With Rebel Moon: Part Two – The Scargiver, the latest installment of Zack Snyder’s burgeoning sci-fi saga, hitting Netflix recently, I got the opportunity to sit down with the film’s VFX supervisor, Marcus Taormina, to discuss his work both in the VFX industry in general and on the new film specifically.
Also Read: Rebel Moon: Part 2 – The Scargiver Review: Dazzling Visuals Can’t Save The Most Boring Heroes In The Galaxy Featured Video:
“It’s not just me looking at the script. It’s a lot of whiteboards, a lot of notes.” – Marcus Taormina
To start off, I talked to Marcus about what his role as a VFX supervisor, the primary liaison between a VFX studio and a film studio on any given movie or TV show for the unaware, meant in regards to the Rebel Moon films. He informed me that he “looked over the script line by...
Also Read: Rebel Moon: Part 2 – The Scargiver Review: Dazzling Visuals Can’t Save The Most Boring Heroes In The Galaxy Featured Video:
“It’s not just me looking at the script. It’s a lot of whiteboards, a lot of notes.” – Marcus Taormina
To start off, I talked to Marcus about what his role as a VFX supervisor, the primary liaison between a VFX studio and a film studio on any given movie or TV show for the unaware, meant in regards to the Rebel Moon films. He informed me that he “looked over the script line by...
- 4/29/2024
- by Callie Hanna
- FandomWire
Zack Snyder finally delivers epic battle action in “Rebel Moon — Part Two: The Scargiver” (currently streaming on Netflix), the sequel to his space opera that began as a “Seven Samurai”-inspired “Star Wars” pitch. In fact, the 122-minute, PG-13 version contains nearly an hour of mostly ultra slo-mo fighting in parallel montages. (The upcoming extended cut this summer promises another hour of gory footage.)
In terms of VFX, that breaks down to 1,316 shots for a combined 745 battle shots. Plus, there are impressive flashbacks of battles pertaining to the crew of warriors prior to the big event.
It was quite an undertaking for production VFX supervisor Marcus Taormina, considering that he simultaneously worked on “Part One: A Child of Fire” and “Part Two: The Scargiver.” But like a strategic-minded military leader, he laid the groundwork in “Part One” for the moment in “Part Two” when the Nazi-like Imperium forces (led by...
In terms of VFX, that breaks down to 1,316 shots for a combined 745 battle shots. Plus, there are impressive flashbacks of battles pertaining to the crew of warriors prior to the big event.
It was quite an undertaking for production VFX supervisor Marcus Taormina, considering that he simultaneously worked on “Part One: A Child of Fire” and “Part Two: The Scargiver.” But like a strategic-minded military leader, he laid the groundwork in “Part One” for the moment in “Part Two” when the Nazi-like Imperium forces (led by...
- 4/21/2024
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
“Ghostbusters: Afterlife”
The VFX team at Mpc Film was responsible for animating the Mini-Pufts scene for “Ghostbusters: Afterlife.” “It was one of those moments when you remember why you wanted to be an animator and work in VFX,” says Mpc Film animation supervisor Christophe Paradis.
In one memorable sequence, the mischievous Mini-Pufts marshmallows cause havoc in a Walmart, burning, blending and melting each another.
“In our dailies sessions with director Jason Reitman and production supervisor Alessandro Ongaro, our team was encouraged to bring their own ideas to the table,” says VFX supervisor Pier Lefebvre. “I think the choreography was the perfect combination of gruesome, evil, infantile, savage, unhinged and funny, all while bringing personality to each marshmallow. Our inspiration for the scene included the 1984 movie ‘Gremlins,’ released the same year as the original ‘Ghostbusters.’”
With a group of frantic marshmallows wreaking havoc on screen, it was important to direct the...
The VFX team at Mpc Film was responsible for animating the Mini-Pufts scene for “Ghostbusters: Afterlife.” “It was one of those moments when you remember why you wanted to be an animator and work in VFX,” says Mpc Film animation supervisor Christophe Paradis.
In one memorable sequence, the mischievous Mini-Pufts marshmallows cause havoc in a Walmart, burning, blending and melting each another.
“In our dailies sessions with director Jason Reitman and production supervisor Alessandro Ongaro, our team was encouraged to bring their own ideas to the table,” says VFX supervisor Pier Lefebvre. “I think the choreography was the perfect combination of gruesome, evil, infantile, savage, unhinged and funny, all while bringing personality to each marshmallow. Our inspiration for the scene included the 1984 movie ‘Gremlins,’ released the same year as the original ‘Ghostbusters.’”
With a group of frantic marshmallows wreaking havoc on screen, it was important to direct the...
