Matt Johnson of Cinesite found the impaling scene very complicated, but the viewer will find the CG transparent.

The first shot features the scaffold being hit by a lightning strike. “First of all, we had to completely replace the sky in the whole sequence,” Johnson explains. “The plates had been shot on a dry day, but the director wanted a rainy, stormy day. So, we added lots of cloud layers in the sky, animating light effects behind some individual clouds to create the illusion of a storm. Then, we added a matte painting of London, replacing the Czech environment. As for the foreground, since we couldn’t shoot the real church rooftop from the proper angle, we filmed a two-meter (seven feet) tall miniature in front of a greenscreen. Then, we shot full size scaffolding on green screen and combined it with our miniature element. The hero pole was modeled in CG and added to the real scaffolding. For the lightning strike, we used 2D hand animation. We then added four or five layers of CG rain augmented with turbulences and mist elements. CG water splashes were also incorporated into the scene, as was CG water running down set elements. The final element was a pyro flash that was shot separately to enhance the impact of the lightning strike. All this for one shot…”

For the following tracking shot of the pole falling down toward the stained glass window, the plate was filmed with a full size set built sideways in front of a green screen, which allowed for a much simpler set-up. The background was then added in, as were the CG pole, several layers of rain, raindrops on the window, water running down on it, and various 2D enhancements. For the shot of the pole shattering the stained glass window, Cinesite utilized a plate of the real prop being destroyed via pyrotechnics. Unfortunately, the plate was marred by a pyro flash, which ruined the illusion. The removal of the flash necessitated hundreds of glass shards to be individually rotoscoped and keyed. Again, the CG pole and CG rain were added in. For the next shot, the crew used a highly unusual camera rig to shoot the plate. In order for the camera to follow the pole and the shards falling down towards the character, it was mounted on a descender rig, a device commonly used in stunt work to slow stuntmen down after a high fall. It allowed the camera to take a controlled free fall before smoothly stopping right above the real actor. Tracking markers were laid on the ground to help integrate the various CG elements. Digital pole and rain were once again created for the shot, as were hundreds of glass shards. Most were animated via particle animation, but some “hero” shards were hand animated.

“The most complex shot was the final shot where we see from several angles the priest being impaled,” Johnson observes. “It was quite complicated, although it doesn’t look like it when you see it on screen. We shot the actor suspended on wires on set, just above the ground, without any rain. A jerk rig helped him simulate the impact of the pole. After that, he did a fantastic job of remaining perfectly still in this awkward position. We then animated the CG pole and shards hitting him, timing the animation to the body jerk. To show the entry and exit wounds of the pole, I shot some interesting elements. We used compressed air mortars to spurt fake blood and Chinese food in front of a greenscreen. Very effective… then, I wanted to show the impact of the pole on the ground. To this purpose, I shot a plate of gravel being blown up with an air mortar. Finally, I shot a plate of leaves being blown away and added it in front of the action, as to match the rest of the scenery. Once again, we added a lot of CG rain and CG splashes on the ground. We also removed the wire rigs and replaced the background to create a stormier ambiance. When you see the shot in the final cut, it looks like we didn’t do anything at all to it!”

Generating Visceral Reactions
Other visual effects work included 2D matte paintings to place the action in London, combining stunt work and a running car to simulate a character being run over, adding fog and mist to an Italian valley, executing various wire removals and digitally shattering the glass of a gorilla cage in a zoo.

For Johnson, who had never worked on a horror movie before, this assignment turned out to be an enjoyable challenge. “It’s interesting,” he concludes. “When I was doing the decapitation shot, I must have watched it a hundred times. After so many viewings, I became completely numb to it. I kind of lost the meaning of the whole thing. I was totally focused on the details, trying to make it look as real as possible. The gore no longer affected me. I was really like: we should put more blood here, and maybe add some flesh elements there. It only hit me when we first screened the shot to people who had not been involved in its fabrication: they all jumped back five feet! Only then did I truly realize that it was quite a violent sequence indeed. Watching these reactions was quite satisfying, actually…”

Alain Bielik is the founder and editor of renowned effects magazine S.F.X, published in France since 1991. He also contributes to various French publications and occasionally to Cinéfex. Last year, he organized a major special effects exhibition at the Musée International de la Miniature in Lyon, France.