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Normandie
Part I
Volumes and ocean
☉ Stage04, November 2018.
☉ Stage04, Nov 18.
⎋ Mantra, R.shift→C-GPU
Houdini FX
The Film
—0A
SD is proud to present the exciting CG fluid work, and full CG environments created for the short Normandie. SD developed an entirely new water system to allow the desired effects between the planes and the waves. The phenomenal CG action sequences all required extensive compositing work to appear convincing. D'Atelier created the pyro and fluid simulation with Houdini and Redshift.
The Concept
—0B
In 2018, d'Atelier started with designs of a WWII battle. A retelling of D-Day in a sort. In this alternate universe, the robotic armory is more advanced. SD approach was unique. Looking at how video game artists crafted battlefields was not the way. Instead, he tapped into the wonderful world of cinema to get inspiration. The result⏤Ocean simulations that are physically accurate, and explosions that feel impressively close. Every opportunity SD took to make the atmosphere more bold, unique, and fresh was not time wasted.
The Treatment
—0C
It was important for the camera to be limited to certain movements, to capture the emotion in some of the scenes. This was particularly helpful in the plane crash scene. The War by Ken Burns was an influence.
The use of a wide-angle lens and shallow depth of field creates the epic look that you see on the screen. In some ways, the experience is palpable, like you could smell the smoke, or you were there, Looking through the director's lens, and that was the goal with this stylish concept for the retelling of D-Day. The thrill of battling enemy Nazi troops comes in a beautifully curated VFX style that shows the versatility of d'Atelier's art. Even the set, a minimalist at times, is ingeniously constructed to pull you in, and it works.
The Treatment
—0C
SD explored extreme environmental influences like waves, sand, wind, and fire, as well as other CG sims, such as distorted terrains, ocean foam, splash threshold, gasoline explosion, smoke opacity, burning temperature, and others. To construct the cinematic aesthetics of Normandie, SD employed grungy metal texture and heavy amounts of volume particles. The result is an all-immersive look into the battlefield.
The Cinematography
—0D
Most of the fluid effects were done in Houdini, while some live footage scenes were composed in Nuke. The landscapes were entirely generated inside of Nuke from HDRI images taken in Scotland and France. Steve d'Atelier textured the ground plane and all 3D models in Houdini. The generated EXR layers of the different 3D scenes were merged in Nuke.
The Process
—0D
The Deep compositing technique is a cinematic technique that provides big studios with professional movie composites. D'Atelier took portions of his 3D renders and transferred them into Nuke. He then tracked the footage in Nuke and merged manipulated versions of other 3D comps' alpha channels so they matched perfectly.
The Narrative
—0E
Have you ever wanted to experience the thrill and adrenaline rush of watching a ferocious jet fighter pass by within striking distance? The men on the ground try to warn you of an imminent strike. Before you know it a towering German enemy plane⏤the scariest thing you’ve seen in the sky⏤shoots you down with rapid-fire, wrecking your wings, throwing you to the sharks and the sea below and giving you the fright of your life!
Have you ever wanted to experience the thrill and adrenaline rush of watching a ferocious jet fighter pass by within striking distance? The men on the ground try to warn you of an imminent strike. Before you know it a towering German enemy plane⏤the scariest thing you’ve seen in the sky⏤shoots you down with rapid-fire, wrecking your wings, throwing you to the sharks and the sea below and giving you the fright of your life!
The Cinematography
—0F
Working with simulated gravity almost forces you to see colors and shapes in nature that you wouldn't see if it weren't for the constraints of the digital box in which all of your equations have to live harmoniously. The trick to photographing a scene like the ones below is as follows. Make sure that the imposition of the captured action and the framing of the photo is not so powerful that it obscures the intellectual content. In a complex world full of social and cultural upwelling, it is more important than ever not to redress on the screen⏤for artistic reasons⏤the horrific visions of our past by noise that no one could fault a disturbed simulacrum. Accuracy in the physics of the artificial matters.
Working with simulated gravity almost forces you to see colors and shapes in nature that you wouldn't see if it weren't for the constraints of the digital box in which all of your equations have to live harmoniously. The trick to photographing a scene like the ones below is as follows. Make sure that the imposition of the captured action and the framing of the photo is not so powerful that it obscures the intellectual content. In a complex world full of social and cultural upwelling, it is more important than ever not to redress on the screen⏤for artistic reasons⏤the horrific visions of our past by noise that no one could fault a disturbed simulacrum. Accuracy in the physics of the artificial matters.
Working with simulated gravity almost forces you to see colors and shapes in nature that you wouldn't see if it weren't for the constraints of the digital box in which all of your equations have to live harmoniously. The trick to photographing a scene like the ones below is as follows. Make sure that the imposition of the captured action and the framing of the photo is not so powerful that it obscures the intellectual content. In a complex world full of social and cultural upwelling, it is more important than ever not to redress on the screen⏤for artistic reasons⏤the horrific visions of our past by noise that no one could fault a disturbed simulacrum. Accuracy in the physics of the artificial matters.
Working with simulated gravity almost forces you to see colors and shapes in nature that you wouldn't see if it weren't for the constraints of the digital box in which all of your equations have to live harmoniously. The trick to photographing a scene like the ones below is as follows. Make sure that the imposition of the captured action and the framing of the photo is not so powerful that it obscures the intellectual content. In a complex world full of social and cultural upwelling, it is more important than ever not to redress on the screen⏤for artistic reasons⏤the horrific visions of our past by noise that no one could fault a disturbed simulacrum. Accuracy in the physics of the artificial matters.
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