Continuing a long history of VFX for feature films, Click 3X Creative Director and Head of VFX Mark Szumski led the team that crafted all of the VFX for the visually stimulating thriller After.Life, directed by Agnieszka Wojtowicz Vosloo and starring Christina Ricci.
Press Release from Click 3X
Continuing a long history of VFX for feature films, Click 3X Creative Director and Head of VFX Mark Szumski led the team that crafted all of the VFX for the visually stimulating thriller After.Life, directed by Agnieszka Wojtowicz Vosloo and starring Christina Ricci. Click Creative Director Steve Tozzi and Head of CG Anthony Filipakis worked closely with Szumski to create a stunning array of FX, from the creation of alternate worlds to bizarre and fantastic character transformations.
"Our whole team came together for this one," noted Click 3X owner Peter Corbett. "As we establish Click as a full-service digital studio capable of projects of any size, it's important that we continue to work on major feature films, so we were thrilled when Agnieszka approached us to bring her terrifying and captivating visions to life."
Click 3X's VFX play an integral role in the film, composing important components of many grotesque and surreal scenes. Anna (played by Ricci), looks in the mirror in one scene to find herself emaciated and lifeless, a transformation wrought by Szumski. In another sequence, the CG team built, animated and lit massive tree roots that emerge from the ground to capture Anna. The same group created animated maggots that fill her mouth as the roots swallow her.
In one particularly impressive scene in which Anna removes her own heart from her split-open chest, Szumski showcases his ability to work in both the live-action and VFX realms. Szumski directed the live-action shoot and spent hours of compositing in Flame to create blood elements on the starlet's nude body. The Click 3X team also created an elaborate design for the open chest.
In a show of Click's impressive range, the studio also created entire landscapes. One twisted point in the film finds Anna flung into Limbo, an alternate reality created entirely by Szumski and the CG team. Limbo is an amazing, otherworldly environment that conveys the sensation of being trapped between life and death, with surroundings that alternately appear to be dead or alive.
"After.Life was a blast to shoot," stated Szumski. "Everyone stepped up to make this one happen, from Anthony's CG team to Steve's creative input to the cooperation of the director on every scene. I'm happy to be contributing to full-length feature work and hope to take more on in the very near future."Credits:
Prod Company: Plum ProductionsDirector: Agnieszka Wojtowicz VoslooEditor: Niven HowieAssistant Editor: Benjamin HowdeshellPost Production Supervisor: Jonathan Ferrantelli
VFX Co: Click 3XHead of VFX/ Creative Director: Mark SzumskiHead of CGI: Anthony FilipakisCreative Director: Steve TozziExecutive Producer: Jason MayoProducer: Carson HoodHead of Production: Jared YeaterVFX Artist(s): Yoshiko Hirata, Jaime Aguirre, Peter Amante, Amanda Amalfi, John BudionCGI Animator(s): Rob Dollase, Anderson KoCGI Lighting: Sung KimCGI Modeling & Rigging: Reeves BlakesleeCGI Modeling & Texturing: Paul LiawCGI Animating: Susan TaffeCGI Lighting: Grace Kim, Rafael CastelblancoCGI Artist: Jongmoon Woo
Telecine: TechnicolorColorist: Tim StipanProducer: Dana BloderAbout Click 3X:
New York-based Click 3X produces cutting-edge visual solutions for commercials, feature films, television, music videos, and broadcast clients around the globe. Founded in 1993, Click 3X has become one of the preeminent providers of innovative media content, housed in an environment led by artists, yet supported by one of the most technologically advanced digital studios in the industry. With award-winning design, powerful visual effects, and a visionary animation team, Click 3X has worked on array of diverse highly-recognizable projects, including a series of films from academy-award winning directors like Jonathan Demme and Davis Guggenheim, a recent multimedia package for eight HD Time Warner spots, My Home 2.0, a five episode reality TV series for Verizon Fios, and a long line of recent commercials for major brands such as Sharp, Ford, and Goodyear.
In addition to Click 3X's commercial and film expertise, their interactive design studio, ClickFire Media, specializes in multi-platform, media-rich interactive campaigns. CFM partners with agencies and entertainment industry clients in the conceptualization, design, and development of immersive branded experiences. Through insight and innovation, CFM combines the latest interactive technologies with the best design, video, animation, and live action skills from Click 3X to deliver integrated solutions in the ever-developing media landscape. Haunt is a division that specializes in cutting-edge motion design for music videos, virals, and installations, and has worked with many of the industry's top music talent and directors. Click 3X Entertainment focuses on broadcast branding and design, rounding out the company's expertise for every screen.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
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