RSP’s contributions ,
could be highlighted in a dubbed sequence , “ Val’s Flashback ” , which is about a raging battle , between the film’s villain ,
Hela (Cate Blanchett ), and Valkyrie’s army . The team , has also played a
pivotal role in , “ The Palace Battle , ” which is an epic confrontation ,
between Hela and Thor ( Chris Hemsworth ) , and in the flash back sequence in ,
“ The Bifröst Bridge” the magical
rainbow , that connects , realms of the Norse cosmos . This project is
specially outstanding , for the
unique work of RSP’s character expansion
in the animation department , wherein , the
task was of creating photo real horses , Valkyrie and skeleton soldiers,
as well as other digital characters .
“ We were honoured , to be selected by Marvel Studios , as a vendor on this film and we are proud of the work , that we have
delivered ” , says Tony Clark , the Managing
Director. “ We have been systematically , growing our human and technical
resources , especially in character animation , to tackle complex , large scale
projects , while maintaining the artistry , craftsmanship and attention to the
details , that are hallmarks of RSP . The results are evident in Thor :
Ragnarok . ” Almost , 200 artists , were
involved in this RSP project .
“ Val’s Flashback ” , which is shown in an artfully , slow
motion , under glittering lights , is a description of a fatal encounter ,between Valkyrie warriors and Hela , the
Asgardian Goddess of Death . The female warriors , who are riding on winged
steeds , appear from various parts of the sky, who are then , struck down , without mercy , by Hela , who
uses all her magical powers .
The team , led by Senior Visual Effects , Supervisor , Tom
Wood , started its work , on the scene , at the beginning of early 2016 , during its pre production phase itself . The artists
, had prepared , 3D pre visualisation , which delves , into each sequential
element , which serves as a guide , for all subsequent productions and posts .
The production work took place , on a soundstage , in
Queensland . Slow motion effects , was an achievement , because it was done ,
by capturing , actor performances , via , a Phantom camera , which operates ,
at 900 fps . The image , which was further given an enhancement for the surreal
cast , through the usage of a rotating
lighting system , the scenes are bathed , in undulating patterns of light and
shadow .
RSP , On Set Visual Effects Concept and Pre Vis Supervisor , Adam Paschke
, was the head of a set team , which he himself had gathered , apart from all
the practical data needed and provided the much required technical advice too ,while shooting . The Production process , was then followed by the usage of Character
Animation , Visual Effects , 3D , Matte Painting and Compositing at RSP’s
Adelaide studio , which had taken months , to get the desired , completed scenes .
The obvious choice , for all the flashback scene was RSP , because
of its considerable experience , in slow motion visual effects . For films like
: X-Men : Days of Future Past and X-Men : Apocalypse ,
the studio had come up with magical visual effects , for several scenes , which
were demonstrated , using hyper speed abilities , of mutant Quicksilver . Thor :
Ragnarok . However , it starts from a slow motion mode and gradually moves into
a new and technically challenged , direction .
“ Taika and Jake conceived a fantastic scene ,” notes Wood .
“ The concept was pre visualized and they attended the shoot and as soon as the
editing was over, they went straight ahead into production . The pre visualization
sequence was broken into multiple layers , each of which , was shot separately and
then reassembled , part by part , in post.”
“ The flashback sequences were created by the involvement of
high level creature animation and digital characters, as well as minute , detailed
compositing , because of unusual lighting effects ,” adds , Visual Effects
Executive Producer , Gill Howe. “ It was also a huge challenge , as it was a
standalone piece and the most significant scene , in the movie . It had to be
unique, different and something , which no one had ever done before.”
A lot of considerable attention has gone into the making of
Valkyrie and the horses creation . Its often shown in close ups , so that the animated characters , look photo-real.
