B1 Media has completed 69 visual effects shots, including 3D and live-action, for the History Channels upcoming EGYPTIAN BOOK OF THE DEAD (airing second quarter 06). Morningstar Ent. produced BOOK OF THE DEAD, which focuses on a young mans quest to find the true meaning behind the ancient text and happiness in the afterlife.
B1 took original HD footage shot on greenscreen and keyed out the backgrounds. Concept art created by B1 was then used to create digital matte paintings for backgrounds (many of which without reference). Using camera projection, the matte paintings were mapped out with 3D geometry and the live-action footage was composited into the backgrounds. For one sequence, B1 hand illustrated wall drawings, rescanned, did paint up and animated them.
The creative challenge, said vfx supervisor and producer Brian Metcalf, was to realistically recreate the ancient environments while imagining what the afterlife would have looked like in the minds of the Egyptians.
Brian Johnson and his vfx team took our original ideas and brought them to a whole new level, thanks to their great ideas and outstanding CGI craftsmanship, said Morningstar exec producer Gary Tarpinian. Brian Johnson and John C. Pohl also served as vfx producers for B1 Media.
B1 Media (www.B1media.com), based in Studio City, California, provides a versatile array of tools in every medium, from TV/movie visual effects and broadcast media, to DVD, game design and web architecture.
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
