How (Avengers - Infinity War) took CGI characters to the next level
By Amr Mohammed
Special-effects firm Digital Domain used detailed scans to allow actor Josh Brolin to drive the character Thanos’s facial expressions in Marvel’s latest blockbuster.
The news: Instead of projecting the character’s computer-generated image onto the actor after the performance was complete (as has been done in many previous movies), the filmmakers had Brolin become one on set. “On his first day on set he was able to see how his performance would transfer onto the character,” Digital Domain’s head of digital humans, Darren Hendler, told MIT Technology Review. “He didn’t have to wait months or years to see how it would convert onto the live screen.”
How it was done: Before filming began, the firm took precise measurements of how Brolin’s face moves, all the way down to tracking his pores and the way his skin slides over his musculature. Thanos’s face and anatomical structure were then constructed on the basis of Brolin’s, allowing him to more accurately drive the character’s motions.
What’s next? Handler says they haven’t gone so far as taking MRIs or x-rays of actors yet, but given how far they are going right now, the key word there is “yet.”
Summary: As the Avengers and their allies have continued to protect the world from threats too large for any one hero to handle, a new danger has emerged from the cosmic shadows: Thanos. A despot of intergalactic infamy, his goal is to collect all six Infinity Stones, artifacts of unimaginable power, and use them to inflict his twisted will on all of reality. Everything the Avengers have fought for has led up to this moment — the fate of Earth and existence itself has never been more uncertain.
Movie Details & Credits
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | Release Date: April 27, 2018
Starring: Angela Bassett, Benedict Cumberbatch, Benicio Del Toro, Bradley Cooper, Carrie Coon, Chadwick Boseman, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Pratt, Cobie Smulders, Danai Gurira, Dave Bautista, Don Cheadle, Elizabeth Olsen, Gwyneth Paltrow, Josh Brolin, Karen Gillan, Letitia Wright, Linda Cardellini, Mark Ruffalo, Peter Dinklage, Pom Klementieff, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Tessa Thompson, Tom Hiddleston, Tom Holland, Vin Diesel, Winston Duke, Zoe Saldana
Director: Anthony Russo and Joe Russo
Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Fantasy
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 149 min
Awards & Rankings:
79 — #79 Best Movie of 2018
02 — #2 Most Discussed Movie of 2018
02 — #2 Most Shared Movie of 2018
Sources: technologyreview.com
Credit: MARVEL/DIGITAL DOMAIN
About the Author: Amr Mohammed is experienced Art Director, Project Manager for international branding and GCC/MENA region. www.AmrCG.com
