Dominic Hellier, in 2022, detailed the contributions of Method Studios, now rebranded as Framestore, to the movie Spiderhead. Following that, he worked on the film 65.
How did you and Framestore get involved on this show?
We had worked with VFX Supervisor, Kris Sundberg and VFX Producer Lynzi Grant previously on a show with a lot of similar VFX requirements – environment extensions, CG planes, action sequences etc, so they reached out to us to see if we would like to bid the work and collaborate again, which was great!
How was the collaboration with Directors Adil El Arbi & Bilall Fallah and VFX Supervisor Kris Sundberg?
Adil and Bilall were really great Directors to work with – they had a clear vision for their film and great enthusiasm when they saw a version of something they liked, which is always really motivating for the team of artists, to get that enthusiastic approval. Kris is a really open collaborator, and really supportive and constructive throughout the process. He always seemed to have the right reference on hand with briefings or if we had any questions along the way.
How did you organize the work with your VFX Producer?
As with most of the projects completed around this time, Bad Boys 4 was impacted by the strikes at the end of last year, so maintaining the schedule and managing the workload was a constant balancing act. The work was split between our Melbourne and Mumbai offices, and Teresa Mathew, the Framestore VFX Producer, along with our production team did an amazing job of staying ahead of any scheduling issues. The project had a lot of FX requirements, between the water and destruction/debris simulations we had to do, so this was definitely the crucial department we had to manage in terms of scheduling.
What are the sequences made by Framestore?
We completed a number of sequences, but predominantly the third act of the film, from the gun fight outside of the Gatorland amusement park, following the battle inside and the climax in the pool, in the basement of the park’s main building. Our scope of work included set extensions, creature animation, water and fx debris simulations, adding attack drones and a seaplane, and your usual action fare of muzzle flashes and blood hits.
Can you walk us through the initial concept and design process for the giant crocodile?
Production came to us with a pretty clear idea of what they wanted for Duke, the albino alligator. They had built a puppet version of him for actors to act against and with the hope that he would be usable for water interaction and even use the puppet in some close up shots. Due to the brief changing to increase Duke’s size, we ended up replacing him with CG in more shots than originally intended. We started by basing the design off the prosthetic puppet, but then our character team gathered a lot of references of Albino gators and crocodiles and we selectively added features from these references, such as wounds/broken teeth, scale grime build up and of course the colour and look of his scales and eyes. We also had to complete a macro shot of Duke’s eye with a slow blink, including the nictitating membrane, so that eye region went through a design phase of its own for that one shot!
What were the biggest challenges in creating a realistic and menacing giant crocodile?
Interestingly, alligators are generally not very animated, especially when stalking their prey which is what a lot of our shots called for, and they aren’t the most expressive creatures either so it was an exercise in restraint for the animators, but still trying to convey menace and maintain realism. Beyond the animation, it was really about getting the right response from the shaders for his skin and scales in the low light environment, and then ensuring the water simulations settled him into the pool, and blended with the plate water.
How did you ensure the giant crocodile’s movements were natural and convincing on screen?
As with any creature animation, we studied a lot of real life reference, and thankfully there is a lot out there for alligators! The important thing for us, with an alligator of this size was to still convey its weight, even though it’s floating in water, and to ensure that the thrust of its movement felt believable and powerful.
How much of the giant crocodile was practical effects versus CGI?
Ultimately, most of the shots feature CG alligators. There are a few close up shots during the Duke scene that feature the practical puppet version but apart from that, we ended up replacing it with CG.
Can you describe the collaboration process between the VFX team and the practical effects team for the crocodile scenes?
That collaboration was handled by overall supervisor, Kris Sundberg on set, and there was a lot of planning involved with that staging.
How did you integrate the giant crocodile into the environments?
Matching the look and movement of the practical water was critical to integrating the alligators into the plates, as well as matching the on set lighting as accurately as possible. The basement set in particular had very unique lighting, with a lot of flickering fluorescent lights, practical atmos, and dancing reflections on the water surfaces, so we had to make sure all of our lighting and interaction passes lined up perfectly.
