Pacific Rim

VFX Breakdown

Industrial Light & Magic

For over 2 years the team at Industrial Light & Magic in San Francisco, Singapore and Vancouver worked tirelessly to bring Guillermo del Toro’s science fiction epic “Pacific Rim” to life. This reel represents a taste of the visual effects work the team was tasked with in creating everything from monstrous Kaiju to the man-made Jaegers and the environments they are seen in.

VFX Breakdown – Hong Kong Battle

Industrial Light & Magic

“Pacific Rim” is Guillermo del Toro’s modern retake on the giant city destroying Kaiju films that started with Godzilla in 1954. The survival of mankind is threatened by giant alien creatures and to respond to this outsized threat, the nations of the Earth come together to build an outsized response – similarly sized giant combat robots.

Here the ILM visual effects team discusses the challenge behind one of the films signature action sequences, the Hong Kong battle.

VFX Breakdown – Building Jaegers

Industrial Light & Magic

The story of “Pacific Rim” is told on an epic scale, where 250-foot tall combat mechs battle similarly sized giant alien monsters in the ocean off of the coast of major cities, and when that fails, in the cities themselves. Scale is a recurring theme throughout the film, where a large threat is countered with a large response, making humans tiny in this new out scale world.

ILM’s visual effects team discusses the design, effects and animation of these incredible machines in this video. We hope you enjoy it.

VFX Breakdown – Creating the Kaiju

Industrial Light & Magic

Although “Pacific Rim” begins more than a decade into the battle with the city-destroying Kaiju, in this video the visual effects team at Industrial Light & Magic will discuss the process of creating the incredible race of alien monsters from the earliest stages of concept and design. Enjoy the video!

VFX Breakdown

Rodeo FX

https://vimeo.com/77822882

Rodeo FX was once again called upon to create exceptional environments and immersive 3D matte paintings. However, Rodeo’s CG contributions were much larger than on any previous motion picture. In addition to environment work, ILM trusted Rodeo FX to create, simulate, and animate fully CG creatures and vehicles for a variety of sequences. Rodeo FX was also responsible for all the variations of the interior Robot Head shots, which included building and animating a complex CG rig used to control the actions and movements of the robots – a seamless photo-real blend of both CG and practical FX.

More here : rodeofx.com/all-films/pacific-rim

VFX Breakdown

Hybride

For this second collaboration with Director Guillermo del Toro, Hybride delivered graphic design content for the holographic projections inside Jaeger Conn-Pods and control rooms (Loccents). Hybride’s graphic designers also created visual signatures for the HUDS (heads-up displays) allowing audiences to instantly recognize each robot’s country of origin.

In addition, Hybride artists produced arm grid and hand disk holograms around the pilot suits and also designed and created motion graphics for control room monitors as well as for the holographic television screens and computer monitors seen throughout the film.

VFX Breakdown

Ghost VFX

VFX Breakdown

Mirada Studios

Storytelling studio Mirada was the creative and technical force behind the two-minute prologue of Guillermo del Toro’s robots vs. monsters epic, Pacific Rim. Working closely with del Toro, who co-founded Mirada with Pacific Rim DP Guillermo Navarro, director Mathew Cullen and Javier Jimenez, the Mirada team designed, created, shot and edited the key sequence, which included over 80 fast-moving visual effects shots.

Storyboards

The Digital Artistry of Pacific Rim

Pilot Suits

Legacy Effects

Building Pacific Rim’s Detailed Pilot Suits

Special Effects supervisor Shane Mahan of Legacy Effects discusses making the pilot suits for Guillermo Del Toro’s PACIFIC RIM. Over a hundred separate pieces were created for each suit and were extensively tested and meticulously designed and aged.

The Con Pod

Legacy Effects

Special Effects supervisor Shane Mahan of Legacy Effects details the many stages it took to create the unique, massive conn-pod machinery for Guillermo Del Toro’s PACIFIC RIM. From design, testing, additive manufacture and mold making to construction and assembly, watch how the twelve-foot-high hydraulic arms were created and attached to the pilot suits.

The Helmets

Legacy Effects

Special Effects supervisor Shane Mahan of Legacy Effects shares the many components that went into the helmets they created for Guillermo Del Toro’s PACIFIC RIM. Diving into every possible detail, Legacy Effects walked the line between aesthetics and functionality to create the iconic and sleek looking helmets for each pilot in the film.

FX Guide TV #175 : Pacific Rim Pipeline Special

We visit ILM to discuss the Pacific Rim production pipeline with John Knoll, Eddie Pasquarello, Lindy De Quattro and Hal Hickel. The pipeline uses NUKE, Houdini, KATANA, Modo, Alembic, Arnold/RenderMan and ILM’s 3D and fluid destruction and muscle sim tools.

“Jaegers: Mech Warriors” Featurette

“Oversized Robot Sets” Featurette

“Drift Space” Featurette

Main Title

Imaginary Forces

A foreboding war room map collapses inwards, enveloping the emblems of fallen heroes. IF Director Miguel Lee worked with the film’s director Guillermo del Toro to create this ominous prelude which ushers us into the apocalyptic world of Pacific Rim.

End title

Imaginary Forces

As the smoke clears from the epic battle, we venture through a panoply of monsters, machines, and their monumental feats. IF Creative Director Miguel Lee and his team worked closely with the film’s director Guillermo del Toro to present his colossal creations in stylistic fashion, combining macro-photography and a graphic novel aesthetic in stereoscopic 3D.

End title – Breakdown

Imaginary Forces / Eric Demeusy

Designed & Produced by: Imaginary Forces (IF)

IF Creative Director: Miguel Lee
IF Producer: Brian Butcher
IF Designer: Miguel Lee
IF Lead Animator: Ryan Summers
IF Animators: Eric Demeusy, Miguel Lee, Jae Namkung
IF Modeler: Aamir Karim
IF Assistant Editor: Michael Radtke
IF 3D Stereoscopic Conversion: Ryan Summers, Eric Mason
IF Flame: Eric Mason
IF Additional Visual Development: Jae Namkung, My Tran, Alejandro Lee
IF Coordinator: Joseph AbouSakher, Ryan Speers

Studio: WB
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Post Producer: Sara Romilly

Composer: Ramin Djawadi