SnitchSeeker.com - Video: 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' magical shed, Death Chamber VFX breakdown

With less than a week away from the 2017 Academy Awards nominations, Image Engine Design Inc. released a breakdown reel of some of the graphics work the company created for last November's release of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which was longlisted for the Achievement in Visual Effects categories at this year's Oscars.

ImageEngineVFX breaks down two scenes from Fantastic Beasts layer by computerized layer: inside Newt Scamander's magical shed and the creatures that inhabit it; and MACUSA's Death Chamber and subsequent escape from the building's bowels, thanks to a CGI Swooping Evil. That can be viewed below.

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A few details about the digital creation can be found here:

Quote:

The same incredible attention to detail was required once again for the Graphorns, which feature prominently throughout a 35-second, 840-frame shot.

Further work was carried out to give the Graphorns a greater physical dimension within the scene, such as the creatures’ tentacles wrapping around Newt as he greets the beasts. This required Image Engine to create a CG version of the actor, using simulated clothing to deliver a realistic interaction.

“It was a very complex shot: the final comp was over 100 layers, and used deep compositing and a whole bunch of other effects passes... It’s a lot more complex than what we see for a few seconds up on screen.”

Image Engine ran simulations to make the Swooping Evil’s wings look like thin membranes. It was essential that they went the extra mile on this front, given the spectacular nature of the scene in which it appears: “Adding those details is something that we always take a little extra time to do,”

Featured in the clip are stars Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, and Dan Fogler, along with the CGI magical beasts around them. The 89th annual Academy Awards nominations will broadcast live the morning of Tuesday, January 24th.

Pre-order J.K. Rowling's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in the following formats now:

• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Amazon Exclusive) (Niffler Figurine/Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD UltraViolet Combo Pack)
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD UltraViolet Combo Pack)