Industrial Light & Magic has posted a new production featurette from this summer’s Marvel blockbuster.
Marvel’s The Avengers was arguably the best super hero film of the era, at least the best one to come from Marvel in the last few years. It was great because of the talented cast and skilled writing/directing of one of today’s great genre writers, Joss Whedon.
Part of the credit for the film, however, must go to Industrial Light & Magic, which was responsible for a large part of the CGI post-processing that went into the film. Famous in its own right, ILM is one of the most sought-after effects houses in the industry, doing work all over Hollywood for all the major studios, though they are obviously most famous for their work with Lucasfilm, for which they were founded (their first project was Star Wars).
This short featurette breaks down a specific, complicated shot from the film, when the camera follows Iron Man the characters through the city as they learn to work together, playing off of one another’s skills. It gives a look at all the various elements of constructing the shot, from the digital renders to the motion capture and green-screen shots with the cast.
I know it shouldn’t anymore, but it still always amazes me just how much work goes into each and every frame of these films. That’s why these kind of videos are so important. It makes it a lot easier to really appreciate the special effects process. Really, it’s a testament to the skill of the effects house that they’re able to create effects so seamless and engaging that we can so completely suspend our disbelief in the effects while we’re actually watching the film.
The Avengers Blu-ray combo pack is currently available. Industrial Light & Magic is currently working on post-production for Star Trek Into Darkness and Pacific Rim.
