Creating a Time Machine and Its Effects on an Accelerated Schedule
The mind-warping tales of writer Philip K. Dick have inspired Hollywood films ranging from Blade Runner and Total Recall to Minority Report and now Paycheck. Directed by John Woo, Paycheck is about a computer engineer doing top-secret work for a computer tycoon — with a Dickian twist that required some imaginative FX work to realize on screen.
"He has his memory erased," explains visual effects supervisor Greg
McMurry ( The Core). "So when he goes to pick up his paycheck, he’s
told that he’s already been there before and picked it up, and he then
creates this time machine which lets him look into both the future and
the past.
McMurry ( The Core). "So when he goes to pick up his paycheck, he’s
told that he’s already been there before and picked it up, and he then
creates this time machine which lets him look into both the future and
the past.
The Paramount release has nearly 300 effects shots. "One of the main
challenges in post was creating sequences and effects like the time
machine on a very short schedule," reports McMurry. "We only finished
shooting in August, so a Christmas release meant a big rush to pull it
all together."
challenges in post was creating sequences and effects like the time
machine on a very short schedule," reports McMurry. "We only finished
shooting in August, so a Christmas release meant a big rush to pull it
all together."
McMurry dealt with several effects companies, including CIS, Creo and
Pixel Playground in LA; Frantic Films in Winnipeg, Canada; and Rising
Sun Pictures in Sydney, Australia. " CIS did the bulk of the work, but
they also incorporated elements done by the others," he notes. "So many
of the shots from Frantic ended up at CIS, who built on them further.
And as there’s finally a digital standard accepted everywhere now,
everyone was able to share data and send files back and forth on our
secure Internet link using Cineon 2K files."
Pixel Playground in LA; Frantic Films in Winnipeg, Canada; and Rising
Sun Pictures in Sydney, Australia. " CIS did the bulk of the work, but
they also incorporated elements done by the others," he notes. "So many
of the shots from Frantic ended up at CIS, who built on them further.
And as there’s finally a digital standard accepted everywhere now,
everyone was able to share data and send files back and forth on our
secure Internet link using Cineon 2K files."
The Time Machine
Creating the time machine and its effects "was the main creative
challenge for us in post," he adds. "It’s a complicated twist back and
forth on what’s real and what are like acid flashbacks in his memory.
It’s full of very abstract shapes and images, and not typically the
type of post effect people get involved with. A lot of it is very
dreamlike."
challenge for us in post," he adds. "It’s a complicated twist back and
forth on what’s real and what are like acid flashbacks in his memory.
It’s full of very abstract shapes and images, and not typically the
type of post effect people get involved with. A lot of it is very
dreamlike."
At CIS ( The Matrix Revolutions, The Matrix Reloaded and Pirates of the
Caribbean), effects supervisor Bryan Hirota reports that the company
created 65 effects shots in post. "We did a lot of compositing –
everything from bullets and explosions to rig removal, and most of it
was done in Shake, with some Renderman," he states. "We also used
Matador to do some paint fix-ups and wire removal, but the main focus
was on coming up with and executing the look of the big time-machine
sequence."
Caribbean), effects supervisor Bryan Hirota reports that the company
created 65 effects shots in post. "We did a lot of compositing –
everything from bullets and explosions to rig removal, and most of it
was done in Shake, with some Renderman," he states. "We also used
Matador to do some paint fix-ups and wire removal, but the main focus
was on coming up with and executing the look of the big time-machine
sequence."
Nebula Effects
Four Inferno artists – Simon Holden, Greg Oehler, Travis Beaumann and
Mark Felt – worked for some three weeks to create several elaborate
sequences for the time-viewing footage. "The live on-set elements
consisted of this huge glass screen -about 8-foot by 12-foot, with
these electrodes at the corners," reports Holden. " Affleck’s character
then stands on a platform in front of this screen and sees into the
future and past. But we didn’t want it to end up looking like a
giant-screen TV." To avoid this, Holden first created a swirling
"nebula effect" in Inferno, and then 3D artists Chris Ryan and John
Cassella created particle animation using Maya. "We then used all those
elements to break up the edges of the screen, so that it looked like 3D
elements streaming out into the real world," he says.
Mark Felt – worked for some three weeks to create several elaborate
sequences for the time-viewing footage. "The live on-set elements
consisted of this huge glass screen -about 8-foot by 12-foot, with
these electrodes at the corners," reports Holden. " Affleck’s character
then stands on a platform in front of this screen and sees into the
future and past. But we didn’t want it to end up looking like a
giant-screen TV." To avoid this, Holden first created a swirling
"nebula effect" in Inferno, and then 3D artists Chris Ryan and John
Cassella created particle animation using Maya. "We then used all those
elements to break up the edges of the screen, so that it looked like 3D
elements streaming out into the real world," he says.
Holden and Oehler then used the nebula effect to help design what
Holden describes as "a cone or tunnel effect which simulates looking
into the future. The scene starts off outside the machine, which reads
Affleck’s palm. The camera then flies under his hand, into his palm and
then we’re into the tunnel effect." To achieve this, Holden and Oehler
created some 40 cones on Inferno, which were visually superimposed on
one another in sequence. "So the effect is that you travel through the
tip of each one and into the next one as a metaphor for his journey
into the future or past," notes Holden.
Holden describes as "a cone or tunnel effect which simulates looking
into the future. The scene starts off outside the machine, which reads
Affleck’s palm. The camera then flies under his hand, into his palm and
then we’re into the tunnel effect." To achieve this, Holden and Oehler
created some 40 cones on Inferno, which were visually superimposed on
one another in sequence. "So the effect is that you travel through the
tip of each one and into the next one as a metaphor for his journey
into the future or past," notes Holden.
Other key creatives included CIS digital supervisor Patrick Cavanaugh,
who was in charge of all the 2D elements and did the color correction
and final check of all the 2D composites.
who was in charge of all the 2D elements and did the color correction
and final check of all the 2D composites.
"‘Time’ was the key word in this whole project," sums up McMurry. "We
had the time crunch of an accelerated post schedule and then the time
machine itself, but we all feel we did justice to the story and created
some unique visuals."
had the time crunch of an accelerated post schedule and then the time
machine itself, but we all feel we did justice to the story and created
some unique visuals."
Did you enjoy this article? Sign up to receive the StudioDaily Fix eletter containing the latest stories, including news, videos, interviews, reviews and more.
Leave a Reply