pirates

Method Studios is a visual effects company founded in 1998 in Los Angeles, California with facilities in New York, Atlanta, Vancouver, San Francisco, Melbourne, Montreal, and |Pune. The company provides production and post-production services including conceptual design, look development, on-set supervision, 3D animation/CGI, matte painting, AR/VR, compositing and finishing. Among other film projects, Method had worked on the Pirates of the Caribbean series.

History

Pirates of the Caribbean work

Method worked on Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl,[2] as well as the sequels Dead Man's Chest,[3] At World's End,[4] and On Stranger Tides.[5]

For At World's End, Method contributed 13 shots of miniature Jack Sparrows (Johnny Depp) hanging around the dreadlocks of the larger Jack.[6] Director Gore Verbinski also filmed Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann's romantic tryst—dubbed "Sex on the Beach"—with Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley and ILM on location in Hawaii. Method also created a subtle composite for a closeup of Swann's face as she watches her lover on board the Flying Dutchman returning to the immortal realm via a green flash. Visual effects supervisor Alex Frisch related, "It was technically a simple composite. We added reflections in Keira's eyes, some color treatments on her face and the background, but it was a difficult effect to create. Gore wanted to suggest the reflection of the green flash was somehow going to Elizabeth's soul."[7]

For On Stranger Tides, directed by Rob Marshall, Method contributed to the scene featuring Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and Angelica (Penélope Cruz) emerging from the River Thames beneath a bridge in Victorian-era London. The original plate featured Depp and Cruz hoisting themselves from a small water tank onto a prop bridge; it was up to Method to fill out the rest. In a matter of weeks, a full CG environment was created using a combination of digital matte painting projections in the background and Maya/Vray rendered props in the foreground. Natural elements—such as running sewer water, surface river water, and gas lamp fire—were produced in Houdini to help set the atmospheric mood. All work was composited in stereo to meet the requirement of the massive 3D theatrical release. Method VFX supervisor Matt Dessero oversaw CG and compositing out of LA while Olivier Pron handled digital matte painting work out of London. Dessert said, "Because of the tight schedule, we needed a great working relationship with the Director, we worked closely with Rob (Marshall) so feedback was instantaneous." Working as a separate unit within the facility, Method also served as the primary vendor for stereo alignment correction on Pirates, completing over 1000 shots by utilizing a custom workflow that interfaced directly with the Company 3 digital intermediate. Method stereo supervisor Troy Moore said, "Since the work was being done under the same roof, we were able to get into the DI early to do stereo spotting sessions as the shots were called out we could tag them with notes, pass them off to our artists and then back to CO3 with relative ease." In addition to VFX and stereo correction, Method also contributed to re-designing the Walt Disney Pictures logo for On Stranger Tides. Assets from Weta, ILM, and MPC were re-purposed for stereo conversion and Method built a custom CG pirate flag to present a new 3D look at the iconic Disney castle.[5]

External links

Notes and references

  1. ↑ Method Studios - Riot and Method are Merging! (backup link archived on December 18, 2008)
  2. ↑ Pirates Provides Second Punch for Disney | Animation World Network (July 14, 2003)
  3. ↑ Method Studios - Pirates of the Caribbean "Dead Man's Chest" (backup link archived on April 29, 2007)
  4. ↑ Method Studios - Pirates of the Caribbean "At World's End" (backup link archived on July 11, 2007)
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 method studios - PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES (backup link archived on April 22, 2012)
  6. ↑ Industry news: Iloura merges with Method Studios, and the lost Pirates 3 interview – vfxblog (February 6, 2018) (backup link)
  7. ↑ Cinefex, issue 110 - "Into the Maelstrom"