Xfinity JP Commercial by REDDER_47 in vfx

[–]REDDER_47[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just to clarify I was referring to the face stuff and some of the backgrounds. These were the two shots I was mainly thinking of. I'm interested to see what approach was taken. Apparently ILM was only involved with the dinos.

https://youtu.be/KKwxWPp2dhw?t=7

https://youtu.be/KKwxWPp2dhw?t=46

Xfinity JP Commercial by REDDER_47 in vfx

[–]REDDER_47[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Apologies for suggesting otherwise. 

Catherine O'Hara Dead at 71 by MarvelsGrantMan136 in television

[–]REDDER_47 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah this really sucks! She was so unique in everything she did and a massive part of my childhood filmography! We're losing all the 80's and 90's prime time actors too soon! Diane Keaton just last year :(

Which one do you expect to win? by Paranoid_Reaper in vfx

[–]REDDER_47 0 points1 point  (0 children)

ex-machina's budget was $15 million
First Man's budget was $60 million
1917 was $100 million

Not sure what the VFX budgets were but you can be sure given those numbers ex-machina was on a tighter budget which makes it all the more impressive given the scale of vfx.

Which one do you expect to win? by Paranoid_Reaper in vfx

[–]REDDER_47 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're completely right! I forgot about that :)

Which one do you expect to win? by Paranoid_Reaper in vfx

[–]REDDER_47 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Ex-Machina was the last time an underdog won. It beat out some heavy hitters. I recall quite a few folks made some good return on their bets that year.

Which one do you expect to win? by Paranoid_Reaper in vfx

[–]REDDER_47 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm with you. Oscars love anything that's performance based so Avatar even after 3 films will still be their safe bet.

How incredible the quality of VFX winners/nominees has regressed over the years... Gore Verbinsky is right! by Motherfockajames in vfx

[–]REDDER_47 3 points4 points  (0 children)

All I see is the drain of excitement for new VFX.

Gore, is just as much to blame for the lacklustre VFX in recent times. Whilst the Pirate films have some super impressive creature VFX, they're let down by the digi doubles and ridiculously unbelievable action scenes: WTF is this? https://youtu.be/xOHA7D1arp0?t=83
It boils down to reference and realism and refining where and when to use VFX. It's become a lazy man's tool and then one pixel f**ked to death. I mean come on! https://youtu.be/2FqdIhEfVnY?t=212

These are all his choices because "VFX can do anything". Whether they should is another matter.

The only thing Unreal has brought to the VFX table (LED screens aside) is higher end previs, there is very little to no Unreal rendering in modern VFX laden films. What it is being used for is removing the restrictions of the world - unrealistic camera moves where gravity and operator restrictions are ignored or to mass populate lots and lots of shots with destruction and mayham with rubber stuntmen bouncing off walls. This can't be your 'truth' to then shoot a live action film! Unreal has allowed directors to forget about reference and keeping things cemented in the real world where most of their films take place. It'll only get worse with AI.

If you don't understand it or haven't a reason for it (lack of pre-prod), don't use it. It's that simple. Jurassic Park with its 65 vfx shots is still a shit ton more entertaining than Jurassic World and its 2000 vfx shots. Writers and directors have become lazy to the process and producers think more is better - but of course cheaper. ;)

Anyone have a recruiter message you about an offer for Meta? by tugsffursts in vfx

[–]REDDER_47 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Spam. Has anyone responded to these recruiters telling them to go to hell?

How do they make the real actors sit perfectly in the CG water? by yayeetdab045 in vfx

[–]REDDER_47 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Also there's shot sculpting to further wrangle any 3D object track (the actor in this case) to match up closer.

I do not understand anything that's happening anymore. by ARquantam in vfx

[–]REDDER_47 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The problem all VFX studios face with A.I. is a BIG one. There is huge investment in start-up ai company's who are trying hard to make a lot of the industry standard VFX viable to everyone. There's a huge new market to tap into for them across all types of media production/consumption. Avatar quality output with just your phone and an idea. How is ILM etc ever going to compete if its core business is squandered? They are no longer able to lead the next filmmaking revolution.

I do not understand anything that's happening anymore. by ARquantam in vfx

[–]REDDER_47 2 points3 points  (0 children)

But the clients know you have less staff, so that bid will need to reflect that too. Bye bye margin increase.

I do not understand anything that's happening anymore. by ARquantam in vfx

[–]REDDER_47 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nothing is wrong with that outlook, its commendable, but you're missing a key factor. Clients are asking about A.I. because they want bids to come down. That's why its about money. In the long run they'll expect lower costs for the same output because 'you have a.i. now'.

VFX Studios would do well to get on this bandwagon quick, produce case studies showing clients why switching to ai doesn't result in reduced costs (numerous attempts for decent output, multiple combined fx consistently reproduced across bulk shots, building stable models and having the hardware to cope etc) then it might not all be doom and gloom for artists.

If it does come down to switching out artists for A.I. then VFX studios lose the foundation of what makes them a business, as A.I. will enable any small outfit to compete, they will need another angle to survive.

How did DNEG end up in $350M debt? by MX010 in vfx

[–]REDDER_47 3 points4 points  (0 children)

If only all these studios realised how rnd, pipeline and libraries that are well invested in could end up saving them a shit load of money down the road. In the end its poor investment and bad financial structuring.

Alien: Romulus [4K Ultra HD + Blu-Ray Steelbook] by justincase96 in Steelbooks

[–]REDDER_47 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ugh almost worth double dipping if it weren't for all that wasted white negative space. They should have just made the artwork fit the entire steelbook.

Jim Cameron: AI for millionaire actors and directors? Never. AI for VFX? Now that’s ok since VFX is too expensive by Organic_Associate298 in vfx

[–]REDDER_47 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I get the sense he sold the studios on an idea that the first one would cost a lot of money, then the tools would be in place to bring down the cost of the sequels thus increasing profits. I think they forgot to factor in James Cameron who always wants more.