Now You See Me

VFX Breakdown

Rodeo FX

https://vimeo.com/79208425

Rodeo FX has delivered 350 complex VFX shots for “Now You See Me,” serving as the film’s main VFX vendor. The film was released by Summit Entertainment on May 31st. The Rodeo FX team created and produced a huge and diverse array of shots for the new film, comprising 23 total minutes of visual effects-driven screen time.

The MGM Grand Scene Explained

Rodeo FX

https://vimeo.com/74730094

Here is an in-depth look at how we created the VFX for this sequence.

Crowd Replication

Rodeo FX

https://vimeo.com/74393635

In a major sequence inside the Las Vegas MGM Grand, which was more than a minute long, RODEO FX stitched and morphed three different cable cam plates together to form a 720-degree spinning shot of the MGM Grand. We filled the entire arena with a mix of 2D crowd elements and CG crowd using “off the shelf” systems such as Kinect and PS3 cameras for motion capture and 3D scanning. The shot was also enhanced with lens flares and the addition of giant video screens

Simulation

Rodeo FX

https://vimeo.com/74729133

In a major sequence inside the Las Vegas MGM Grand, which was more than a minute long, RODEO FX filled the entire arena with a mix of 2D crowd elements and CG crowd using “off the shelf” systems such as Kinect and PS3 cameras for motion capture and 3D scanning. Here is an in-depth look at how we created the VFX for this sequence.

vimeo.com/rodeofx/mgmgrandexplained

We also used particle simulation to add millions of Euros falling onto the audience and created and animated the CG “Crusher”, a compactor-like prop, that teleports a character into a Paris bank vault. Rodeo FX’s VFX Supervisor Ara Khanikian said, “This was a really fun project for us – one that allowed us to really push our creative boundaries and create a very wide range of VFX.”

The Motion Design

Rodeo FX

https://vimeo.com/75252736

The Motion Design department developed and created a prominent holograph animation, in which blueprints to magic tricks are shown to the four lead cast members.

The Five Points sequence takes place in an abandoned building covered with graffiti, where the performers present their final illusion in front of a cheering crowd. Rodeo FX helped the magicians present their illusions with a blend of animated projections on the walls, along with rock-and-roll show style lighting, and classic misdirection, as they mislead the police who are trying to apprehend them.

There were a lot of explorations on the Five points sequence. We saved them here:

vimeo.com/rodeofx/nowyouseemeiterations

Design Iterations

Rodeo FX

https://vimeo.com/75253113

There were a lot of explorations on the Five points sequence…

VFX Breakdown

Modus FX

Modus FX completed many of the key visual effects shots on Now You See Me, which was released today in theaters. Featuring a high-voltage ensemble cast, including Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Morgan Freeman, Woody Harrelson and rising star Isla Fisher, Now You See Me charts the progress of a team of illusionists who appear to rob banks during their performances, distributing the spoils to their audiences, all the while staying a step ahead of the FBI and Interpol. Modus was charged with many of the film’s CG sequences, creating compelling illusions that support the story and drive the narrative forward.

Modus delivered 227 VFX shots for the film, including a long camera movement sequence that culminates with a huge stack of money catching fire and vanishing entirely. The effects include a fight sequence in which a magician uses flash paper and playing cards as projectile weapons, before sliding down a CG garbage chute to escape. There is a spectacular CG “mirror box” magic trick, in which a sledge hammer is thrown in slow motion, shattering a huge pane of glass.

VFX Breakdown

Baked FX

https://vimeo.com/78693262

BakedFX was honored to be a part of the fun and visually thrilling movie “Now You See Me.” Here is a sample of our work.