Contents Casino Royale: Back to Basics: In a break from tradition, Casino Royale, the latest entry in the enduring James Bond series, directed by Martin Campbell, reverts back to the franchise's leaner beginnings, eschewing the fancy gadgetry and slick CG tricks of more recent installments in favor of practical effects, exhilarating stunt work and meatier character development. Special effects supervisor Chris Corbould and stunt coordinator Gary Powell teamed with visual effects supervisor Steven Begg and Peerless Camera Company to handle the requisite high-octane action featuring a new, more intense Bond - Daniel Craig - who, having just earned his stripes as a double-0 agent, falls in love and tangles with terrorists in a plot that spans the globe from Madagascar to Miami. Article by Joe Fordham.

Charlotte's Web: Arachnophilia: Adapted from the children's classic about the unlikely friendship between a barnyard pig and a spider, Charlotte's Web offers up a live-action retelling of the beloved tale, directed by Gary Winick. Visual effects supervisor John Berton invited Rhythm & Hues - whose pioneering use of CG muzzle replacement in Babe made it the go-to company for talking animal effects - to craft an even more sophisticated version of that technique in the service of Wilbur, the talking pig. Tippett Studio and Rising Sun Pictures provided CG character animation for the film's other two protagonists, Charlotte and a rat named Templeton, while other contributors to the project included Digital Pictures Iloura, Fuel and Stan Winston Studio. Article by Jody Duncan.

Eragon: Searching for Saphira: For his debut film, Eragon, based on the best-selling novel about a boy and the sapphire-colored dragon he raises from a hatchling, former visual effects supervisor-turned-director Stefen Fangmeier appealed to former colleagues at Industrial Light & Magic for help in conceiving and animating the CG fantasy creature. When the volume of shots grew in postproduction, additional CG dragon shots were assigned to Weta Digital, with visual effects supervisor Michael McAlister coordinating the work emerging from the two facilities. A variety of non-dragon effects were divvied among eight other facilities, with visual effects supervisor John Van Vliet overseeing the work. Article by Jody Duncan.

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Q&A: Rob Legato: Operating out of a home-based visual effects unit set up in his basement, Oscar-winning freelance visual effects supervisor Rob Legato discusses his decision to break away from a studio-based paradigm, as well as his most recent work with Martin Scorsese on The Departed, and Robert De Niro on The Good Shepherd.

Flyboys: Visual effects supervisor Peter Chiang elaborates on the clever use of practical, CG and miniature effects to capture authentic aerial battles for Flyboys - a film about the daring escapades of the Lafayette Escadrille, a combat unit of youthful American pilots who battled German forces in Europe prior to the United States' entry into World War I.

Night at the Museum: A Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton and myriad other exhibits in New York's American Museum of Natural History magically come alive in Night at the Museum. Visual effects supervisor Jim Rygiel and associate producer Ellen Somers examine the challenges of mining the film's fanciful premise for its full comic potential.

Contents Ghost Rider: Hell on Wheels: In Ghost Rider, adapted from the Marvel comic, stunt motorcyclist Johnny Blaze strikes a deal with the Devil that transforms him into a fiery skeletal avenger. For the film's array of Hellfire effects, demonic character transformations, phantom materializations and grisly confrontations, director Mark Steven Johnson called upon visual effects supervisor Kevin Mack to oversee the effort, with lead effects house Sony Pictures Imageworks assigned the majority of the Hellfire and Ghost Rider effects, while supporting vendors CafeFX, Digital Dream and Gray Matter tackled the rest. Article by Jody Duncan

300: A Beautiful Death: The Battle of Thermopylae, in which 300 Spartans fought to the death against a massive Persian onslaught in 480 B.C., forms the basis of 300, a big-screen adaptation of the Frank Miller graphic novel loosely based on historical accounts of the incident. As with Sin City, a previous Frank Miller movie adaptation, director Zack Snyder captured Miller's impressionistic style by shooting most of the action against bluescreen and compositing it into computer generated sets and environments. Visual effects supervisor Chris Watts oversaw the digital work involving nearly a dozen vendors, led by Hybride Technologies, Animal Logic and Hydraulx. Article by Joe Fordham

Pan's Labyrinth: Into the Labyrinth: In Pan's Labyrinth, the acclaimed film written, produced and directed by horror mogul Guillermo Del Toro, a young girl, caught up in the brutality of the Spanish Civil War, escapes her grim reality by immersing herself in a gothic fantasy world of her own creation. To realize the myriad strange creatures and magical environments of her fantasy life, Del Toro relied on long-time collaborators DDT Efectos Especiales for makeup and animatronic effects, while visual effects were provided by CafeFX. Article by Joe Fordham

Zodiac: The Streets of San Francisco: Director David Fincher explores the serial killer theme with Zodiac, a chilling cinematic account of the real-life search to find the infamous murderer who terrorized the San Francisco Bay area in the late 1960s and '70s. Seeking historically accurate, era-appropriate environments for the period film, Fincher called upon visual effects artists at Matte World Digital and Digital Domain to provide the desired look, with effects ranging from simple split-screens to all-CG shots. Additional fix-it and cleanup work was provided by a host of independent artists and vendors. Article by Jody Duncan

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Ted Rae on Apocalypto: To realize his epic film, Apocalypto, a look into the ancient Mayan civilization, as seen through the eyes of a young hunter on the run from brutal enemies, director Mel Gibson creates an immersive experience enhanced by a full range of effects that included extensive makeup and animatronics, plus miniatures and visual effects contributed by seven vendors.

