Independent design and visual-effects company www.phosphenefx.com.>Phosphene announced today that it created elaborate CG environments for Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment’s new action-comedy starring Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy, “Tower Heist.” Building an elegant swimming pool and deck on the roof of an opulent Manhattan condo tower or the interior of a three-cab, 60-story elevator shaft is all in a day’s work for the company. rnrnThe www.phosphenefx.com.>Phosphene visual-effects team, under the direction of Creative Director/VFX Supervisor John Bair, augmented and manipulated the physical environment in approximately 70 very complex 3D CG set extensions for Universal Pictures’ new action-comedy, “Tower Heist”, probably the biggest film effects project ever completed in NYC. The film, directed by Brett Ratner, was released nationally on November 4, 2011. rnrnExplained www.phosphenefx.com.>Phosphene co-founder and VFX executive producer Vivian Connolly: “New York’s VFX infrastructure and community is growing at a very fast pace, and it has been amazing to be able to take on a film this size and show the worldwide film community how capable the New York visual-effects talent pool is. We are experiencing a trend of wonderful directors finishing their films here and feel incredibly fortunate to be part of the growth of the visual-effects community in the city.” rnrnSaid Ratner of the collaboration: “John Bair and his company, www.phosphenefx.com.>Phosphene, with a very small group of artists, were able to deliver shots for ‘Tower Heist’ with absolutely no compromises and perfect execution. It would have taken any other huge VFX company months to pull off what www.phosphenefx.com.>Phosphene did in a matter of weeks with perfection…there were no CBB’s [could be betters] when it came to www.phosphenefx.com.>Phosphene‘s shots!” rnrnFor the exterior of The Tower (in real life, Trump International Hotel & Tower at Columbus Circle on Manhattan’s Westside), www.phosphenefx.com.>Phosphene created a luxurious outdoor environment for the film’s Wall Street billionaire, Arthur Shaw. Removing the array of satellite dishes and technological equipment on the existing building, www.phosphenefx.com.>Phosphene replaced the roof with an expansive swimming pool—with a floor that sports a painted $100 bill—and a roof deck. These digital replacements were vital for the numerous aerial shots, as well as shots that required the addition of city vistas behind the film’s actors. rnrnwww.phosphenefx.com.>Phosphene‘s Bair explained the scope of the company’s CG work: “The trickiest shot is the film’s opening, a sweeping tracking shot which begins with a tight shot on the $100 dollar bill. As the camera pulls up we hear a splash, the edges of a pool come into view, a swimmer moves through the frame and water ripples over the bill on the pool’s bottom. As the camera continues to pull up, it is revealed that the pool is on top of a residential tower. Pulling back still further, the rooftop disappears into a vast aerial view of Manhattan at night. We shot the swimmer on set; the building rooftop was filmed from a helicopter. Then we built a CG pool and CG water and married the elements, making sure they flowed seamlessly together. It is a powerful opening.” rnrnThe largest number of scenes that required www.phosphenefx.com.>Phosphene‘s work were those in which the characters traveled into the tower’s elevator shaft. Three floors of shaft were constructed on the set. The actors traveled up and down the length of the 60-story shaft riding atop an elevator cab. Additionally, they climbed ladders and over the grid work in the shaft, all of which required either a complete CG environment or a massive extension of the environment to make it look as if it is actually a 60-story building and a three-unit-wide shaft. “The challenge was making sure that all the shots were completely integrated, that they were consistent from all angles and that the space feels cohesive,” Bair continued.rnrnwww.phosphenefx.com.>Phosphene VFX producer Renuka Ballal added: “We worked closely with the edit as the cut developed because the speed at which the characters and elevator cab travel through the elevator shaft is the core of the scene’s tension. There were so many moving parts—literally, moving cables, wheels and additional elevator cabs—that we had to be mindful to ensure we were accurately conveying the velocity of the set piece. These are specifics that may not be strictly evident to the typical viewer, but which completely sell the shots and make a huge emotional impact when watching the film.”rnrnHeist Productions’ VFX Supervisor Mark Russell said: “John, Vivian and the team at www.phosphenefx.com.>Phosphene amaze me with their ability to perfectly execute the most complicated work, on time and with absolute professionalism. It was my pleasure working with them on ‘Tower Heist’.” rnrnThe www.phosphenefx.com.