“X2: X-Men United” by Singer
Conference:
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Title:
- X2: X-Men United
Length:
- 1:50
Director(s):
Company / Institution / Agency:
- Cinesite
Description:
Cinesite Hollywood completed over 300 effects shots for “X2: X-Men United.”
With overall visual effects supervision by Mike Fink, the Cinesite Hollywood
team created a new teleportation trick performed by Nightcrawler known as
“bamfing.” For fight shots, Nightcrawler’s action was tracked in 3D in order to
apply the bamfs: smoke streaming outward from the edges of his body, then
instantly sucked inward as if drawn by a large vacuum, with residual blue smoke
lingering in the air. The process utilized a combination of Houdini and in-house
particle systems.
The Cerebro effect began with a digital set-extension shot made in Maya, in
which CG portions of the spherical room were composited using Shake. A matte-
painted world map element and multiple 3D volumetric layers were projected
on the inside of the sphere. A huge flash of white light transitions the shots
to the actual effect. White light represents people, and red light represents
mutants, who were photographed against a green screen and composited into
a spherical volume using Shake.
Approximately three dozen shots involved composites of practical and CG fire
created in Houdini, and another dozen or so involved creating vaporous ice
particles or physical blocks of ice, all created in Maya and Renderman.
Additional Contributors:
Visual Effects and Animation: Cinesite
Visual Effects Supervisor: Stephen Rosenbaum
Visual Effects Producers: David Robinson, Tracy Takahashi
Visual Effects Art Supervisor: Lubo Hristov
Digital Effects Supervisor: Serge Sretschinsky
2D Supervisor: Jason Piccioni
Digital Effects Manager: Audrea Topps-Harjo
Visual Effects Coordinators: Bill Murphy, Tim Cunningham, Thomas Clary, Tom Hendrickson
Production Assistant: Katherine Vogel
Executive Producer: Scott Dougherty
CEREBRO SEQUENCE
CG Supervisor: David Satchwell
2D Supervisor: Brian Leach
Lead TD: Lynn Basas
Lead Effects TD: Bill La Barge
Lead Effects Animation TD: Remo Balcells
CG Effects TD’s: Ernie Rinard, Kenneth Ibrahim, Oscar Castillo, Anthony Serenil, Gavin Guerra, David Wainstain
CG Effects Animators: Jeff Benoit, Andy Tamandl, Rob Ostir, Robert Chapin
CG Animator: Brian Burks
CG Modeler: Maxx Okazaki
Lead Lighter: Lyndon Li
Lighters: Billy Brooks, James Citron, Wayne Vincenzi, Eric Tablada, Andy Chen
NIGHTCRAWLER SEQUENCE
CG Supervisor: Gregory Anderson
2D Supervisor: David Lingenfelser
Lead TD: Vijoy Gaddipati
Animation Supervisor: Chris Bailey
Character Animators: James Parris, Angela Jones, Kenny Sutherland, Joe Mandia
CG Effects Animators: Andrew Gauvreau, Michael Edland, Andy Hofman, David Tanner, Brian Davis
Lighter: Patty Frazier
MUTANT POWERS AND PHOENIX EFFECT SEQUENCES
CG Supervisor: Arnon Manor
2D Supervisor: Kama Moiha
Lead Compositor: Chris Lance
Senior TD’s: Gokhan Kisacikoglu, Kevin Smith
CG Effects TD’s: Kevin Sheedy, Craig “X-Ray” Halperin, David Davies, Dean Sadamune, Bjorn Zipprich, Andy King
Shader TD: Elizabeth Keith
Lighters: Raji Kodja, Dante Tantoco
Compositors: Serena Naramore, Michael Harbour, Craig Mathieson, Brian Adams, Chris Ciampa, Jim Green, Cornelia Magas, Michael Miller, Adam Moura, Kim Pepe, Katie A. Fico
Inferno Artists: Renee Chamblin, Travis Baumann, Enid Dalkoff
Paint Supervisor: Corinne Pooler
Digital Painters: Valerie McMahon, Arkay Hur, Danny Albano
Roto Supervisor: Lea C. Lambert
Roto Artists: Kristine Lankenau, Wally Chin
Tracking Lead: Nicole Herr
Trackers: Michael Karp, Andy Silvestri, Michael Guttman, Brian H. Burks
Tracking Supervisor: Randy Bahnsen
Concept and Matte Illustrator: Ronald Crabb
Texture Painter: Justine Sagar
VFX Color Imaging Supervisor: Jeffrey Kalmus
Senior Visual Effects Editor: Paul Howarth
Visual Effects Editor: Steve Rhee
Avid Editor: Kevin LaNeave
Research Scientist: Jerry Tessendorf
Senior Systems Administrator: Robert Mance
Lead Production Support: Chris Serenil
Systems Administrators: Scott Lord, Mark Sarte
Junior Engineer: Eric Newell-Lavigne
Digital Resource Manager: Ralph Denson
3D Manager: Jeffrey Baksinski
2D Manager: Ken Littleton
Digital Asset Manager: Vince Lavares
3D Render TD: Danté Quintana
3D Technical Assistant Supervisor: Robert Coquia, Jr.
2D Technical Assistant Supervisor: Tony Sgueglia
Digital Imaging Coordinator: Rick Benoit
Digital Imaging Operators: Kevin Schwab, Dale Stelly
Projectionist: David Slaughter
Vault Manager: Dennis Solano
VP Production: Daniel J. Lombardo
Bid Producer: Daphne Dentz
Senior Staffing Manager: Robin Thompkins
Office Manager: Paulette Lorenzo-Honoré
Production Accountant: Carla Sierra