VFX artist making porgs and super heroes come to life 😜
🏝️ Hawaii - Los Angeles - San Francisco - London 🏙️
🏳️🌈 Travel addict, food lover, uber geek 🤓
🧵1/5: Now with
#Andor
S1 wrapped, I wanted to breakdown how grateful I am to be part of the creative process, specifically the multiple times I luckily worked on Death Star related shots. And it got me thinking about the generational aspect of visual effects.
@lenaskzorel
You have no idea how giddy our team was working on this sequence. From the boomerang like sabers, to the force push, to all the cortosis fun, it was an absolute blast!
Episode 4 of
#Andor
is out today! And with that I wanted to highlight the full VFX and Virtual Production LFL/ILM crew for the show. I know streaming platforms minimize during credits these days, but it's always nice to take the time to appreciate everyone for their hard work 🙌
As virtual production crew on set, we rarely get to talk w/ folks about how the volume affects their role. Hearing how much better actors prefer this over greenscreen makes it worth it. Our
@ILMVFX
StageCraft crew in LA has been killing it on both
#ObiWanSeries
&
#TheMandalorian
The Last Jedi was such a special project to work on. Being able to introduce the world to porgs, to the Battle of Crait, to emo Kylo Ren... I loved every bit of it and it was such a visual joy to help create. Happy 5 year anniversary TLJ!
#starwars
Powerful light. Powerful darkness. Today we celebrate the fifth anniversary of our friend
@RianJohnson
's picture, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, with a visual effects breakdown that features the work of some incredibly talented individuals here at
@ILMVFX
.
Aw yay! It's been awhile since I've talked Last Jedi, but this set of Kylo shots were months of hard work to establish. Thanks for highlighting the shot 😊
This was one of my favorite scenes to play with, every move of the camera exposed a completely different lighting setup that I had to quickly color correct the digital environment to the practical. The pressure was immense but the results were worth it.
🧵2/5: Back in 2016 I was pulled in to comp the two Death Star reveal shots for the trailer of Rogue One. Under the supervision of John Knoll and
@tvaziri
, I got given a thorough deep dive and had my mind blown how many intricate little details were done on the original models.
January 15, 2007: 14 years ago today was my first day at Industrial Light & Magic
@ILMVFX
. Who knew a bright eyed 21yo would still be at the same company yrs later, all the way in London, helping in both the episodic and virtual production world. Loving this journey 🥰
I'm so excited for y'all to see
#TheCreator
. We've been secretly working w/ Gareth Edwards on this along w/ Prod Designer James Clyne & photography from
@GreigFraser_dp
&
@orensoffer
. I'm extremely proud of this as it's my 1st time being VFX Supervisor w/ the
@ILMVFX
dream team!
"This is a fight for our very existence."
Gareth Edwards’ new picture
#TheCreator
arrives in cinemas September 29th. We are incredibly proud of this film here at ILM and we cannot wait for the world to see it.
🧵5/5: Now it was my chance to pass the experience I gained from Rogue One onto a new generation of creatives. That is one of the many aspects as to why I love my job. It may be a few shots, but it's a history/ culture we're trying to preserve & keep alive in all our new projects
Yaaaay! So proud of our whole
@ILMVFX
@themandalorian
team led by Richard Bluff, Jason Porter, and Hayden Jones (
@haydzilla
)!!! This episode was my first time leading the wonderful TV compositing team too and they smashed it! 😊 Congrats everyone! 🤗
Hey
#swtwt
! I'm Charmaine, a super lucky gal who's been helping make visual effects for the Star Wars universe for the last decade or so! Getting to share w/ everyone how we bring the SW world to life has been an absolute blast and discussing it w/ y'all is so much fun. Ty! 🙏
🧵3/5: Here were two creatives who worked on the Prequels passing their knowledge down to me. But before that they worked with the folks who did the Original Trilogy on the Prequels who passed their experience down to them.
This was actually my first ever project at ILM. The CrDev & Anim artists knocked it out of the park! I was on filmout/QC duty on this show & every time I ran out a shot it was literally awe & amazement. 4 Transformers films later & one can say Bay kick started my VFX career 😬
Been on a major production recently and besides the main actress, I was essentially the only other woman of color constantly on set. We need to change that. Looking forward to
@ava
's new project Array Crew which gives studios no excuse to say they can't find the talent.