>Phosphene creative team, led by company Creative Director/VFX Supervisor John Bair, Visual Effects Executive Producer Vivian Connolly and Visual Effects Producer Renuka Ballal, included Visual Effects Associate Producer Lea Prainsack, Lead CG Artist Vance Miller, and Lead Compositors Thomas Panayiotou and JD Yepes.rnrnRepresenting Heist Productions, LLC were Director Brett Ratner, VFX Supervisor Mark Russell, VFX Producer Ginger Theisen, and VFX Coordinators Jessica Wilson-Silas and Bryan Wengroff.rnrnwww.phosphenefx.com.>Phosphene utilized Nuke, 3ds Max with a V-ray rendering engine and After Effects CS5 and PCs running Windows 7 64-bit in the execution of this project.rnrnCompany 3 (New York, NY) was responsible for the digital intermediate and Deluxe (New York, NY) handled the lab processing.rnrnThe film’s exteriors were shot at Trump International Hotel & Tower in Manhattan and in Queens, while most of the interiors were shot with green screens at Cine Magic Riverfront Studios (Brooklyn, NY).rnrn
rnrnAbout “TOWER HEIST”rnBen Stiller and Eddie Murphy lead an all-star cast in “Tower Heist,” an action-comedy about working stiffs who seek revenge on the Wall Street swindler who stiffed them. After the workers at a luxury Central Park condominium discover the penthouse billionaire has stolen their retirement, they plot the ultimate revenge: a heist to reclaim what he took from them. www.towerheist.net rnrnAbout PHOSPHENErnwww.phosphenefx.com.>Phosphene is an independent design and visual effects house led by founders/co-owners John Bair and Vivian Connolly who have collaborated on projects since 2005. In 2010, the duo launched www.phosphenefx.com.>Phosphene and immediately hit the ground running with visual effects and title design for Barry Levinson’s “You Don’t Know Jack” (HBO), Phillip Noyce’s “Salt,” George Nolfi’s “The Adjustment Bureau,” Jodie Foster’s “The Beaver” and Brad Anderson’s “Vanishing on 7th Street.” rnrnCurrently, www.phosphenefx.com.>Phosphene is working on Stephen Daldry’s “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” with Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock and has recently wrapped Jason Reitman’s second collaboration with Diablo Cody, “Young Adult,” starring Charlize Theron. rnrnFor the company’s television clients, in addition to their Emmy-nominated work for Todd Haynes’ HBO miniseries “Mildred Pierce,” www.phosphenefx.com.>Phosphene is busy on season two of CBS’s “Blue Bloods,” ABC’s “Pan Am,” and, having recently completed season five of NBC’s “30 Rock,” is currently working on season six. In addition, www.phosphenefx.com.>Phosphene has teamed with HBO to create all visual effects for seasons one and two, and is about to begin work on season three of “Treme.” rnrnwww.phosphenefx.com.>Phosphene is located at 180 Varick Street, Suite 1621, New York, NY 10014. For further information contact Vivian Connolly via email or visit www.phosphenefx.com.Vivian Connolly www.phosphenefx.com.>Phosphene 180 Varick Street Suite 1621 New York, NY 10014 Phone: (646) 350-3370 Fax: (212)671-1734 contact Vivian Connolly via email
Contact:Media: Jessica Josell Josell Communications, Inc. 185 West End Avenue, Suite 22C New York, NY 10023 Phone: (212) 877-5560 Fax: (212) 877-6254 Contact Jessica via email
Who Needs Los Angeles? We Do.
One doesn't have to be a statistician to know that there are fewer commercials being shot in the U.S. today for the American market than ever before, and a dramatic decrease in L.A. in particular. In the last five years, as reported by FilmLA (the office tasked with issuing permits), L.A. commercial production has dipped 31 percent. But here’s the thing: This doesn’t mean that L.A. has lost its importance as the production center of the world. Production in L.A. is vital. It is the go-to. It’s where you can count on access to exemplary crews, a support infrastructure second to none, varied location and backlot options, a large population of on-screen talent and (fairly) predictable weather. The fact is, with overall decline and now the devastation of the fires, we’re on the brink of losing this mainstay resource. Without employment opportunities and now many without homes, talented and trained crew are bound to leave either the industry or the LA area for other opportunities, unless there are enough job opportunities to sustain a solid living. Now is the time when we ALL must support and bolster this community. Production is needed in L.A., now! Of course, advertising is a business, and marketers’ money should be spent as efficiently as possible, BUT we have to think beyond each production and know that if we lose the incredible resource of L.A. production as we know it, then marketers, agencies and the industry loses in the long run. Over the past several days, some agencies have issued directives to production companies that are unilaterally pushing upcoming production options out of L.A. The fact is L.A. is a large area, and many sections of the city and county are not directly impacted... Read More