Here.
The Winners
Album of the Year went to Babel by Mumford & Sons; Record of the Year went to Gotye & Kimbra's Somebody That I Used To Know; Fun. won Best New Artist, and their We Are Young (featuring Janelle Monae) was named Song of the Year; Kelly Clarkson's Stronger was named Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Country Album was awarded to Zac Brown Band's Uncaged.
Other big accolades handed out during Sunday night's telecast went to Carrie Underwood (Best Country Solo Performance: Blown Away); Frank Ocean was the Best Urban Contemporary Album Winner for Channel Orange; The Black Keys earned Best Rock...
- 2/11/2013
- Entertainment Tonight
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Directed by Gore Verbinski
Written by Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Stuart Beattie, and Jay Wolpert
Starring Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Geoffrey Rush
Captain Jack Sparrow is the worst thing that ever happened to Johnny Depp’s career. The prevailing wisdom is that the constantly soused pirate is what vaulted Depp to superstardom, and though it’s accurate, I don’t think this financial leap represented a positive for his qualitative growth as an actor. Some people have found a balance between being legitimate actors and movie stars. George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Matt Damon come to mind. (Sadly, not every one of the 21st-century Ocean’s Eleven qualify as stars. Sorry, Eddie Jemison.) This trio are easily among the most recognizable faces in film, this generation’s respective answers to Cary Grant, Robert Redford, and Henry Fonda. Their...
Directed by Gore Verbinski
Written by Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Stuart Beattie, and Jay Wolpert
Starring Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Geoffrey Rush
Captain Jack Sparrow is the worst thing that ever happened to Johnny Depp’s career. The prevailing wisdom is that the constantly soused pirate is what vaulted Depp to superstardom, and though it’s accurate, I don’t think this financial leap represented a positive for his qualitative growth as an actor. Some people have found a balance between being legitimate actors and movie stars. George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Matt Damon come to mind. (Sadly, not every one of the 21st-century Ocean’s Eleven qualify as stars. Sorry, Eddie Jemison.) This trio are easily among the most recognizable faces in film, this generation’s respective answers to Cary Grant, Robert Redford, and Henry Fonda. Their...
- 1/19/2013
- by Josh Spiegel
- SoundOnSight
Retail giant David Jones has handed its public relations account to lifestyle agency The Mint Partners.
The announcement:
David Jones has announced strategic lifestyle agency, The Mint Partners, as their Communications Agency. The win cements the agency’s market position as a leader in the prestige lifestyle space. The agency will first work alongside the talented David Jones communications team on June Clearance, an in-store appearance by celebrity designer Nicole Richie and their Summer Fashion Launch.
Tahli Koch, Publicity Manager, says; “We are extremely excited to be working with The Mint Partners. They have a proven track record in major event media amplification and have demonstrated a fresh and collaborative approach.”
Account Director, Lisa Marie Hunt, has joined The Mint Partners team to work on the David Jones account alongside accomplished Account Manager, Alice Ford. Hunt most recently worked as an Account Director at Hothouse Media, Melbourne and prior to...
The announcement:
David Jones has announced strategic lifestyle agency, The Mint Partners, as their Communications Agency. The win cements the agency’s market position as a leader in the prestige lifestyle space. The agency will first work alongside the talented David Jones communications team on June Clearance, an in-store appearance by celebrity designer Nicole Richie and their Summer Fashion Launch.
Tahli Koch, Publicity Manager, says; “We are extremely excited to be working with The Mint Partners. They have a proven track record in major event media amplification and have demonstrated a fresh and collaborative approach.”
Account Director, Lisa Marie Hunt, has joined The Mint Partners team to work on the David Jones account alongside accomplished Account Manager, Alice Ford. Hunt most recently worked as an Account Director at Hothouse Media, Melbourne and prior to...
- 5/29/2012
- by Robin Hicks
- Encore Magazine
Encore managing editor Brooke Hemphill attends the inaugural Aacta awards and comes away cringing.
Last night the inaugural Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts awards were held at Sydney’s Opera House as the Australian film and television community gathered to celebrate the achievements of the past 12 months and those who went along for the ride left vaguely amused, with little thanks to the event’s producers.
