“X2: X-Men United” by Singer

  • ©Bryan Singer

Conference:


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

Animation / Video Overview:


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