For the first time, China is tapped by a major studio for vfx: Menfond Electronic Art & Computer Design produced more than 850 shots for the movie in less than eight months for Ultraviolet. All images © Sony Pictures.

Visual effects are becoming more global than ever. Back in the ‘90s, when American studios started to look for alternatives to create vfx, they first went to England, then to Canada, Australia, and even New Zealand. But with Ultraviolet (released by Sony’s Screen Gems on March 3), they went all the way to China — a first for a major studio release. Hong Kong-based Menfond Electronic Art & Computer Design produced more than 850 shots for the movie in less than eight months.

For visual effects producer Steven Calcote (who collaborated with Neil Greenberg), this “historic” assignment was the consequence of several converging factors. “For one thing, Sony has been working hard to strengthen film ties with China, and has had some recent successes in the region like Kung Fu Hustle,” Calcote recalls. “When writer-director Kurt Wimmer argued for shooting his futuristic Ultraviolet in Hong Kong and Shanghai — two cities that already look like they’ve been plucked from the future — Sony was game to give it a try. This eagerness to work in China also meant that the studio was receptive to talking to a vfx company based in Hong Kong. During the summer of 2003, a dozen vfx companies from all over the world competed for a shot at the film. Menfond was requested to produce a three-minute animatic for one of the most difficult scenes in the movie: Violet uses an antigravity generator to evade pursuit in three dimensions; she ends up riding her motorcycle not only on the street, but up the sides of buildings!”

Steven Calcote (left) and Victor Wong of Menfond competed with a dozen vfx companies for the Ultraviolet job. It won the assignment after it produced a three-minute animatic for one of the most difficult scenes in the movie.

Violet (Milla Jovovich) is a beautiful and lethal mutant, the product of a genetic alteration that has created, in the late 21st century, a subculture of humans with enhanced physical abilities. As these newcomers become a threat for the government led by Daxus (Nick Chinlund), the decision is made to destroy them. Violet then sets out to protect her new race and to seek revenge for the many deaths…

The animatic produced by Menfond was deemed a success by the studio, and a first batch of 130 vfx shots was assigned to the company. From then on, Menfond continued to generate proof-of-concept tests that led Sony and exec producer Tony Mark to steadily award them more shots. Gradually, Ultraviolet evolved into a complete vfx showpiece with six times more effects shots than had been originally intended.

The Digital Option
During principal photography in China, the plates were captured by the latest 4:4:4 Sony 950 HD cameras. When the production moved into post in Los Angeles, Sony authorized Menfond to retain a complete cloned copy of all Ultraviolet footage in HD. Thus editorial had only to send tape and timecode and Menfond could import footage minutes later using their DDR. Due to the different time zones, editorial could make a request in the evening (L.A. time), and have a temp shot or finished shot the very next morning.

Menfond used a great variety of software packages to create the shots. “We employed Maya for 3D modeling of all digital props such as the “spider-arm chair,” which probes Violet during a security examination,” co-founder and visual effects supervisor Victor Wong explains. “We also used Maya for all glass and debris shots, such as when Violet bursts through a skylight into her first rooftop fight. For 3D object motion, such as Violet’s car during the climax, we turned to a combination of Maya and 3D Studio Max. When it came time to start destroying things, we used 3D Studio Max specifically for particle effects. For instance, the destruction of Daxus’ headquarters features a number of dome explosions created this way. Compositing was carried out in various Adobe and Discreet products, and rendering was done in RenderMan and mental ray.”