A day in the life of a fantasy maker
The Moving Picture Company has worked on the special effects for Hollywood flicks like Life of Pi, Skyfall and Prometheus
From the outside, the building that houses Moving Picture Company is unremarkable, one of the many littered across the sprawling grounds of ITPL Business Park in Bengaluru. But a sense of surrealism sets in as you enter the cavernous depths of their office and there is barely any light save those from the millions of flickering monitors. The whole space is one giant darkroom churning out the visions of Hollywood’s most ambitious directors. You’d be surprised how many blockbuster fantasy and scifi flicks have been rendered and polished to perfection on this very floor, the most recent ones being John Carter , Skyfall, Life of Pi and Prometheus. The latter two have been nominated for
Many young
directors understand how VFX enhances
stories
— AKHAURI SINHA
the Oscars this year in the special effects category and Akhauri Sinha, managing director, says, “There is eager anticipation, definitely. There is a keen sense of pride and we are very aware that we are in great company. For someone working in this line, there is really no bigger satisfaction.”
The odds are in their favour and though the atmosphere is subdued, Akhauri lets on that an “intense celebration” is on the cards should they win. But with most of the work being done in their massive, integrated virtual studio that connects their offices in London, Vancouver, New York and Los Angeles, we wonder whether the work really requires passion for movies or would just technical skills suffice.
“It’s a misconception that VFX work is all done on computers,” he says. Suresh Hari, one of the heads of department, nods in agreement. “There is a ton of research, reconnaissance and reference gathering that goes into rendering these effects,” he says. “We have to go to the sets, guide them on camera placement, get photos of textures — there is a ton of offline work to be done.”
“Unlike animation, we work with live film and add elements to it. So the movie has to be shot keeping this in mind,” Akauri says. Just knowing the technicalities isn’t enough. The job requires artistic vision, “Without passion, the work might still be good but it will never be great,” Akhauri finishes.
“The massive, horseshoe- shaped spaceship from Prometheus — Juggernaut — and the terrain on the alien planet was challenging and fun to work on,” says Prashant Nair who heads Assets at MPC.
Simulating the vast waters and epic storms in Life of Pi was also something the team can look back at with pride. “The shots were filmed in a water tank, against a blue screen and we created the whole environment and textures, panicked drowning animals and all,” says Puja Parikh. The technology that memorably came to the forefront with Star Wars, has come a long way since. “For many of us, Star Wars is the reason we got into this profession,” says Akhauri, adding, “It is such a rapidly evolving field and we keep inventing better and more impressive ways to get things done. MPC and its contemporaries are constantly pushing the frontiers of this technology,” he says proudly.
What does he think about the special effects scene in India? “I wouldn’t say they match Hollywood standards. But then it’s unfair to even make the comparison,” says Akhauri, “because the budgets involved are vastly different.”
However the trend is only growing. “Many of our young directors understand the possibilities of VFX and how it can enhance their stories.”
He remains understandably tight- lipped about future projects and wouldn’t let anything out when asked if they might be involved in the upcoming Star Wars movie. So we ask the team to name one they wish they had done.
“I think we have worked on them all. The best effects out there and the most epic shots invariably come out of our company,” says Puja, trying her best to sound modest.