What were the main challenges you faced while creating the water simulation effects?
As we intended to leverage as much of the practical water as possible, getting our ambient water simulations to match the movement visible in the plates was a really laborious task, but one that paid dividends when it came time to composite the shots. Additionally, we had to ensure that our water was a good match to the photography, in regards to the look of its splashes and aeration.
Can you explain the process and tools used to achieve realistic water effects in the film?
After careful camera and object tracks, and multiple passes in animation to get the performance approved by client, we used some proprietary workflows based in Houdini and Maya to achieve the final water simulations and lighting, and then Framestore’s renderer, Freak, to produce the final frames. It was then comp’s task, using multiple AOV masks from the renders careful roto mattes, and additive compositing techniques to blend the cg water with the practical.
How did the water simulations enhance the action scenes, and what specific techniques were employed to integrate them seamlessly with live-action footage?
We found that along with the basic requirement to integrate the cg alligator, our water simulations helped add a frenetic energy to the action shots that required it.
In terms of set extensions, what were some of the most complex environments you had to digitally create or enhance?
We had to build the entire upper level of the Gatorland Facility – the central dome and thatched wings as seen in the exterior shots, as well as its interior to match the practical set, with enormous glass column and the interior of the central dome. Beyond the main building, we built the basement environment which houses Duke’s pool, and augmented the landscape that surrounds Gatorland, to make the Atlanta location look like a secluded area in Florida. The most complex part was building the interior of Gatorland to be destroyed during the seaplane crash sequence.
How did you ensure that the extended sets matched the practical locations and maintained visual continuity throughout the film?
As is common practice, we started with lidar scans for all sets – location shoots for the exteriors and establishing shots, as well as soundstage sets for the interiors. We used a lot of set reference photography and careful texturing to match the practical locations.
Can you share any insights or anecdotes about a particularly challenging visual effects shot involving water or set extension, and how your team overcame it?
Finding a good balance between reality and storytelling with the water simulations is always an interesting process because often reality doesn’t quite hit the brief, especially for an action film franchise like Bad Boys! Parameters for matching reality in water simulation are very fine, so trying to push their limit can yield unwanted and occasionally comical results! But having experienced artists like our FX teams really helps us avoid such situations and we largely managed to get the desired results with minimal iterations.
Were there any memorable moments or scenes from the film that you found particularly rewarding or challenging to work on from a visual effects standpoint?
I was really proud of the work the team did as a whole. It was a show where every shot posed its own unique challenge and the way everyone collaborated to solve the challenges was the most rewarding part. Some great examples are the full seaplane crash sequence and the more frenetic Duke shots, as well as the more invisible VFX work on the environments.
Which sequence or shot was the most challenging?
From a technical perspective, I would say the water simulations, and the slow motion FX debris simulations.
Is there something specific that gives you some really short nights?
It doesn’t sound exciting but rendering water and glass in a physically accurate way is always an interesting prospect, especially as you close in on a deadline. I was constantly on high alert for the call or email telling me a particular render wouldn’t get through in time, or it did get through and needed more sampling! But the lighters, and Jeremy Pronk, our CG Supe nursed them through and we got it all done on time!
What is your favourite shot or sequence?
As the majority of our work almost plays as one long sequence in the third act of the film, I would say all of it! But I do have a special spot for Duke’s eye, Lintz’s and Lockwood’s demise and the slow motion crashes.
What is your best memory on this show?
The first time we submitted an early comp of the shot where Duke attacks Lockwood, and you get the feedback, “It’s dope”!
How long have you worked on this show?
Overall we worked on the show for about 9 months, including the pause during the strikes in 2023.
What’s the VFX shots count?
Roughly 140 shots for Framestore.
What is your next project?
I can’t mention that just yet, but I’m really excited about it!
A big thanks for your time.
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
Framestore: Dedicated page about Bad Boys: Ride or Die on Framestore website.
© Vincent Frei – The Art of VFX – 2024
