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Visual Effects You Might Have Missed

If you ask a VFX artist what the ultimate goal was with their work, they might respond they would like it to be invisible.

If you were to ask a VFX artist what the ultimate goal was with their work, they might respond that they would like it to be invisible.

If you were to ask a VFX artist what the ultimate goal was with their work, they might respond that they would like it to be invisible. Whilst this seems odd, what they actually mean is that they want it to tell the director’s story without becoming the story. A great example of this would be Zodiac (2007) from one of my favorite directors, David Fincher. Set in the Bay Area in the late 60s and early 70s, it tells the true story of the Zodiac Killer from cartoonist Robert Graysmith’s viewpoint (whose book the movie was based on). Not only is this a taut thriller that keeps you on edge for the entire time, but it is beautifully shot with some fantastic matte painting work too. The high caliber cast of Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo are perfectly balanced as the killer weaves in and out of their lives, affecting them in different ways.

In terms of visual effects, things to look out for include; a sweeping establishing shot of the Port of San Francisco, a “videogame-esq” overhead shot tracking a taxi’s journey and a phenomenal fully digital recreation of Washington and Cherry Street. By far my favorite shot however, is the time lapse construction of the Transamerica building. Not only was it executed beautifully by the (sadly no more) Matte World Digital but it also shows the passage of time in a unique way. The Bay Area was changing and yet the cloud of the unsolved murders would continue to hang over the residents into the 1970s. There is also some great CG blood work in the murder sequences which enabled Fincher to get repeat performances from actors without having to clean and reset the scene.

The movie doesn't treat you kindly, there is no “plot twist” to give you a satisfactory conclusion. However it is great thriller laden with juicy VFX shots that deserve recognition. One piece of advice; if you happen to see a late night showing of Zodiac at the historic Castro Theater in San Francisco, don’t walk home alone like I did afterwards.

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