Contents The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: The Unusual Birth of Benjamin Button:

Article by Jody Duncan


More than a decade in development, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, about a man who ages in reverse, led director David Fincher, visual effects supervisor Eric Barba and technical wizards at Digital Domain to major breakthroughs in CG animation, rendering and tracking techniques required to convincingly age actor Brad Pitt in scenes of Benjamin's early years. Other effects involving the film's many period settings were the work of Matte World Digital, Asylum and Hydraulx, while Lola VFX performed 'youthening' effects on Pitt and Cate Blanchett, as Benjamin's lifelong love.


The Day the Earth Stood Still: Global Warning:

Article by Bill Butler


In The Day the Earth Stood Still, a modern-day remake of a classic 1951 science-fiction film in which an intergalactic emissary arrives on earth with a warning for earth's leaders, director Scott Derrickson charged visual effects supervisor Jeffrey Okun with updating the film's core effects while still paying homage to the original. Weta Digital, Cinesite, Flash Film Works and CosFX, along with a handful of supporting vendors, were enlisted to put a new spin on such iconic elements as the alien Klaatu, his robot companion Gort, and their mode of interplanetary transport. Special creature effects were the work of Todd Masters of Masters FX.


Quantum of Solace: Quantum Leap:

Article by Joe Fordham


The ever-popular Bond franchise returns with Quantum Leap, starring Daniel Craig as secret agent 007 in an edgy tale of revenge as Bond, on a trail of intrigue and corruption, sets out to even the score following the death of his former lover. To realize the film's ambitious action - which spanned the globe and encompassed land, sea and air - director Marc Forster and frequent collaborator and visual effects designer Kevin Tod Haug called upon Double Negative, The Moving Picture Company, Framestore, Machine and MK12, to join forces with special effects supervisor and franchise veteran Chris Corbould in a perfect marriage of visual and physical effects.


City of Ember: Countdown to Doomsday:

Article by Joe Fordham


Physical effects by Kit West and digital set extensions by BUF Compagnie and Luma Pictures lend verisimilitude to subterranean settings in City of Ember, about the inhabitants of an underground city who learn that their singular existence is owing to a long-ago nuclear war that destroyed everything above-ground.


Stuart Freeborn:

Profile by Mark Burman


Legendary makeup artist Stuart Freeborn - a veteran of 2001: A Space Odyssey and the Star Wars franchise - discusses his remarkable and prolific career in this special Cinefex retrospective.

Contents Watchmen: The Manhattan Project; Article by Joe Fordham


Adapted from the darkly complex graphic novel considered the finest and most influential of its genre, Watchmen, directed by Zack Snyder, called for a seamless blending of practical and visual effects, makeup and miniatures to bring the story's band of misfit superheroes and villains to the big screen. Visual effects supervisor John 'DJ' DesJardin oversaw the work at Sony Pictures Imageworks, The Moving Picture Company, Intelligent Creatures and CIS Hollywood, while Joel Whist supervised special effects. Greg Cannom's Drac Studios contributed prosthetic makeups, and Global Effects fabricated custom suits.


Coraline: A Handmade World; Article by Joe Fordham


In Coraline, director Henry Selick returns to the genre of stop-motion animation with a fantasy feature - his first to be shot in 3D - based on a novella by Neil Gaiman about an inquisitive young girl who walks through a secret door in her new home and discovers an alternate version of her life that seems more attractive than the real one. Puppetry and animation on a grand scale was provided by Laika Entertainment, making its theatrical film debut. Director of photography Pete Kozachik captured the stereoscopic effects, and visual effects supervisor Brian Van't Hul oversaw extensive postproduction work.


The Spirit: Summoning the Spirit; Article by George Mo?se


Master graphic novelist Frank Miller, in his solo directing debut, taps into the oeuvre of renowned 1940s-era comic-book artist Will Eisner for his adaptation of The Spirit, a crime story about a rookie cop who returns from the dead as a masked vigilante. Told in the signature style of Miller's Sin City and 300, The Spirit's hybrid live-action/CG approach featured stark, noir-ish, all-CG environments composited into minimalist greenscreen sets. Visual effects supervisor Stu Maschwitz led the work at The Orphanage, Digital Dimension, Rising Sun Pictures and six other supporting companies.

Changeling: Urban Renewal; Article by Jody Duncan


Visual effects supervisor Michael Owens discusses the challenges of re-creating 1920s Los Angeles for director Clint Eastwood's period drama Changeling, based on the true story of a woman who takes on the corrupt Los Angeles Police Department following the abduction of her young son by a pedophile serial killer.


Inkheart: Into Inkworld; Article by Jody Duncan


A bookbinder has the power to conjure characters in and out of books through the act of reading them aloud in the fantasy adventure Inkheart, directed by Iain Softley. Seeking photorealism, Softley and visual effects supervisor Angus Bickerton made judicious use of visual effects by Double Negative, The Senate, Cinesite, Rainmaker and Peerless Camera Company, while relying heavily on practical effects by special effects supervisor Paul Corbould, and miniatures by Mattes & Miniatures.

