Behind The Scenes Of Pacific Rim With Legacy Effects

Love it or hate it, you can't deny that Pacific Rim delivered a visual spectacle unlike anything we've seen before, offering us a take on a genre untapped here in the west (Excluding b-movies). The fine folks at Legacy Effects, a special effects studio specializing in animatronics, specialty suits, prosthetic make up and creature design put together a series of behind the scenes mini-featurettes focusing on the work they put into Guillermo Del Toro's Pacific Rim. Focusing on the pilot suits, different iterations of helmets and a few key components of the pretty awe inspiring animatronic command set (Which we featured right before the release of the film), the attention to detail and passion is definitely palpable.

This new wave of prop building is a pretty amazing look into some of the new techniques being used, especially high end 3D printing to create entire suits from templates modeled in software packages like Maya. If the company name doesn't ring a bell, Legacy Effects is comprised of multi-decade Stan Winston Studio veterans that went on to found their own house following the passing of the special effects visionary back in 2008. They've contributed to high profile projects including The Avengers, Iron Man 3, The Life Of Pi as well as the upcoming Robocop and Xmen: Days Of Future Past. Check out the mini-featurettes for the helmets and the custom built command module after the break.

Firefly

It's a pretty simple concept: a dude and his illuminated skateboard travel all around an urban landscape.  What caught my eye (and ear) was the effects and the music.  There's something hypnotizing about this that just makes me want to put it on loop.  I loved the cinematography and understated futuristic look of it all.  Check out the behind the scenes footage here!

Pockets; An Incredible Short In Every Aspect

Straight up, Pockets is an incredible short. While the beginning may lead you to believe that you're in store for a decent drama, things quickly take a turn for the unexpected. While I don't want to spoil much of the video, I will say that the effects used are simply amazing. I can safely say this is unlike anything you've ever seen, if it doesn't leave you wanting at least a little bit more I don't know if I  want to be your friend (we can discuss these things later in our relationship). I wouldn't mind seeing an expansion on this idea, Fight Club ending and all.

Underworld: Awakening Reel

Luma Pictures is a visual effects studio based out of Southern California, that has worked on handfuls of films. Some of their most recent work was for Underworld : Awakening, which was just released in theaters a few weeks ago. Aside from a few montage reels, this is their effects reel dedicated to just one film. The effects work looks pretty amazing, and it's interesting to see a quick glimpse into the multiple layers or work that goes into making a film like this.