Whatever other faults you may had with The Amazing Spider-Man, there's no doubting just how incredible the battle between Spidey and the Lizard was in Peter Parker's high school. The following video reveals just how much of that scene was created entirely with visual effects, providing us with a fascinating insight into exactly how it was made. A transcription can also be found below, although you may want to give both a miss if you've yet to watch the film.
"The fight sequence in a high school hall is a great example of an all city sequence. Everything in the scene is created visually including the characters and the environment. As a result, it gives us lots of opportunities to do things that we normally couldn't do if we're working with pre-existing photography."
"The process begins by producing a visual version of the set that matches the photography and other sequences. Then the visual set and place director works with the layout department to design a fight choreography with simple presentations of the character models. This layout becomes a starting template for editorial. From there, the initial team begins a process of executing believable performances with real weight in Physics."
"The Lizard is a massive creature with brute strength while Spider-Man is light, quick and agile. The physics of each character need to be convincing. We need to sew each of their relationships to gravity in a believable way. This require natural animations tricky enough with one character but combining two uniquely different characters with hand and hand combat is always a challenge. Not only are we dealing with gross weight in physics but fine details in a smaller scale as well. Notice the flexion muscles and the tendons under the skin. These volumes are manipulated by animators then the skin is draped over that anatomy and treated as a simulated cost material so you can literally see the muscles flexing or sliding underneath. The effects team study lots of reptile reference in order to duplicate the material properties of realistic skin. It had to be loose and leathery with enough resolution to wrinkle and fold a natural way as the creature moves."
"Simulations are applied to the internal anatomy as well as the skin so that the volumes respond to external forces as well. Notice how the volumes jingle and resonate in impact and the collisions need to affect the environment also. A lot of destruction that you see like damage to these lockers were modeled and animated for a specific look along with a damage to the wall, storage and zone props all of which ground the action in a believable way."
"Once we flush the environment out with these high resolution models, further details are brought out in the service rendering. The posters and fliers are hand-painted and ID fellows and image voice team members were substituted for the class portraits. Lighting played a key role in grounding the scenery out and was artistically directed to support the story points. One of which is the power outtage which gave us opportunities for for dramatic lightning. A large window at the need of the hall become the day light source for back light characters from bright highlights throughout the scene and light coming to the closing doors broke up and tear and become a source to highlight key moments. Even emergency lights were used to accent the action."
"Because the sequence is completely digital, entirely new shots and cam work can even made even at this late stage in production. Another example, the director could take a shot like this chase across the ceiling where the mission is already complete as they design more compelling cam work for a series of shots, a support to action and much more interesting in a dynamic way. Especially when a couple of effects details like dust, debris, spark and action add depth of viewing. The final result puts our artist front and center and a dynamic balance between new character animation and dramatic composition of light, color, modeling and such."
The Amazing Spider-Man is the story of Peter Parker (Garfield), an outcast high schooler who was abandoned by his parents as a boy, leaving him to be raised by his Uncle Ben (Sheen) and Aunt May (Field). Like most teenagers, Peter is trying to figure out who he is and how he got to be the person he is today. Peter is also finding his way with his first high school crush, Gwen Stacy (Stone), and together, they struggle with love, commitment, and secrets. As Peter discovers a mysterious briefcase that belonged to his father, he begins a quest to understand his parents' disappearance - leading him directly to Oscorp and the lab of Dr Curt Connors (Ifans), his father's former partner. As Spider-Man is set on a collision course with Connors' alter-ego, The Lizard, Peter will make life-altering choices to use his powers and shape his destiny to become a hero.
STARRING:
Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker/Spider-Man
Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy
Rhys Ifans as Curt Connors/The Lizard
Martin Sheen as Uncle Ben
Sally Fields as Aunt May
Denis Leary as George Stacy
RELEASE DATE: July 3rd, 2012.