Two
other representitives of Buf presented the artistic point of view of
the work done by the team in Paris. They explained BUF's unique way
of working with two sets of still cameras and how they used Softimage,
Mental Ray, Elastic Reality and their own software created by programmers
who work side-by-side with their creative artists to develop the magic.
Even the most discerning audiences will have a hard time identifying
the visual effects of Fight Club from the film's live action.
Many of the visual effects sequences literally fly past the viewers,
in one continuous motion. These amazingly photo-realistic sequences
move the story forward, propelled by the private thoughts of a character
being masterfully depicted on screen by Director David Fincher.
Fincher and the film's Visual Effects Supervisor, Kevin Haug, chose
to work with BUF Inc. for the majority of the film's CGI-based effects
sequences. These groups of artists worked together to achieve highly
artistic options for the films visual effects. They furthered the filmmaker's
vision while advancing their own visual effects expertise.
The Ultimate Camera
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Bank
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If a filmmaker could
create the perfect camera it would be weightless, of infinite scalable
size and have limitless speed capabilities. The ideal camera could even
pass through walls or follow a character's stream of thoughts to realize
a director's vision and be undetectable to the audience. Most directors
have developed an ability to shoot scenes precisely and quickly, saving
them days, sometimes weeks, of work. They do not like to use blue screens
or trackers, and therefore call BUF to efficiently perfect their project.
For Fight Club, BUF built such a camera through their CGI expertise and working from 2D photographic reference images. Beginning with a stunningly original sex scene that breaks beyond existing physical limitations, the photo-realistic sequences that BUF created for Fight Club include traveling through the contents of a trash can, recreating a kitchen set, the ignition of a gas explosion within that set, traveling down a high-rise office building into a van in an underground parking garage across the street.
The Sex Sequence
This innovative sequence launches a look that audiences have never seen
before. The amazing visual styling that was achieved for this sequence
speaks to BUF's ability to follow the Director's lead in creating a
feeling of a surreal, still moment in time, which BUF pioneered in their
effects for the often imitated GAP "Swing" commercial. BUF's new technique
develops three-dimensional animation working entirely from still photos.
The artists of BUF are proud of their ability to create aesthetically
pleasing humans through CGI working from still photos of real people..
Kitchen, Tilt Down, Garage and Trash Can Sequences:
The beauty of detail
abounds in these acutely photo realistic "virtual" camera moves, which
are physically impossible to achieve through any other medium than by
BUF's highly refined CGI animation. If you look closely, In the movie
you will see a rapper of Krispy Kreams donuts in the trash.
Gas Explosion
Sequence:
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This shot
is an excellent example of how BUF employed CGI, allowing the
Director to artistically control the physical parameters of the
ignition and shock wave of an explosion, which resulted in stunning
visual imagery. Effects professionals will Be amazed to learn
that no pyrotechnics, models or miniatures were used in shooting
this amazing photo-realistic sequence. BUF is used to working
under the restrictions of not blowing up brick and mortar buildings
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About Buf Compagnie
BUF Compagnie was founded in 1985 by Pierre Buffin et Henry Seydoux
,they found B.S.C.A (Buffin Seydoux Computer Animation) for more information
visit http://www.Buf.fr/.
About L.A. Siggraph
L.A. SIGGRAPH is a Professional Chapter of the Association for Computing
Machinery's Special Interest Group in Computer Graphics, serving the
Los Angeles area. Organized and operating exclusively for educational
and scientific purposes relating to The field of computer graphics,
L.A. SIGGRAPH is a non-profit organization, run by volunteers. For more
information about L.A. Siggraph visit their web site http://www.siggraph.org/chapters/los_angeles/
Or E-mail: Los_Angeles_Chapter@siggraph.org
About Academy of Television, Arts & Sciences
The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences -- founded one month after
network television was born in 1946 -- is a non-profit corporation devoted
to the advancement of telecommunications arts and sciences and to fostering
creative leadership in the telecommunications industry. In addition
to recognizing outstanding programming and individual and engineering
achievements for Primetime and Los Angeles Area programming, ATAS sponsors
meetings, conferences and activities for collaboration on a variety
of topics involving traditional broadcast interests, new media and emerging
digital technology.
For more information visit http://www.emmys.org/
All images supplied courtesy of Buf CompagnieŠ1999