Mr. X Thanks Critic Roger Ebert for Ultimate Compliment on "Ice Princess" - and Helps Star Trachtenberg to Soar
Acclaimed movie critic Roger Ebert gave Visual Effects studio Mr. X the ultimate compliment in his March 18, 2005 review of the film "Ice Princess" for The Chicago Sun-Times. Ebert, who gave the film three stars, praised the surprisingly advanced skating ability of its star, Michelle Trachtenberg. But it was Mr. X, among others, who actually brought a little magic to the ice, using a host of visual effects to make it look like Trachtenberg is in fact an Olympic-level skater.
Toronto, Ontario (PRWEB) March 22, 2005 -- Acclaimed movie critic Roger Ebert
gave Visual Effects studio Mr. X the ultimate compliment in his March 18, 2005
review of the film "Ice Princess" for The Chicago Sun-Times. Ebert, who gave the
film three stars, praised the surprisingly advanced skating ability of its star,
Michelle Trachtenberg. But it was Mr. X, among others, who actually brought a
little magic to the ice, using a host of visual effects to make it look like
Trachtenberg is in fact an Olympic-level skater.
In his March 18 print
review of "Ice Princess" (for The Chicago Sun-Times), Ebert says:
"I was
surprised how entertained I was. Like "Shall We Dance" or "Saturday Night
Fever," it escapes its genre. That's partly because the screenplay avoids the
usual rigid division of good and evil, and gives us characters who actually
change during the movie. Partly because the acting is so convincing. And partly
because the actresses in the movie really can skate -- or seem to. Well, no
wonder, since two of them are figure skaters, but the surprise is that Michelle
Trachtenberg seems able to skate, too. That didn't look like a double on the
ice, although Variety, the showbiz Bible, reports, "Four different skaters sub
for Trachtenberg in the more difficult performances."
"Thank you, Roger
Ebert!" comments VFX Supervisor Dennis Berardi. "Ultimately, The best effects
are those that look so real that they cannot be seen. So, in his review for "Ice
Princess", Ebert actually pays our digital artists the ultimate compliment -- by
not recognizing their work."
Trachtenberg demonstrated considerable
natural skating ability during filming, and her talents provided the foundation
for the studio's effects work. However, the performance of the Olympic-caliber
loops and lutzes executed by her character, Casey Carlyle, would have required
years of rigorous training. For such advanced and technically demanding
elements, four talented skating doubles (Jennifer Robinson, Sandra Jean Rucker,
Cassandre Van Bakel, Lauren Wilson) were therefore used to help Casey take
flight. Thanks to these skating doubles, as well as seamless visual effects,
Trachtenberg was transformed into a skater capable of even the most difficult
moves and jumps, among them the notorious triple axel. "Michelle could already
skate," adds Mr. X's Berardi, "but Mr. X helped her to soar."
To create
the illusion that Trachtenberg was actually performing these complicated jumps,
Mr. X accomplished numerous digital face replacement shots using a combination
of compositing effects and 3D techniques. The Face Replacement Team was headed
by VFX Supervisor Aaron Weintraub, and CG Supervisor Mark Stepanek, and
accomplished the task of digitally integrating Trachtenberg's face with the body
of the stunt double doing that particular jump. The obvious advantage of
employing digital face replacement is that it helps remove the limitations
filmmakers often experience when selecting camera angles for complex action
sequences.
To begin the process, a digital scan of Michelle
Trachtenberg's face was taken by Eyetronics. This digital mesh was then textured
and rigged by Mr. X in preparation for the next stage of animation, and rendered
in 3D. Painting and compositing effects were then used 'Frame by Frame' by the
Mr. X team, among others, in an exacting and painstaking process to ensure an
authentic performance. Each face replacement was accomplished down to the most
minute detail, so that the actress's face can be clearly seen in several highly
difficult skating moves actually accomplished by doubles, fooling even the
discerning eyes of moviegoers and critics alike. When combined with
Trachtenberg's natural elegance on the ice in many other moves, the digital work
helps to transform the character of Casey Carlyle into an instantly believable
world-class skater.
The Mr. X team was led by Visual Effects Supervisors
Dennis Berardi and Aaron Weintraub, along with CG Supervisor Mark Stepanek and
Compositing Supervisor Noel Hooper, and used such tools as Maya, Renderman, and
MentalRay for the 3D work, as well as Shake, Flame, and Inferno for
compositing.
Mr. X continues to build upon its successful track record of
partnering with filmmakers to create story-driven visual effects, as seen in
"Assault on Precinct 13" (2005), "Dawn of the Dead" (2004), and "Resident Evil:
Apocalypse" , as well as dozens more.
Exciting upcoming projects for Mr.
X include such anticipated titles as "The Greatest Game Ever Played" (another
Disney project), "A History of Violence" for David Cronenberg and New Line, and
"Where the Truth Lies" for Atom Egoyan, among many others.
About "Ice
Princess"
Released on March 18, 2005, Disney's "Ice Princess" tells the story
of Casey Howard, a talented young figure skater who dreams of becoming a
champion. The film stars Michelle Trachtenberg in the title role, as well as Kim
Cattrall, Joan Cusack, Hayden Panettiere, Trevor Blumas, and Connie Ray. The
film was directed by Tim Fywell.
Who is Mr. X?
Bringing together a
unique mix of artists, filmmakers, VFX supervisors, and programmers, Mr. X
specializes in partnering with filmmakers to provide story-driven visual
enhancements. The artists and creative minds at Mr. X are known for their
superb, photo-realistic achievements in CGI, their skills in digital matte
painting, VFX compositing, and Post/VFX supervision, as well as for their
realistic digital creations of epic-scale and otherwise impossible stunts. With
a studio equipped with a rare mix of the latest imaging technologies, the team
at Mr. X is committed to pushing the limits of the digital realm, and in making
the impossible, possible.
With credits on dozens of distinguished
projects including "Resident Evil: Apocalypse", "Dawn of the Dead" (2004),
"Wrong Turn", "Blizzard", "Ararat", "The Sweet Hereafter", and many more, Mr. X
helps to define the very look and feel of a film.
For more information
on Mr. X, please visit their website at www.Mrxfx.com, or for pictures or
interviews, please contact Dennis Berardi at (416) 595-6222, or via e-mail at
e-mail protected from spam bots. For public relations materials, bios, or
further backgrounders, meanwhile, please contact publicist Angela Mitchell at
(904) 982-8043 or e-mail protected from spam bots.
# # #
Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/3/prweb220728.htm