Trick Digital builds the VFX of the science fiction feature film '57 Seconds' with Fusion Studio

Fusion Studio, software de Blackmagic Design, was a key part of the visual effects (VFX) and opening sequence of the time travel film '57 Seconds'.

Starring Morgan Freeman and Josh Hutcherson, 57 Seconds tells the story of a blogger of technology that prevents an attack on a guru in that field whom he is going to interview and, in the process, discovers a mysterious ring that allows him to travel 57 seconds into the past.

Beyond having completed over 200 visual effects shots for the movie, Trick Digital was responsible for shaping the film's opening credits with the Fusion Studio 3D System, featuring engaging newsletters and blogs related to the main characters. This is how the order is transferred Adam Clark, visual effects supervisor: "At the last minute, we were asked to do something big and special with the main title and opening sequence of the film. The idea was that it would support the backstory and incorporate an eye-catching element. (...) Fusion's 3D system and node-based architecture allowed us to quickly conceptualize, creatively iterate and execute the entire idea in the context of the final rendered image, rather than using a dedicated 3D application, which is the way we prefer to work, if possible.”

Trick Digital He also took charge of the visual effects of some of the more complex sequences. Clark details one in which the character appears Anton Burrell, played by Morgan Freeman: "The stadium seating was a big challenge, as we had only a few shots of the crowd and occasional group shots taken without using a green background. Fusion's node-based workflow and retouching, warping and rotoscoping tools made this possible without any major problems. We created images of crowds from footage of people, applying a huge amount of rotoscoping and retouching effects. Then we rearranged the crowds. people and we made modifications until finally recreating crowds with the functions of perspective and distortion, in order to be able to place the individuals correctly in space.”

Larga experiencia con Fusion Studio

Tras realizar modificaciones en edificios o generar utilería por medios digitales, entre otras mejoras en 57 Seconds, Trick Digital se ha reafirmado en la decisión de emplear el sistema 3D de Fusion como pilar para la generación de sus visual effects. "We're fascinated by the camera's new 3D tracking and plane tracking tool. We use them every day constantly for everything you can imagine. We also use other features, such as tracking masks in three-dimensional space, to avoid or minimize rotoscoping effects while also having the ability to change the vertices of the original figure, which is extremely useful," explains Clark.

Coming from a programming background, Trick Digital's visual effects supervisor finds another significant advantage on having access to the development capabilities offered by the program: "It feels very natural to me. I can write commands to add a parallax effect to the dot trackers, to artificially create more depth, or use expressions to make the lights blink. It's amazing what can be developed with this level of technical and creative control. Ultimately, it's about creating spectacular images as quickly as possible, and the more flexibility your tools give you, the better."

"For us, who have been working with Fusion for 20 years and have mastered it, this program gives us the creative freedom to work quickly. The node-based workflow, in addition to being ideal for production for several reasons, allows us to try things without having to overcome obstacles in the timeline to achieve something new," concludes Clark.

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