“ We spent a lot of time , looking at the development process and make sure , for example , the fur and feathers were
right and the muscle system moved like a real horse ,” explains , Head of
Creatures , Tim Mackintosh . “ If they
had been monsters , we would have had
more leeway , because monsters aren’t real , but everyone is familiar with
horses . Although , these were mythical , winged horses , audience members ,
will have an idea as to how they should look and move . ”
RSP , has also , taken great care , in getting Hela’s
accoutrements , which includes her cape , the cowl she wears on her head and
her menacing antlers . Artists , at first , had concepts developed for Hela’s
costume , for the trailer itself , which was screened , at Comic-Con in 2016 , but went on to modify ,
the look , after , later stages of production . “ It was quite tricky ,”
recalls the Head of Lighting / Looks Development , Shane Aherne . “ We needed to be consistent
with the assets , practical counterparts and with their representations , in
the original Marvel comics . But we also needed to accommodate , Cate
Blanchett’s performance and the action scenes . ”
RSP , has used digital characters , to do actions , which
are supposed to be impossible , for humans or to facilitate that into the scenes
. This was highly essential , for
characters which had to exhibit magical powers or show super human strength .
In most cases , the character’s motion , originated from motion capture data ,
from the actors themselves . “ Motion capture , will provide 90 percent there ,
but the remaining has to be obtained ,through CG characterization , ” notes
Mackintosh . “ It’s a labourious process , the one which
needs , artists to use a lot of different skill sets . ”
“ The Palace Fight ” , is a depiction of a face off ,
between Hela and Thor , which is rolled out over 60 shots . Even though , live action scenes ,
were shot on a practical set , the production team had to eventually , select ,
the whole background , which was then replaced , using 3D environment , created
by RSP . “ We produced a palace , which was huge , with a higher ceiling , than
was possible , to erect , on any stage .
” , explains Wood . “ It was more spread out and more opulent . ”
In the completed scene , Thor is the sole , non digital
element . “ Replacing , the background entirely, created its own challenges , ”
observes , 2D Lead , Jess Burnheim . “ It
meant , that if we had to extract , Chris Hemsworth , from the plate , with no
blue screen . We literally rotoscoped
everything including his hair. It was a painstaking effort . ”
The Bifröst Bridge , makes another appearance , in a pitched
battle field , wherein , Hela is pitted against Thor and Loki . “ The Bifröst
scene was previously seen in Marvel productions , but in Thor : Ragnarok , it was
given a unique look , because we’re inside it ,” Burnheim explains . “ We had
old references to work from , but we had to develop the effect further and
create something that would work with the plate photography . ”
“ One thing that happens , in the scene , is that , Thor is
pushed into the side of the bridge and it shatters ,” he adds . “ That raised
the question , what is it made of ? Is it light ? Is it physica l? It took many
iterations , to get the feel right . ”
RSP , has also been a part of a scene , featuring Hela’s
troop , consisting of skeleton soldiers , which yet again was the involvement
of digital characters usage . As well as , the artists created , a 3D version ,
of Thor’s famed hammer , for a particular scene , where Hela crushes it .
Inspite of the
project’s toughness , lengthy schedule and an ever growing shot list , the work
was carried on smoothly . Mackintosh , gives credit , to the unique structure ,of RSP’s production pipeline . Its amalgamation of animation , character
development and compositing facilitates , were collaborated between the
departments , which allowed the studios , to get rid of many things and get the
work done fast .
“ Animation and creatures , aren’t the same entities , at quite a few studios , but the departments
, have to be joined , in a single , smooth pipeline ,” Mackintosh says . “ When
we are working towards delivering shots , there has always been , a lot of back
and forth movements , between the teams , and we feel , it’s essential , to
keep them working together . ”
Howe , however , notes , that the cohesiveness , of the RSP
team ( all the senior artists , have been associated , with the studio for ages
) , also boosts , efficient work and
delivers , cost cutting .
“ As , this was our first Marvel Studios show , we wanted to
give it , our best effort and ensure that everything we delivered , was spectacular and exceeded all
expectations ,” says Howe . “ The results are a testament , to the dedication
and creativity of our artists and the strength of our pipeline , in managing
photo real creature animation ; complex , interactive lighting and looks
development . It’s a big step , forward for RSP . ”
Rising Sun Pictures , heads of the departments , comprised
of : Senior VFX Supervisor , Tom Wood :
Executive Producer , Gill Howe : DFX
Supervisor , Noah Vice : 2D Lead , Noah Burnheim : VFX Supervisor , Dennis
Jones : Head of Creatures , Tim
Mackintosh : Head of Layout , Damian Doenning : On-Set VFX / Concept / Pre vis
, Adam Paschke finally , Head of Lighting / Looks Development
, Shane Aherne .
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