7. Sci-Fi Backdrops - Monsters
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_-gL3U1T5Y Gareth Edwards micro-budget monster flick was already a pretty damn staggering achievement, when you consider that Edwards was writer, director, producer and cinematographer, but also served as the visual effects house himself, shut away in his bedroom, that house being his own home. While its clear that the alien effects are CGI, its the most subtle effects that prove the most mind-blowing, especially given that Edwards rendered it all on software thats completely in-range of a consumers budget; Adobe After Effects. The various barricades, signs, crashed planes and destroyed buildings that feature in the film were rendered entirely after the fact (largely plug-ins bought online for After Effects), something that still proves difficult to believe given how insanely photorealistic they look when compared to Hollywoods comparatively underwhelming efforts. Thus its no surprise that Hollywood soon came a-knocking, and Edwards is now tasked with helming the Godzilla reboot.
Shaun Munro
Contributor
Frequently sleep-deprived film addict and video game obsessive who spends more time than is healthy in darkened London screening rooms. Follow his twitter on @ShaunMunroFilm or e-mail him at shaneo632 [at] gmail.com.
See more from
Shaun