The show, produced by FremantleMedia, for delayed broadcast on Nine, provided a far different experience for the live audience member than the viewer at home. And Nine would have been grateful for the three-hour buffer from recording to broadcast – they certainly took full advantage of the delay. Entire award announcements were chopped from the show and with them the evening’s most memorable moment, director Stephan Elliott’s speech, delivered prior to his presentation of the best direction in television award, where...
Last night the inaugural Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts awards were held at Sydney’s Opera House as the Australian film and television community gathered to celebrate the achievements of the past 12 months and those who went along for the ride left vaguely amused, with little thanks to the event’s producers.
The show, produced by FremantleMedia, for delayed broadcast on Nine, provided a far different experience for the live audience member than the viewer at home. And Nine would have been grateful for the three-hour buffer from recording to broadcast – they certainly took full advantage of the delay. Entire award announcements were chopped from the show and with them the evening’s most memorable moment, director Stephan Elliott’s speech, delivered prior to his presentation of the best direction in television award, where...
- 2/1/2012
- by Brooke Hemphill
- Encore Magazine
You'll probably know their names, but definitely not their faces, at least in the films mentioned in this list. Here's our pick of actors in unrecognisable roles...
Actors are often praised for the sometimes extraordinary lengths they go to when inhabiting their characters, whether it’s Christian Bale losing unhealthy amounts of weight for The Machinist or Charlize Theron adopting an unglamorous, haggard appearance (with more than a passing resemblance to Jon Voight) for Monster.
Sometimes, though, an actor will be so heavily disguised with make-up, fur or latex that, great though their performances are, it’s almost impossible to tell exactly who we’re watching. This list, therefore, is devoted to ten actors who, thanks to the respective efforts of various effects artists and computer wizards, probably wouldn’t be recognised by their own mothers…
John Hurt
The Elephant Man (1980)
David Lynch’s second film couldn’t have been...
Actors are often praised for the sometimes extraordinary lengths they go to when inhabiting their characters, whether it’s Christian Bale losing unhealthy amounts of weight for The Machinist or Charlize Theron adopting an unglamorous, haggard appearance (with more than a passing resemblance to Jon Voight) for Monster.
Sometimes, though, an actor will be so heavily disguised with make-up, fur or latex that, great though their performances are, it’s almost impossible to tell exactly who we’re watching. This list, therefore, is devoted to ten actors who, thanks to the respective efforts of various effects artists and computer wizards, probably wouldn’t be recognised by their own mothers…
John Hurt
The Elephant Man (1980)
David Lynch’s second film couldn’t have been...
- 1/5/2012
- Den of Geek
Rango, a quirky, delightfully unique and inspired animated film, was released in cinemas back in March where it made quite the impression, grossing an estimated $242M worldwide and kick-starting this years awards buzz.
Gore Verbinksi’s quirky, delightfully unique and inspired animation film, featuring the voices of Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin and Ray Winstone, hit DVD/Blu-ray in the UK on July 25.
A couple of weeks ago, I interviewed Maia Kayser, one of the lead animators of the film. During our phone chat, we talked Rango, animation techniques, blockbusters, 2D vs 3D, how Jurassic Park inspired her career choice and what she’s up to next.
HeyUGuys: Firstly, I’d like to say how impressed with Rango I was. Congratulations on a terrific film.
Maia Kayser: Thank you. That’s great to hear.
What was your inspiration behind the character of Beans?
Generally, a lot of the...
Gore Verbinksi’s quirky, delightfully unique and inspired animation film, featuring the voices of Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin and Ray Winstone, hit DVD/Blu-ray in the UK on July 25.
A couple of weeks ago, I interviewed Maia Kayser, one of the lead animators of the film. During our phone chat, we talked Rango, animation techniques, blockbusters, 2D vs 3D, how Jurassic Park inspired her career choice and what she’s up to next.
HeyUGuys: Firstly, I’d like to say how impressed with Rango I was. Congratulations on a terrific film.
