“Weta Digital Presents: Over 20 Years of Creativity and Innovation” by Letteri, Clayton and Aitken
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Title:
- Weta Digital Presents: Over 20 Years of Creativity and Innovation
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“The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” marks the end of an era for Weta Digital. The visual effects for the Hobbit trilogy were an extraordinary undertaking, from ground-breaking CG creature and character work (including Gollum, Smaug, and Azog) to giant battle sequences; complex fire, destruction, and water effects; and vast digital environments. Over the course of the three films, Weta Digital challenged what was possible in visual effects, culminating in the creation of a proprietary renderer, Manuka, that was used to render the third film. These achievements offer a snapshot of the current state of visual effects and point the way to a new era of digital filmmaking.
Joe Letteri and members of Weta Digital’s VFX team discuss how 20 years of creativity and innovation came together in “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” with a particular focus on Peter Jackson’s extensive use of virtual- production techniques.
