American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 58

The VFX Perspective
Footage of the Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal in Bangkok
(top) served as the basis for this futuristic vision of a Los
Angeles LAX spaceport (bottom) - achieved via VFX artistry.
of the headgear neck and some
internal pieces to her jowl movements.
And we animated mechanical
components attached to her
tongue, cheeks and jawline. It
was all part of the goal to make it
feel integrated - so when Alphie
was talking, it felt like parts of
her mechanical structure were
moving. "
Innovating Through Post
Within the film's narrative, New
Asian society also features a
lower stratum of robots, many of
which were imagined and added
in post as Edwards shaped the
story with the editors. " We had a
[locked picture] cut about three
months after principal photography, "
Cooper recalls. " There was
so much design work to be done,
the cut was almost secondary.
We had to design all the robots,
simulants, NOMAD, environments,
giant tanks, flying ships and vehicles,
regardless of the cut, and
we were advancing that all along
the way. "
ILM eschewed any kind of
motion capture on set, electing
instead to place background
characters in environmentally
appropriate attire. Modelers then
developed a kit of eight robot
heads with a variety of paint jobs
that Edwards could select.
" My goal is to maximize production
value, " Cooper says. " We
made choices as late as possible,
in ways that were the most impactful
for the story. For example,
we had a scene with [humans
and] robots running on a bridge.
All of those people were cast as
extras and wore character-appropriate
costumes. Gareth pointed
to one person running who did
a head turn, and he asked us to
make that [character] a robot.
That [spontaneity] is what made
those moments work - we made
those choices for the benefit of
the viewer.
" It's funny, " Cooper adds. " Gareth
says he hasn't kept up with
the software, but he's so clued-in.
Even if he doesn't know the details,
he understands the process.
He speaks the language. And he
knows where to 'cheat' - where
some techniques are expensive,
and where others are not. That
was hugely helpful. "
See page 42 for an in-depth look
at the making of The Creator.
58 / NOVEMBER 2023
IMAGES COURTESY OF INDUSTRIAL LIGHT & MAGIC.

American Cinematographer - November 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - November 2023

Contents
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - Cover1
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - Cover2
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 1
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - Contents
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 3
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 4
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 5
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 6
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 7
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 8
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 9
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 10
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 11
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 12
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 13
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 14
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 15
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 16
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 17
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 18
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 19
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 20
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 21
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 22
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 23
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 24
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 25
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 26
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 27
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 28
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 29
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 30
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 31
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 32
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 33
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 34
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 35
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 36
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 37
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 38
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 39
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 40
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 41
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 42
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 43
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 44
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 45
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 46
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 47
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 48
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 49
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 50
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 51
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 52
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 53
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 54
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 55
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 56
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 57
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 58
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 59
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 60
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 61
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 62
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 63
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 64
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 65
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 66
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 67
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 68
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 69
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 70
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 71
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - 72
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - Cover3
American Cinematographer - November 2023 - Cover4
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