There are so few movies that come out a year that charm me. Movies with their own charisma and presence are sometimes fewer and farther between than they ought to be. That being said, one of the movies that I connected with its charming charisma this year was My Old Ass.
Perhaps it’s because I’m nearing the age of the main character in the future, but I saw a lot of wonder, anxiety, hope, and fear in myself, which was also in the movie.
It took a lot of work for this indie to come together, and one of the unsung heroes of the film is Aaron Wright, the VFX supervisor who put a lot of care and attention into the reliability of the movie behind the scenes.
We were excited to sit down with Aaron to talk about this movie.
Let’s dive into our interview below.
Editor’s note: the following interview is edited for length and clarity.
No Film School: How did the team go about creating the realistic toe amputation effect for Aubrey Plaza’s character? What were some of the key considerations in achieving this effect?
Aaron Wright: When we first got a look at this shot, we noticed right away some key components that were going to be difficult, and also some components that would make this one of our star shots in the film. The pinky toe had some green tape on it and was wiggling around a lot, which made the foot’s tendons and veins flex and move. Matching our replacement damaged toe area to the existing foot exactly was a key component to achieving believability.
Other things were identified, like the flickering firelight, which had to be replicated on the toe, as well as the BG plate behind the toe. Both of these aspects were marked as difficult areas. We moved forward with the 3D foot approach and used a 2D matte painting projection as the base texture for the foot. We tracked and animated the 3D model into place using a technique called rotomation. We then used a couple of other 3D rendering techniques to get the underlying SubSurface Scattering of the skin to look correct, along with animating multiple light sources on and off to achieve the firelight flickering on the surface.
All of these components were combined together in compositing to complete the look, and finally, color graded to match the scene. Since this was the main focus of the shot, and the audience’s eyes would be locked on the toe, there was no hiding any mistakes or adding layers of “smoke and mirrors” to make this a passable effect. We just had to rely on the skill and talent of our artists.
NFS: How did you enhance the scar on Aubrey Plaza’s stomach for the night scene?
Wright: This shot was more of a straightforward shot, but it still contained some of the same difficult elements that were present in the toe shot. The flickering light and tracking the new scar onto the body was the focus. We took reference from a couple of different places, such as long-term wounds from fishermen and deep cuts that have healed but still retain that pink, maroon color scar tissue. This was then designed on a single frame, tracked in, and lit to match the firelight.
NFS: Were there any particular shots or sequences in the film that posed unique or particularly difficult challenges for you and the team?
Wright: The boating scenes where we had to paint out the rig that was holding the actor’s boat to the camera crew’s boat were particularly difficult. There is really no way to just cover up with a static image of the area that is supposed to be moving water. There weren’t enough resources to do any kind of water simulation effect that could be rendered and placed in the scene, and the effect was only needed in a couple of shots, so you have to find a solution that would fall within these constraints.
Our solution was to use other plates and footage of the water and cleverly blend it with the real water. The movement of the water actually helped us hide the seams of the paintout. So, in the end, it was a blessing, not a curse.
NFS: Can you discuss the 3D golf ball sequence and how the team achieved that?
Wright: These shots can be seen as simple from the initial onset but should be given the proper attention as they are similarly complicated in their own way. The ball was relatively easy to model, surface, and render. However, the difficult components for these shots were the timing, speed, and scale. These all lie within the realm of animation and we made sure to focus diligently on these aspects.
The ball had to be the right size, at the actors’ feet, which was simple, but when it was hit and went off into the distance, it had to come down into frame at the right size, or it could look like a beachball getting to the pin. The timing was important; we watched videos to really notice how fast a ball goes leaving the tee, and it is gone within basically a frame. To showcase the speed, we utilized accurate motion blur coming from the camera and the Redshift render engine. With just a couple of accurate camera settings, the render engine provided the blur to make the ball look like it was being launched off the tee accurately.
NFS: In what ways did the visual effects work contribute to establishing the tone and atmosphere for the entire storyline of the film?
Wright: The movie is based on a young woman (Maisy Stella) meeting her older self (Aubrey Plaza). Their main point of realization is how Aubrey’s character proves to Maisey that she is who she says she is through her scars and stories that only she (herself) could know. Knowing this, we spent a great deal of our time focusing on the story-driven visual effects that played a part in the film.
NFS: What was the most satisfying or rewarding aspect of working on the visual effects for this film?
Wright: The most satisfying part of doing the visual effects is looking back and realizing the choices made at the beginning and the proper care and time put into the key components of the visual effects really paid off. The team’s effort was only matched by their skill to execute what was needed to complete these shots, and I think they did a bang-up job.
Author: Jason Hellerman
This article comes from No Film School and can be read on the original site.
