Publicity Wire News :: Phosphene Creates Elaborate CG Environments For Universal Pictures And Imagine Entertainment's New Action-Comedy "Tower Heist"
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Phosphene Creates Elaborate CG Environments For Universal Pictures And Imagine Entertainment's New Action-Comedy "Tower Heist"
Phosphene created this sweeping CG opening tracking shot for "Tower Heist"
Publicity Release Posted: November 07, 2011 11:39:27 EST
Biggest Film Effects Project Ever Completed in New York Stars Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy and is Directed By Brett Ratner
NEW YORK, November 07, 2011 | SHOOT Publicity Wire | --- Independent design and visual-effects company Phosphene announced today that it created elaborate CG environments for Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment's new action-comedy starring Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy, "Tower Heist." Building an elegant swimming pool and deck on the roof of an opulent Manhattan condo tower or the interior of a three-cab, 60-story elevator shaft is all in a day's work for the company.
The Phosphene visual-effects team, under the direction of Creative Director/VFX Supervisor John Bair, augmented and manipulated the physical environment in approximately 70 very complex 3D CG set extensions for Universal Pictures' new action-comedy, "Tower Heist", probably the biggest film effects project ever completed in NYC. The film, directed by Brett Ratner, was released nationally on November 4, 2011.
Explained Phosphene co-founder and VFX executive producer Vivian Connolly: "New York's VFX infrastructure and community is growing at a very fast pace, and it has been amazing to be able to take on a film this size and show the worldwide film community how capable the New York visual-effects talent pool is. We are experiencing a trend of wonderful directors finishing their films here and feel incredibly fortunate to be part of the growth of the visual-effects community in the city."
Said Ratner of the collaboration: "John Bair and his company, Phosphene, with a very small group of artists, were able to deliver shots for 'Tower Heist' with absolutely no compromises and perfect execution. It would have taken any other huge VFX company months to pull off what Phosphene did in a matter of weeks with perfection...there were no CBB's [could be betters] when it came to Phosphene's shots!"
For the exterior of The Tower (in real life, Trump International Hotel & Tower at Columbus Circle on Manhattan's Westside), Phosphene created a luxurious outdoor environment for the film's Wall Street billionaire, Arthur Shaw. Removing the array of satellite dishes and technological equipment on the existing building, Phosphene replaced the roof with an expansive swimming pool—with a floor that sports a painted $100 bill—and a roof deck. These digital replacements were vital for the numerous aerial shots, as well as shots that required the addition of city vistas behind the film's actors.
Phosphene's Bair explained the scope of the company's CG work: "The trickiest shot is the film's opening, a sweeping tracking shot which begins with a tight shot on the $100 dollar bill. As the camera pulls up we hear a splash, the edges of a pool come into view, a swimmer moves through the frame and water ripples over the bill on the pool's bottom. As the camera continues to pull up, it is revealed that the pool is on top of a residential tower. Pulling back still further, the rooftop disappears into a vast aerial view of Manhattan at night. We shot the swimmer on set; the building rooftop was filmed from a helicopter. Then we built a CG pool and CG water and married the elements, making sure they flowed seamlessly together. It is a powerful opening."
The largest number of scenes that required Phosphene's work were those in which the characters traveled into the tower's elevator shaft. Three floors of shaft were constructed on the set. The actors traveled up and down the length of the 60-story shaft riding atop an elevator cab. Additionally, they climbed ladders and over the grid work in the shaft, all of which required either a complete CG environment or a massive extension of the environment to make it look as if it is actually a 60-story building and a three-unit-wide shaft. "The challenge was making sure that all the shots were completely integrated, that they were consistent from all angles and that the space feels cohesive," Bair continued.
Phosphene VFX producer Renuka Ballal added: "We worked closely with the edit as the cut developed because the speed at which the characters and elevator cab travel through the elevator shaft is the core of the scene's tension. There were so many moving parts—literally, moving cables, wheels and additional elevator cabs—that we had to be mindful to ensure we were accurately conveying the velocity of the set piece. These are specifics that may not be strictly evident to the typical viewer, but which completely sell the shots and make a huge emotional impact when watching the film."
Heist Productions' VFX Supervisor Mark Russell said: "John, Vivian and the team at Phosphene amaze me with their ability to perfectly execute the most complicated work, on time and with absolute professionalism. It was my pleasure working with them on 'Tower Heist'."
The Phosphene creative team, led by company Creative Director/VFX Supervisor John Bair, Visual Effects Executive Producer Vivian Connolly and Visual Effects Producer Renuka Ballal, included Visual Effects Associate Producer Lea Prainsack, Lead CG Artist Vance Miller, and Lead Compositors Thomas Panayiotou and JD Yepes.
Representing Heist Productions, LLC were Director Brett Ratner, VFX Supervisor Mark Russell, VFX Producer Ginger Theisen, and VFX Coordinators Jessica Wilson-Silas and Bryan Wengroff.
Phosphene utilized Nuke, 3ds Max with a V-ray rendering engine and After Effects CS5 and PCs running Windows 7 64-bit in the execution of this project.
Company 3 (New York, NY) was responsible for the digital intermediate and Deluxe (New York, NY) handled the lab processing.
The film's exteriors were shot at Trump International Hotel & Tower in Manhattan and in Queens, while most of the interiors were shot with green screens at Cine Magic Riverfront Studios (Brooklyn, NY).
About "TOWER HEIST" Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy lead an all-star cast in "Tower Heist," an action-comedy about working stiffs who seek revenge on the Wall Street swindler who stiffed them. After the workers at a luxury Central Park condominium discover the penthouse billionaire has stolen their retirement, they plot the ultimate revenge: a heist to reclaim what he took from them. www.towerheist.net
About PHOSPHENE Phosphene is an independent design and visual effects house led by founders/co-owners John Bair and Vivian Connolly who have collaborated on projects since 2005. In 2010, the duo launched Phosphene and immediately hit the ground running with visual effects and title design for Barry Levinson's "You Don't Know Jack" (HBO), Phillip Noyce's "Salt," George Nolfi's "The Adjustment Bureau," Jodie Foster's "The Beaver" and Brad Anderson's "Vanishing on 7th Street."
Currently, Phosphene is working on Stephen Daldry's "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" with Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock and has recently wrapped Jason Reitman's second collaboration with Diablo Cody, "Young Adult," starring Charlize Theron.
For the company's television clients, in addition to their Emmy-nominated work for Todd Haynes' HBO miniseries "Mildred Pierce," Phosphene is busy on season two of CBS's "Blue Bloods," ABC's "Pan Am," and, having recently completed season five of NBC's "30 Rock," is currently working on season six. In addition, Phosphene has teamed with HBO to create all visual effects for seasons one and two, and is about to begin work on season three of "Treme."
Media: Jessica Josell Josell Communications, Inc. 185 West End Avenue, Suite 22C New York, NY 10023 Phone: (212) 877-5560 Fax: (212) 877-6254 Contact Jessica via email
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