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The End Is Near for Battlestar Galactica Publish Date: Jan. 14, 2009
It’s the best of times and the worst of times for fans of Battlestar Galactica. The second half of the season premieres on Friday, January 16 on SCI FI Channel (yay!), but it’s the series’ final season (awww). VFX Supervisor Gary Hutzel hints at what’s in store for the explosive finale, plus takes us behind the scenes of the stunning Cylon versus Pegasus sequence from Battle Galactica: Razor and the spectacular “continuous shot” introducing Cylon U-87 from the upcoming Caprica—as well as reveals a few juicy details about what may be Ron D. Moore’s "lost" series, Virtuality.
Fry the Cheerleader and Other Imperatives of the "Heroes" VFX Team Publish Date: Nov. 17, 2008
In this article, we take a look at how the Heroes VFX team fried Hayden Panettierre to a crisp, shattered a human Popsicle®, and tore Tokyo in two using one of the industry’s best proprietary content management systems.
Raise up Your Goblet of Rock to the Makers of Guitar Hero World Tour Publish Date: Nov. 7, 2008
In less than five years, Guitar Hero has become not only one of the most successful video games of all time but also a pop cultural phenomenon, immortalized on everything from South Park to Gossip Girl (Serena shreds "Free Bird"). Read all about how the game makers create convincing avatars of your favorite rockers, and scrapped a remarkably inaccurate scripting program for musical notation they dubbed "Murder Face."
Oh, the Horror! Inside the Visual Effects of Saw V and a Crop of Fall Fright Flicks Publish Date: Oct. 31, 2008
The Saw series hacked its way into the public consciousness four years ago and has grown into a cultural phenomenon and ghoulish annual tradition with four successive sequels released the week before Halloween. We take a look at the visual effects behind this fall’s harvest of fright flicks, including Saw V, and the supernatural thriller, House.
Giant Moles, Rushing Rivers, and "Pandemoniun" Reign in "City of Ember" Publish Date: Oct. 17, 2008
Coming off the monster success of Academy Award® nominated Monster House, director Gil Kenan chose the sandbox at Tom Hanks' Playtone Productions and Walden Media for his next project: an adaptation of Jeanne DuPrau's wildly popular novel, City of Ember, about the race to save a dying, underground city well past its 200-year shelf-life starring Bill Murray and Tim Robbins. We take a look at the awesome VFX behind the new movie.
Digital "Not Hot" at Sundance 2006 Publish Date: Apr. 5, 2006
Digital cinema is no longer new or novel, but it is clearly, and inevitably, the wave of the future. Susan Boyer attended this year's Sundance and gives us a glimpse at how the cinematic landscape is changing.
High Definition in Focus at 2005 Sundance Festival Publish Date: Feb. 9, 2005
Cheaper than film, bigger and better than plain, old digital video, high-definition digital video definitely came into its own during this year's Sundance Film Festival. According to Sony, nearly half of the features, documentaries, and shorts screened in Park City were shot in HD. Susan Boyer reports.
Move Beyond Amateur Filmmaking Publish Date: Sep. 29, 2004
The jump from casual video recording to professional filmmaking requires more steps than many artists realize. Sonoma County filmmaker Susan Boyer walks you through the paces in this illuminating article.
D.E.B.S.' Kickboxing Catholic School Girls Rule Sundance Publish Date: Feb. 19, 2004
Over half of the movies screened at this year's Sundance Film Festival originated in digital video, including D.E.B.S., the story of kickboxing Catholic school girls out to defeat evil villains. Susan Boyer talks with Angela Robinson, D.E.B.S. director, as well as other filmmakers working in digital video, about the pros and cons of using the technology.