- 1/14/2022
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
When you watch Netflix's heist-meets-zombies flick Army of the Dead, you might not realize at first glance that the character of Marianne Peters, played by Tig Notaro, is actually the product of a late-in-the-game replacement. Notaro was brought onto the movie after filming had already wrapped to replace original cast member Chris D'Elia, the comedian who has been accused of sexual predation by multiple women. With some creative reshoots and a very hardworking team of filmmakers, all traces of D'Elia were erased and then replaced with Notaro's version of the character.
When the allegations against D'Elia arose in July 2020, Army of the Dead was already in postproduction, but the decision to remove D'Elia was made fairly quickly. According to Vulture, a casting director suggested Notaro to director Zack Snyder, and so began a lengthy process of reshooting and reconfiguring. Because of the high cost of the action movie, along...
When the allegations against D'Elia arose in July 2020, Army of the Dead was already in postproduction, but the decision to remove D'Elia was made fairly quickly. According to Vulture, a casting director suggested Notaro to director Zack Snyder, and so began a lengthy process of reshooting and reconfiguring. Because of the high cost of the action movie, along...
- 5/24/2021
- by Amanda Prahl
- Popsugar.com
Much news has been made over Zack Snyder digitally inserting Tig Notaro into “Army of the Dead,” but now comes confirmation from cast member Ana de la Reguera about the only two scenes in the movie in which Notaro appeared with a real actor on set. Notaro was cast in the Netflix zombie movie after production had wrapped because Snyder needed to replace Chris D’Elia after he was accused of sexual misconduct. The pandemic prevented Snyder from reuniting the cast and forced him to shoot Notaro via green screen and then digitally put her in the movie in the exact places D’Elia had been removed from.
“I had to do this incredibly technical experiment, re-creating every scene, shot for shot,” Snyder told Vulture about the process earlier this month. “My visual-effects supervisor, Marcus Taormina, did the work of taking Chris completely out of the movie so Tig could have freedom [to move] within the scenes.
“I had to do this incredibly technical experiment, re-creating every scene, shot for shot,” Snyder told Vulture about the process earlier this month. “My visual-effects supervisor, Marcus Taormina, did the work of taking Chris completely out of the movie so Tig could have freedom [to move] within the scenes.
- 5/24/2021
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Join Zack Snyder On The Set Of Army Of The Dead With The Newly Released Behind-the-scenes Special Creating An Army Of The Dead: "Timed to the release of Army of The Dead today, Netflix has released a surprise behind-the-scenes special feature that delves into the making of the unforgettable Zack Snyder zombie-heist film.
At almost thirty minutes in length, Creating an Army of The Dead features in-depth interviews with the cast and filmmakers, including Zack Snyder, Deborah Snyder, Wesley Coller, Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Ana De La Reguera, Theo Rossi, Matthias Schweighöfer, Garret Dillahunt, Huma S. Qureshi, Visual Effects Supervisor Marcus Taormina, Costume Designer Stephanie Porter, Production Designer Julie Berghoff and more. Zack Snyder and the team on Army of The Dead will take you behind-the-scenes and discuss how the film came to life in a post apocalyptic Las Vegas - diving into the wild stunts, groundbreaking effects...
At almost thirty minutes in length, Creating an Army of The Dead features in-depth interviews with the cast and filmmakers, including Zack Snyder, Deborah Snyder, Wesley Coller, Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Ana De La Reguera, Theo Rossi, Matthias Schweighöfer, Garret Dillahunt, Huma S. Qureshi, Visual Effects Supervisor Marcus Taormina, Costume Designer Stephanie Porter, Production Designer Julie Berghoff and more. Zack Snyder and the team on Army of The Dead will take you behind-the-scenes and discuss how the film came to life in a post apocalyptic Las Vegas - diving into the wild stunts, groundbreaking effects...
- 5/21/2021
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
In Zack Snyder’s “Army of the Dead,” premiering May 21 on Netflix, Dave Bautista stars as a mercenary on a mission to retrieve $200 million from the vault of a Las Vegas casino by crossing into a quarantine zone in the middle of a zombie apocalypse.
But the heist turned out to be the easy part when the filmmakers, who needed to shoot key rooftop sequences on the Vegas Strip, were met with hard nos by casino owners. “They wanted nothing to do with us,” says visual effects supervisor Marcus Taormina. Not only could Taormina and his team not access roofs, but they couldn’t get onto the casino properties at all.
The filmmakers decided to shoot in Atlantic City and Albuquerque — but to ensure realism, they needed to devise a digital map of the Vegas skyline that they could then replicate in VFX.
Taormina went to Las Vegas to scout...
But the heist turned out to be the easy part when the filmmakers, who needed to shoot key rooftop sequences on the Vegas Strip, were met with hard nos by casino owners. “They wanted nothing to do with us,” says visual effects supervisor Marcus Taormina. Not only could Taormina and his team not access roofs, but they couldn’t get onto the casino properties at all.