Maia Kayser: Thank you. That’s great to hear.
What was your inspiration behind the character of Beans?
Generally, a lot of the...
- 8/4/2011
- by Jamie Neish
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Of all the trailers that debuted during the Super Bowl, I was most excited about the 30-second spot for Captain America: The First Avenger. It was cool to get a better sense of the movie’s look. (Apparently, this is going to be the muddiest comic book movie since Swamp Thing.) However, one part of the trailer stuck out to me: The half-a-millisecond appearance of Cap’s arch-nemesis, the Red Skull. A superhero movie is only as good as its villain, and considering that Hugo Weaving already played one of the great modern action-movie Big Bads (Agent Smith in The...
- 2/7/2011
- by Darren Franich
- EW.com - PopWatch
Taking a break from directing epic films after making the last two Pirates of the Caribbean sequels back to back, Gore Verbinski's latest project is the animated feature Rango, starring the voice of none other than Captain Jack Sparrow himself, Johnny Depp. Set in the contemporary American southwest, it is the tale of a pet chameleon with an identity crisis. Leaving behind his terrarium, where he puts on shows with inanimate object to a audience of no one, Rango (Depp) finds himself as a stranger in the Old West town of “Dirt” who are in need of a hero. The problem is, Rango doesn't truly understand the definition of hero and has deceived the townsfolk into believing he is one.Collaborating with Depp for their fourth feature together, Verbinski, who devised the story with John Logan and James Byrkit, decided to make Rango almost guerilla style. Instead of following...
- 12/8/2010
- LRMonline.com
Taking a break from directing epic films after making the last two Pirates of the Caribbean sequels back to back, Gore Verbinski's latest project is the animated feature Rango, starring the voice of none other than Captain Jack Sparrow himself, Johnny Depp. Set in the contemporary American southwest, it is the tale of a pet chameleon with an identity crisis. Leaving behind his terrarium, where he puts on shows with inanimate object to a audience of no one, Rango (Depp) finds himself as a stranger in the Old West town of “Dirt” who are in need of a hero. The problem is, Rango doesn't truly understand the definition of hero and has deceived the townsfolk into believing he is one.Collaborating with Depp for their fourth feature together, Verbinski, who devised the story with John Logan and James Byrkit, decided to make Rango almost guerilla style. Instead of following...
- 12/3/2010
- LRMonline.com
Adventure is the name of the game at the movies this weekend. We’ve got “Land of the Lost,” which features a plucky trio flung into a land of dinosaurs, Sleestaks and Pakunis. Then there’s “Away We Go,” in which a young couple expecting their first child decides to travel the country in order to find the perfect place to raise it. Finally we have the boys of “The Hangover,” who are on the hunt for their friend after one wild bachelor party.
They’re wildly different stories and genres, but at their heart they’re all about getting away… far away. I’ve decided to honor this group of daredevils by running through five of Hollywood’s most fantastic journeys. It’s really tough to narrow it to just five, but I’m hoping that you’ll share some of your favorites in the comments below. Together we...
They’re wildly different stories and genres, but at their heart they’re all about getting away… far away. I’ve decided to honor this group of daredevils by running through five of Hollywood’s most fantastic journeys. It’s really tough to narrow it to just five, but I’m hoping that you’ll share some of your favorites in the comments below. Together we...
- 6/5/2009
- by Elisabeth Rappe
- MTV Movies Blog
Tonight I watched the new Criterion Blu-ray release of Henri-Georges Clouzot's The Wages of Fear and at the top of the film I was reminded of the influence it had on the opening of Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch as cockroaches were tortured by a young boy compared to the scorpion that was thrown onto a pile of ants at the opening of Peckinpah's feature. However, does this mean Wages of Fear should be considered one of the all-time most influential films? When TCM released their list of top 15 most influential films of all-time they opened up a much larger can of worms than I had actually assumed they did as conversations began sprouting up all over the Internet. The two most frequent comments I saw regarding the list (not dealing with specific film omissions) were: 1.) there weren't any films listed that were released after 1977 (Star Wars) and...
- 4/15/2009
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
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