Posts Tagged VFX

Universal Virtual Stages

Posted by Leslie Morgan in I Design Your Eyes on January 10, 2011

Imagine stepping onto a set with nothing, but green screen. Then imagine stepping onto that same green screen set, but you can see the middle of a Manhattan skyline that can be moved, manipulated, lit properly, the actors moving freely amongst giant skyscrapers and the director preparing their shot list the day of production. This is the world of virtual production and Universal Studios has opened Universal Virtual Stage 1 (UVS1) to take advantage of the film and television industry’s need for a fully integrated virtual production pipeline from pre-production through post.

On December 2, 2010 Universal Studios officially opened UVS1 and the studio is looking forward to having both internal and third party productions utilizing the facilities. “The virtual stage is a pre-rigged, pre-calibrated turn-key facility designed for the most simple to the most complex shoots. We are excited to be able to offer UVS1 for both internal and third party clients,” says Jeff Berry, Executive Director Virtual Effects and Production Services at Universal. “Working with Zoic Studios was an integral part of developing the facility.” Read the rest of this entry »

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The visual effects behind “V”

Posted by Leslie Morgan in I Design Your Eyes on January 4, 2011

Loosely based on the 1984 series, “V” returns for a second season January 4th on ABC.  The series is about a technologically advanced alien race that comes to Earth proclaiming to be peaceful, but secretly has a sinister agenda and stars Elizabeth Mitchell (LOST) and Scott Wolf (Party of Five) and Morena Baccarin (Serenity).   Zoic is responsible for creating the visual effects for the series, which has been nominated for both VES and Emmy Awards.   I had the opportunity to sit down and speak with Pipeline Supervisor Mike Romey, Lead Compositor Nate Overstrom and 3D Supervisor Dave Funston about their experiences working on last year’s season finale. Read the rest of this entry »

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Burlesque

Posted by Leslie Morgan in I Design Your Eyes on November 30, 2010

When a small town girl named Ali with a big voice and dreams of super stardom moves to Hollywood and meets a retired burlesque dancer who owns a fledgling nightclub, both women’s lives soon change forever. This is the premise of the film Burlesque that opened on Thanksgiving. Burlesque stars Cher and Christina Aguilera and was written and directed by Steve Antin. Zoic Studio was responsible for creating visual effects for the film.
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Behind the Scenes: Famous Footwear

Posted by Leslie Morgan in I Design Your Eyes on November 24, 2010

The holiday season is officially upon us and typically this is the time of year when we visit with our family and friends, exchange gifts, share stories, and reminisce. I was lucky enough to already experience some of what the holidays have to offer back in August when I went behind the scenes of the Famous Footwear “Neighborhood” spot.  
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LIVE: Inside Zoic Studios!

Posted by Leslie Morgan in I Design Your Eyes on November 18, 2010

Today is the big day. It’s our FIRST live broadcast. Join me at 4pm inside Zoic Studios when I interview Andrew Orloff, VFX Supervisor for such shows as CSI, V, True Blood, Fringe and many others.

Inside Zoic Studios

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ACTION!

Posted by Leslie Morgan in I Design Your Eyes on November 17, 2010

There is a lot going on today around the office. Besides all of the day to day activity, there is a shoot happening right outside the studio. I spoke briefly to Andrew Orloff, VFX Supervisor and Executive Creative Director at Zoic to give me the scoop about what the shoot was all about. “The shoot taking place is part of a photographic virtual set where people are being shot on green screen. The art direction of the actual set made it a lot bigger and more expansive so we needed to duplicate more people in the background to fill the screen.” So essentially the staff here at Zoic became extras for the day. James Hattin, Lead Compositor, directed his colleagues and you can see all of the hijinks that ensued below

Also I am about to head to set for a big commercial spot that we are working on. Can’t say much, but I can say it’s up the street and is bound to be a lot of fun on set.

Finally the biggest news of the day is TOMORROW November 18th at 4:00pm Zoic Studios is having it’s first LIVE BROADCAST. Yours truly will be interviewing VFX Supervisor Andrew Orloff on Ustream about the latest and greatest in Visual Effects for such shows as V, Human Target, and CSI. So join me as I take you Inside Zoic Studios:
Inside Zoic Studios

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