The filmmakers decided to shoot in Atlantic City and Albuquerque — but to ensure realism, they needed to devise a digital map of the Vegas skyline that they could then replicate in VFX.
Taormina went to Las Vegas to scout...
- 5/20/2021
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Zack Snyder’s new apocalyptic epic “Army of the Dead” almost didn’t happen.
“Quite frankly, this movie wouldn’t have gotten made had it not been for Netflix because it sat at Warner Bros. for years and years,” producer Deborah Snyder said in a panel discussion on Friday.
When asked why, Deborah Snyder said the film “couldn’t be figured out” due to budgetary reasons and “maybe not as much of an appetite.”
But, when Netflix came along, it was full speed ahead. “I’ll tell you that Netflix has been really cool,” director Zack Snyder said. “They came to me, like, we’re happy to make this movie for your TV.”
The movie hits the streamer on May 21 and opened in theaters yesterday. To celebrate the film, the newly renovated Landmark Westwood Theatre held a Q&a on May 14 in Los Angeles, Calif. moderated by film critic Pete Hammond.
“Quite frankly, this movie wouldn’t have gotten made had it not been for Netflix because it sat at Warner Bros. for years and years,” producer Deborah Snyder said in a panel discussion on Friday.
When asked why, Deborah Snyder said the film “couldn’t be figured out” due to budgetary reasons and “maybe not as much of an appetite.”
But, when Netflix came along, it was full speed ahead. “I’ll tell you that Netflix has been really cool,” director Zack Snyder said. “They came to me, like, we’re happy to make this movie for your TV.”
The movie hits the streamer on May 21 and opened in theaters yesterday. To celebrate the film, the newly renovated Landmark Westwood Theatre held a Q&a on May 14 in Los Angeles, Calif. moderated by film critic Pete Hammond.
- 5/15/2021
- by Haley Bosselman
- Variety Film + TV
In Zack Snyder’s “Army of the Dead,” Las Vegas is infested with zombies and, in particular, one zombie tiger that instantly sank its undead fangs into fans’ hearts when it appeared in the first trailer. In a surprising turn of events, long before Carole Baskin became a household name in Netflix’s “Tiger King,” she was helping Snyder and the VFX team find a real-life reference for the zombie tiger, named Valentine in the film.
VFX supervisor Marcus Taormina says creating Valentine’s design was the biggest challenge because there needed to be a sense of believability to the tiger. Snyder gave Taormina a 2D concept of ideas for Valentine’s face, and the VFX team started to model and sculpt it in 3D, making it feel like a real tiger.
Taormina had initially looked at white tigers in Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat, but “unfortunately,...
VFX supervisor Marcus Taormina says creating Valentine’s design was the biggest challenge because there needed to be a sense of believability to the tiger. Snyder gave Taormina a 2D concept of ideas for Valentine’s face, and the VFX team started to model and sculpt it in 3D, making it feel like a real tiger.
Taormina had initially looked at white tigers in Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat, but “unfortunately,...
- 5/13/2021
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
A new report from Vulture breaks down the process of digitally inserting comedian Tig Notaro into Zack Snyder’s Netflix zombie heist movie “Army of the Dead.” The filmmaker cast Notaro to replace Chris D’Elia after production had been wrapped for months, meaning D’Elia had to be digitally removed from the movie and Notaro had to be swapped in. What this actor swap cost the production has not been disclosed, but Snyder did tell Vulture it was cheaper than the budget needed to create the film’s zombie tiger.
D’Elia was accused of various examples of sexual misconduct starting in March 2020, right at the beginning of the pandemic. After Snyder decided to remove the actor and replace him with Notaro, the pandemic prevented the entire cast from getting together to reshoot select scenes. As Vulture reports: “Notaro would have to film almost all of her scenes in front...
D’Elia was accused of various examples of sexual misconduct starting in March 2020, right at the beginning of the pandemic. After Snyder decided to remove the actor and replace him with Notaro, the pandemic prevented the entire cast from getting together to reshoot select scenes. As Vulture reports: “Notaro would have to film almost all of her scenes in front...
- 5/11/2021
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
The next installment of the “Dissecting Horror” digital panel series will take place Tonight, Wednesday, May 27th at 6 pm (Pst) and focus on the effects of some of your favorite horror projects. Panelists include Heath Hood (special effects coordinator for Universal’s Halloween & Halloween Kills), Marcus Taormina (visual effects supervisor for Netflix’s Bright & Bird Box), Jeremy Hays (special effects supervisor for […] More...
- 5/27/2020
- by Josh Millican
- DreadCentral.com
The Visual Effects Society announced nominees for the organization’s 17th annual awards on Tuesday.
