Press Release from DIVE

PHILADELPHIA, PA— DIVE was tapped to work with director M. Night Shyamalan, providing visual effects on his new film, “Nickelodeon Movies and Paramount Pictures’ The Last Airbender” which opened in U.S. theaters on July 1st.

DIVE (www.divevisual.com), the Visual Effects, DI and Film Finishing company whose recent credits include work on John Hillcoat’s “The Road”, Doug Liman’s “Fair Game”, and the heralded documentary from Don Argott “The Art of the Steal”, was tasked with 26 2D and 3D visual effects shots used in the film.

Nickelodeon Movies and Paramount Pictures’ “The Last Airbender” is the tale of Aang (Noah Ringer) a lone avatar with the power to manipulate all four elements of the four Nations: Air, Water, Fire, and Earth as those nations go to war. Based on the Nickelodeon animated TV series: Avatar: The Last Airbender, the film stars also stars Nicola Peltz, Jackson Rathbone, and Dev Patel.

“I originally hired DIVE to do six wire removal shots for us”, says Alison O’Brien, Visual Effects Producer on “The Last Airbender”. “They handled the work with a rare and refreshing old school enthusiasm, which both impressed and surprised me.   [So] I gave them more shots to bid on-- a different type of work, needing a creative solution to fix the 'problem'. I was also keen to explore their potential.”

In addition to removing the wires from the actors’ aerial stunts, DIVE executed a range of 3D and 2D work: a CG dagger was modeled, lit and animated; sparks were added to chains; and interactive blood was added to an existing CG water system.

“We were called upon to work on this film late in the delivery, so we were on a tight deadline,” says DIVE Digital Effects Supervisor Ed Mendez. “We worked hard to deliver the best possible product in a short amount of time. Working with Alison was a pleasure and a big help. Because of her approach to VFX, and the great team of artists we have here at DIVE, we were able to deliver this body of work on time and to the Director’s approval.”

DIVE also shot actual fire elements and composited those into a sequence where a character’s hands finish shooting fire in a show of force.

“Mark Forker did a great job supervising the shooting of elements we needed for a few of their shots,” says O’Brien. “In fact DIVE organized the whole thing so I didn't even have to think about it.  [You’ve got to] love that when you’re in the midst of delivering for Preview, Trailer and Final all at the same time!”  

M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Last Airbender” opened nationwide on July 1st.

About DIVE:
Based in Philadelphia, PA, DIVE (www.divevisual.com), is the visual effects, DI and film finishing division of Shooters Post & Transfer, led by veteran Visual Effects Supervisor Mark O. Forker. As one of the east coast’s premier post production facilities for film finishing services, DIVE offers filmmakers the opportunity to complete Visual Effects, Digital Intermediates and Titles by coupling creative continuity with an integrated workflow. For more information contact DIVE VP Business Development Bob Lowery bob@divevisual.com or Executive Producer Andy Williams andy@divevisual.com at 267.514.7700.

DIVE CREDITS:
Ed Mendez             Digital Effects Supervisor
Jeremy Fernsler         Digital Effects Artist
Anton Moss               Digital Effects Artist
Tim Bowman             Compositor
Ryan Leonard          Compositor
Michael Miller         Compositor
Shannan Burkley          Matte Painter
Nick Jushchyshyn          Integration Specialist
Crystle Schrecengost    Paint/Roto Artist
Ruben Rodas          Paint/Roto Artist
Mark Lieberman           Roto Artist
Marko Forker          Visual Effects Consultant