UPDATE: The video has been removed from The Oscars YouTube channel for some reason. Maybe it wasn’t meant for the public’s consumption. Hmmm. Luckily I found a Vimeo version.
There will be some Vancouver visual effects artist with their fingers crossed tomorrow morning when Academy Award nominations are announced (5:30 a.m. PT).
Much of the post-production special effects for Star Wars: The Force Awakens was completed in Vancouver at Industrial Light & Magic’s Gastown studio and the work will likely garner a few golden statuettes for the highest grossing film in North American box office history.
In anticipation of tomorrow’s announcement, Oscars’ official YouTube page posted a 10-minute video titled VFX Before and After: Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which demonstrates the skill of LucasFilm’s FX magicians.
Through the use of split screens, the video shows how director J.J. Abrams and his crew successfully merged practical effects (e.g. real explosions) with digital trickery (e.g. attacking TIE Fighters).
One highlight is the behind-the-scenes footage of actress Lupita Nyong’o’s character Maz Kanata, an ancient and wise interstellar bar matron, being brought to life through the use of motion-capture technology, clay models, blue screens and computer generated images.
WARNING: Video contains lots of spoilers
Filed under: Now, STAFF Tagged: Academy Awards, and Media, Arts, entertainment, Entertainment Awards, Gastown, J.J. Abrams, Kanata, Lupita Nyong, Star Wars, Vancouver, YouTube LLC Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