Leading the way in the film and TV fields, respectively, were Marvel’s “Avengers: Infinity War” and Netflix’s “Lost in Space.” Each picked up six nominations. Pixar’s “Incredibles 2” received the most nominations among animated feature contenders with five.
“Ready Player One” also landed five nominations, while “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” and “Welcome to Marwen” each earned three. “Christopher Robin” and “First Man” picked up a pair apiece, while “Ant Man and the Wasp” landed one. Those films joined “Avengers: Infinity War” on the Academy’s list of 10 semifinalists for the category, each of which displayed their wares at the organization’s annual Visual Effects Bake-Off on Jan. 5.
Notably, Marvel’s “Black Panther” and Disney’s “Mary Poppins Returns” — the final two films on the Academy’s bake-off...
Leading the way in the film and TV fields, respectively, were Marvel’s “Avengers: Infinity War” and Netflix’s “Lost in Space.” Each picked up six nominations. Pixar’s “Incredibles 2” received the most nominations among animated feature contenders with five.
“Ready Player One” also landed five nominations, while “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” and “Welcome to Marwen” each earned three. “Christopher Robin” and “First Man” picked up a pair apiece, while “Ant Man and the Wasp” landed one. Those films joined “Avengers: Infinity War” on the Academy’s list of 10 semifinalists for the category, each of which displayed their wares at the organization’s annual Visual Effects Bake-Off on Jan. 5.
Notably, Marvel’s “Black Panther” and Disney’s “Mary Poppins Returns” — the final two films on the Academy’s bake-off...
- 1/15/2019
- by Kristopher Tapley
- Variety Film + TV
The Visual Effects Society has revealed nominations for the 17th annual Ves Awards, which will recognize the best VFX artistry and innovation in film, animation, TV, commercials and video games.
Disney/Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity Wars and Netflix’s Lost In Space lead the film and TV categories this year with six nominations, respectively. Disney/Pixar’s Incredibles 2 tops the animation field with five noms.
Winners will be announced during a ceremony February 5 at the Beverly Hilton hosted by Patton Oswalt. Also at the gala, the annual Ves Visionary Award will be presented to Westworld‘s Jonathan Nolan, while the Ves Award for Creative Excellence will be presented to Game of Thrones masterminds David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.
Here are the nominees announced Tuesday in 24 categories:
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature
Avengers: Infinity War
Daniel DeLeeuw
Jen Underdahl
Kelly Port
Matt Aitken
Daniel Sudick
Christopher Robin
Chris Lawrence...
Disney/Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity Wars and Netflix’s Lost In Space lead the film and TV categories this year with six nominations, respectively. Disney/Pixar’s Incredibles 2 tops the animation field with five noms.
Winners will be announced during a ceremony February 5 at the Beverly Hilton hosted by Patton Oswalt. Also at the gala, the annual Ves Visionary Award will be presented to Westworld‘s Jonathan Nolan, while the Ves Award for Creative Excellence will be presented to Game of Thrones masterminds David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.
Here are the nominees announced Tuesday in 24 categories:
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature
Avengers: Infinity War
Daniel DeLeeuw
Jen Underdahl
Kelly Port
Matt Aitken
Daniel Sudick
Christopher Robin
Chris Lawrence...
- 1/15/2019
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
While “Avengers: Infinity War” topped the 17th annual Ves Awards (to be held February 5th at the Beverly Hilton Hotel) with six nominations, “Black Panther,” Marvel’s other Oscar frontrunner, was shut out. And Damien Chazelle’s acclaimed “First Man,” another frontrunner, was included in the supporting category as a result of its invisible VFX. Disney’s “Mary Poppins Returns,” meanwhile, was also snubbed.
However, joining “Infinity War” in the top VFX category were a surprising list: “Ready Player One” (with five nominations), “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” “Christopher Robin” and “Welcome to Marwen.” Joining “First Man” for supporting VFX were “12 Strong,” Bird Box,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and “Outlaw King”.
In animation, Pixar’s “Incredibles 2” was the big winner with five nominations, followed by Sony’s “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” and Disney’s “Ralph Breaks the Internet” with four. They were joined by Illumination’s “The Grinch” and Wes Anderson’s “Isle of Dogs.
However, joining “Infinity War” in the top VFX category were a surprising list: “Ready Player One” (with five nominations), “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” “Christopher Robin” and “Welcome to Marwen.” Joining “First Man” for supporting VFX were “12 Strong,” Bird Box,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and “Outlaw King”.
In animation, Pixar’s “Incredibles 2” was the big winner with five nominations, followed by Sony’s “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” and Disney’s “Ralph Breaks the Internet” with four. They were joined by Illumination’s “The Grinch” and Wes Anderson’s “Isle of Dogs.
- 1/15/2019
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
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