Rick Baker & Erik Bruhwiler on Norbit: With the help of makeup veteran Rick Baker and visual effects house Digital Dimension, actor Eddie Murphy once again inhabits multiple roles in the DreamWorks comedy Norbit, playing the meek and nerdy Norbit, his 400-pound bully of wife, Rasputia, and an irascible Asian named Mr. Wong.

Contents Spider-Man 3: The Enemy Within: With Spider-Man 3, director Sam Raimi returns for the third installment in his blockbuster franchise based on Marvel Comics' famed superhero, this time delving into the darker side of Peter Parker, whose predatory nature emerges after he is exposed to a symbiotic alien virus. Visual effects supervisor Scott Stokdyk tackled the effects assignment, with Sony Pictures Imageworks handling the bulk of the work, while a dozen other vendors contributed. Chief among the challenges were high-octane action scenes featuring a new black-suited Spider-Man and a trio of villains that included Venom, Sandman and Harry Osborn in updated Goblin guise. Special effects were supervised by John Frazier. Article by Jody Duncan.




Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End: Into the Maelstrom: Riding the wave of pirate mania generated by their first two films based on the popular Disney theme park attraction, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinski deliver a spectacular conclusion to their swashbuckling trilogy with Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. Returning visual effects supervisor Charles Gibson and lead effects house Industrial Light & Magic - along with a large contingent of supporting vendors - pull out all the stops, spicing up the requisite sea lore with even more pirate ships, large-scale sea battles, ghostly effects and fantastic environments than the two previous films combined. Miniatures by Kerner Optical and special effects by John Frazier added to the thrills. Article by Joe Fordham.




Children of Men: The Human Project: To create a dystopian near-future England for his critically acclaimed Children of Men, director Alfonso Cuar?n relied on subtle visual effects by Double Negative and Framestore CFC. Double Negative created altered environments and digital blends for a number of intricately choreographed shots running several minutes each, while Framestore CFC created a digital newborn for a pivotal childbirth scene. Physical effects by Paul Corbould and makeup effects by Nick Dudman added to the gritty realism. Article by Joe Fordham.





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Eric Durst & Stu Maschwitz on The Last Mizmy: New Line Cinema founder Robert Shaye called upon visual effects supervisor Eric Durst and a contingent of effects vendors headed by The Orphanage to design and create fanciful, yet realistic effects for The Last Mimzy, a metaphysical tale of two children who rescue mankind from a bleak fate with the help of a strange box of futuristic toys.


John Sullivan on Next: For Next, based on a Philip K. Dick story about a man with the ability to see into his own future, visual effects supervisor John Sullivan, digital artists from seven companies, and special effects supervisor Clay Pinney joined forces to realize high-powered actions scenes and a cataclysmic finale.

Contents Transformers: Bots & Bayhem: Inspired by the immensely popular 1980s-era toy line, director Michael Bay's summer blockbuster, Transformers, re-introduced all the denizens of the much-loved Transformers mythology - including good-guy Autobots and bad-guy Decepticons, disguised as cars, jets, tanks and other machinery. Principal effects house Industrial Light & Magic rose to the challenge of creating the film's sizable contingent of CG robots, animating them to transform and battle each other over the fate of humankind. Additional visual effects support was provided by Digital Domain, with miniature effects by Kerner Optical. Article by Jody Duncan.







Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: Army of Darkness: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the fifth installment in the blockbuster film franchise based on the bestselling books by J. K. Rowling, reunited key behind-the-scenes creatives from the previous films, including visual effects supervisor Tim Burke and makeup and creature designer Nick Dudman. Joining them, and new director David Yates, was an international team of visual effects vendors charged with creating the colorful array of magical creatures, dark villains, exotic locales and wizarding action audiences have come to expect from the series. Physical effects, including flying rigs and pyrotechnics, were the work of special effects supervisor John Richardson. Article by Joe Fordham.






Stardust: Starstruck: For Stardust, an enchanting tale about a lovelorn hero who falls for a fallen star in the form of a beautiful young woman, director Matthew Vaughn opted for a no-frills, straightforward approach to the movie's slate of fanciful effects involving ghosts, witches and magical realms. Visual effects supervisor Peter Chiang called upon Double Negative and LipSync Post to oversee much of the work, with additional shots distributed among six supporting vendors. Makeup effects were designed by Nik Williams and created by Animated Extras. Article by Jody Duncan.







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Tom Wood on Sunshine: A dying sun threatens extinction of all life on earth, necessitating a daring rescue mission to reignite the star in Sunshine, directed by Danny Boyle, with visual effects by The Moving Picture Company.


Evan Jacobs & Patrick Tatopoulos on Resident Evil 3: Refugee survivors of a zombie holocaust, led by a genetically altered soldier, fight back in Resident Evil: Extinction, third in a film series based on the popular shoot-'em-up videogame. Visual effects were provided by Mr. X, makeup effects by Patrick Tatopoulos Studios and miniatures by New Deal Studios.


Q&A: Hoyt Yeatman: Veteran visual effects supervisor and Dream Quest founding partner Hoyt Yeatman expounds on the closure of his company, the vicissitudes of a rapidly-changing industry, and his recent efforts to reinvent himself as both a director and creator of content for motion pictures.