Cantina Creative's contribution to the visual effects of Marvel's The Avengers involved on-screen graphics aboard the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, lab sequences, Iron Man’s HUD and other devices used by Tony Stark. And speaking with fxguide, screen designer Jayse Hansen also provided still photos showcasing his work with Cantina Creative.
“For the Helicarrier, it was almost an empty slate at the beginning,” explains Hansen. “I started by researching real aircraft carrier screens and then designing based on what purpose each had. We came to the conclusion that Fury’s screens would be the overall screens and he would have a high level view of basically everything in the Helicarrier and the world. There would be map screens with globes. We did a lot of maps on this! It also had security cam footage, and video feeds from news footage. Hill’s screens were more hands-on with detailed views. She wasn’t flying the ship – but she could make things happen from her screen.”
When asked whether audiences should expect Easter eggs in the read-outs, Hansen says, “Of course! You’ve got to put stuff in there. Although, we were so busy working on this that we might not have taken all opportunities we did have for Easter eggs. There are a few – I tend to put J4YS3 in all my screens. That’s in the Mark VII HUD next to Black Widow and Pepper’s pop-up window. Stephen Lawes puts A-113 in all of his screens he’s done – I think it’s the room where he went to school. Apparently a lot of directors and people from that class have put that in their films.”
Regarding the Iron Man's upgraded HUD, Hansen says, “He’s got a lot of new bells and whistles incorporated into the new suit. It was kind of an open book but the new HUD had to live and feel like the previous ones, although it was more sophisticated and a bit more organic. I’ve got three notebooks that I’ve filled”. Recalling one challenging HUD design where Iron Man is about to attack the aliens and the HUD spins around from a "neutral state" to a new "battle mode," Hansen says, “Joss wanted that to be really dramatic. He said, ‘Why don’t we spin the HUD and the front of it is the good stuff, but 180 degrees behind him is the battle mode.’ Well, the rig that Stephen created in After Effects – actually for Iron Man 2 – was never meant to spin around. So we thought, ‘Can we even do that?’ But by the end of the next day I had it spinning. Joss loved it.”
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Marvel Studios presents in association with Paramount Pictures “Marvel’s The Avengers”--the super hero team up of a lifetime, featuring iconic Marvel super heroes Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins.
Starring Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Samuel L. Jackson, & directed by Joss Whedon from a screenplay by Joss Whedon, “Marvel’s The Avengers” is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since. Prepare yourself for an exciting event movie, packed with action and spectacular special effects, when “Marvel’s The Avengers” assemble on May 4, 2012. The film is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. In addition to "Marvel's The Avengers," Marvel Studios will release a slate of films based on the Marvel characters including "Iron Man 3" on May 3, 2013!; and “Thor 2” on November 15, 2013.