Luma Pictures, the effects studio behind such recent big-screen vfx extravaganzas as Sony’s Underworld: Evolution and The Cave, has unleashed some digital witchcraft on director Renny Harlin’s The Covenant, which opens in theaters across North America today. The shop contributed CG characters and environments and various particle effects to the supernatural thriller from ScreenGems and Lakeshore Ent.
The Covenant revolves around four teenage students from a private New England academy who are endowed with supernatural powers via a pact that dates back to the 16th century. The kids use their powers mostly for tomfoolery until a new student shows up with a few superhuman talents of his own.
‘I am most proud of the dynamic supernatural effects that we created for this film,’ says Luma Pictures senior vfx supervisor Payam Shohadai (Into the Blue, The Cave, Underworld: Evolution). ‘Once again, our staff stepped up to a big challenge’designing and executing high concept effects from scratch. Many will leave audiences wondering, ‘How did they do that?”
Luma’s contribution is prominently featured in The Covenant‘s opening sequence, in which the boys reveal their powers by jumping off a 400-foot cliff. The shots are comprised of mostly CG environments. For the most spectacular leap, Luma’s role was to bridge two live action elements’the beginning of the actor’s leap and his landing on the ground’with a lengthy tumbling shot involving a CG double. 3D fog and other environmental effects were added to the shot to match the mood and depth of the practical scenes.
‘In addition to the CG double of the actor, this sequence required us to create a digital set for the top of the cliff as well as a CG environment encompassing the entire face of the cliff, the sky, ocean, beachfront and opposing cliff with a lighthouse,’ explains texture and model supervisor Chris Sage.
Luma also worked hard on the the film’s ‘Ascension’ sequence, in which the hero receives magical powers from the heavens. The transfer of powers is represented by what appear to be waves of energy particles that swirl through the scene and, at times, represent a kind of life form of their own. The scene is comprised of around 30 shots and involved a complex assortment of particle effects, fluid simulations and animation techniques to pull off the sequence.
‘Dynamic simulations are difficult to control and producing them is a time-consuming, iterative process,’ noted Luma VFX supervisor Vince Cirelli. ‘The 30 shots in the Ascension sequence had to cut together seamlessly and with complete continuity. In order to accomplish that, we needed to be able to precisely control each of the particle and simulation events. We developed a technique that allowed us to trigger simulations based on key framed animation. As a result, we were able to create aesthetically-sculpted simulations on a shot by shot basis that preserved the pacing and energy essential to the story’s arc.’
CG doubles and environments were also utilized in the film’s climatic scene, a showdown between the hero and his nemesis. The sequence also required Luma to design the look of a ‘super powerball,’ which isn’t exactly a lottery win for the loser of the epic battle. More information on Venice, Calif.-based Luma Pictures is available at www.luma-pictures.com.
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