Contents Star Trek:
A New Enterprise,
Article by Joe Fordham


For Star Trek, the 11th entry in the feature-film canon based on Gene Roddenberry's long-running television series, director J. J. Abrams reboots the franchise by returning to the series' original characters, Captain James T. Kirk and Vulcan Science Officer Spock, as they meet and compete at Starfleet Academy, then commence their illustrious careers aboard the newly-minted starship Enterprise. Visual effects supervisor Roger Guyett led teams at Industrial Light & Magic, Digital Domain and a handful of supporting vendors, who joined forces with special effects supervisor Burt Dalton and teams of makeup artists to reinvigorate the Star Trek universe.


Terminator Salvation:
Rage Against the Machines,
Article by Jody Duncan


In Terminator Salvation, fourth in the saga launched in 1984 with James Cameron's The Terminator, director McG expands the Terminator mythology, exploring the post-apocalyptic years that gave rise to resistance leader John Connor and his efforts to save mankind from extermination by machines. McG and visual effects supervisor Charles Gibson called upon Industrial Light & Magic, veterans of Terminator 2 and 3, and Stan Winston Studio, designers of the original endoskeletons, to create an array of killer robots that provided continuity with those seen in the earlier films, while Asylum Effects and Matte World Digital provided post-apocalyptic environments.


X-Men Origins: Wolverine:
Blood Brothers,
Article by Jody Duncan:


Wolverine, the edgiest and most popular of the X-Men superheroes is given his due in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the fourth film in the franchise about a society of mutant outcasts, based on the Marvel Comics series. Director Gavin Hood explores Wolverine's violent past and ascendancy to membership in the X-Men, with help from visual effects supervisor Patrick McClung, who led a team of 17 vendors charged with digital mutant effects, and with bringing the story's dynamic action to life. Amalgamated Dynamics Incorporated provided practical makeup effects.


Angels & Demons:
Infernal Designs,
Article by Joe Fordham


In Angels & Demons, the second film based on novelist Dan Brown's runaway bestsellers exploring papal politics and intrigue, director Ron Howard and actor Tom Hanks return to follow Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon as he attempts to uncover a secret plot by an ancient society to destroy the Vatican. Returning visual effects supervisor Angus Bickerton led a team of vendors that included Double Negative, CIS Vancouver, The Moving Picture Company and The Senate in extending production designer Allan Cameron's expansive sets to create photorealistic Vatican interiors and exteriors.


Moon:
Moon Madness,
Article by Estelle Shay


An astronaut encounters a clone of himself as he prepares to return to earth following a three-year stint manning an energy mining operation based on the moon, in the low-budget indie film Moon. Inventive visual effects by Cinesite and miniatures by model supervisor Bill Pearson enabled first-time feature-film director Duncan Jones to bring the effects-intensive small film to the screen in a big way.

Contents Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: Heavy Metal; Article by Jody Duncan


In Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, a sequel to the 2007 hit about an age-old war between two races of giant alien robots, director Michael Bay raises the bar on visual effects with 40 new robots, more dynamic battle sequences and large-scale robot destruction, and the use of high-resolution IMAX cameras. Industrial Light & Magic and Digital Domain led the visual onslaught.


G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra: Military Maneuvers; Article by Jody Duncan


An elite G.I. Joe combat unit confronts a malevolent criminal organization intent on world domination in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, directed by Stephen Sommers and inspired by the popular Hasbro toy line. Visual effects supervisor Boyd Shermis led a team of ten vendors charged with depicting the film's exotic, globe-spanning locales, futuristic weaponry, and nonstop, high-octane action. Stan Winston Studio contributed an array of practical effects.


Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: Earth, Wind and Fire; Article by Joe Fordham


For this sixth installment in the blockbuster film franchise, wizard-in-training Harry Potter survives teen angst, Death Eater attacks, and a dangerous mission aimed at defeating the Dark Lord Voldemort. Returning director David Yates reunited with visual effects supervisor Tim Burke and vendors in London, California and Australia to realize the magical mayhem. Also re-joining the team were series regulars John Richardson, in charge of special effects, and Nick Dudman, who oversaw creature designs.


District 9: Slumdog Aliens; Article by Joe Fordham


First-time features director Neil Blomkamp combines alien visitation with the gritty realities of poverty, racism and life in a Third World ghetto, for District 9, a science-fiction film about downtrodden extraterrestrials living in slums on the outskirts of Johannesburg. Backed by producer Peter Jackson, Blomkamp called upon Weta Workshop for conceptual designs, while Image Engine and The Embassy generated the insect-like aliens, mothership and alien hardware.


G-Force: Animal Action; Article by Joe Fordham


An unlikely team of crime-fighting guinea pigs and rodents brings down an evil inventor with illusions of grandeur in G-Force, a live-action comedy conceived and directed by veteran visual effects supervisor Hoyt Yeatman. Sony Pictures Imageworks created the digitally animated creatures and visual effects generated in stereoscopic 3D.