It's crazy to think exactly a year ago we were still on set shooting the series and quite unsure if the new processes/methods would work. Now we have the last episode of the season. It's been one helluva journey and enjoyment seeing all your reactions! Thanks for the support! 🤗
🧵4/5: Circle round to earlier this year when we were approached to do the final post credits sequence on Andor. Under the supervision of Mohen Leo (who also worked on R1) & Scott Pritchard, we looked to recreate the DS, but this time in its construction glory.
Happy
#Andor
release day! All that hard work up on the screen, & it looks absolutely gorgeous 😍 Shout out to our fearless leaders of Mohen Leo, TJ Falls, Scott Pritchard, & Duncan Ramsay. And big huzzah to team
@ILMVFX
London, how lucky I was to work w/ y'all!
Today is my last day at ILM San Francisco. After 13 years here, I'll miss walking by this statue every morning, but I'm excited for my new ventures as I transfer to ILM's London office ✌️
#newchapter
🇺🇲✈️🇬🇧
Finally
#TheCreator
is out in theaters! Go see it and stay for the credits as so much heart & hard work was put in it by so many talented VFX folks around the world. Specific shout out to our wonderful
@ILMVFX
London team who made my VFX suping the first time a dream 🙏
@tvaziri
These two projects sum up my proud moments of 2022:
#Andor
&
#TheBatman
. I was lucky to be on set for both working along side the best cinematographers and learning so much from them. Then the VFX just took it to another level. I think the visuals speak for themselves 😍
🧵I often get questioned what is the best software to learn to become a VFX artist? My not really an answer answer, don't focus on software. Why? Tech keeps on changing, software keeps on changing, what generally doesn't change? The fundamentals of filmmaking.
When you're both Asian and a Star Wars fan and everyone keeps yelling BOBA! 😅
Happy
#BookofBobaFett
eve everyone! Can't wait to see the bomb ass work my fellow
@ILMVFX
colleagues did on this!
Am I right
@MingNa
? 😜
#starwars
#boba
For some reason
#RogueOne
is trending, so I'll use it as a way to celebrate Thanksgiving and be thankful that
@tvaziri
passed this trailer shot over to me! What a treat to work with Todd,
@vickschutz
, John Knoll, and Nigel Sumner on this!
The lighting here was designed and executed by
@vickschutz
, with compositing by
@charmainesmchan
and team. This was the result of our intense exploration of "how can we make the lighting of space sequences better than we have ever seen before".
Happy
#MayTheFourthBeWithYou
everyone! I don't have a roaring Chewie so you get my not so happy to participate cat instead 😹 Have some bantha milk to celebrate 🟦🥛
#StarWarsDay
First day back in the office! Tried to scan in and was stopped by security telling me my badge hasn't been used since 2020! 😱 They finally gave me access, but phew those Death Troopers are really tight about security 🤔
#starwars
#work
#backtowork
#ilm
@ILMVFX
2011: first comp shot
@ILMVFX
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (VFX Supe: John Knoll, Comp supe:
@tvaziri
)
2017: semi recent fav shot Star Wars: The Last Jedi (VFX Supe: Eddie Pasquarello, Comp supe: Jeff Sutherland)
Both extractions, different levels of detail
#artistlevelup
When there's too many monitors and you're short compared to everyone else on set, so you're working standing up most of the time 😆
Check out Ep4 of Disney Gallery The Mandalorian on Disney+ for a look into the tech of the show 🤓
#brainbar
#TheMandalorian
#DisneyGallery
When Deborah stepped on set I squeeled w/ excitement & watched her direct meticulously. Then Ming-Na came & 4 the 1st time this lil Chinese girl saw the power & potential other Chinese women are doing & couldn't be more inspired
#RepMatters
#TheMandalorian
There are so many ways to utilize virtual production, and sometimes keeping it simple is best. Our overall VFX Producer TJ Falls spoke about how we used StageCraft on
#Andor
and how integrated Coruscant was for specific scenes:
W/ all the negative articles coming out lately about VFX, just a friendly reminder that there's a lot of extremely talented PEOPLE who've spent lots of time making these films as enjoyable as they are. We do our best w/ the time/resources we have & want a good looking movie too!
This was such a nice surprise! Got this little guy for my 15 year anniversary with
@ILMVFX
😊 It's crazy how time flies, but it's so easy when you're working with the most creative, talented, and lovely people in the industry 🤗
#vfx
#womeninvfx
#ilm
#disney
Crazy it's been 5yrs since Rogue One. I didn't work directly on the film, but was pulled in last min by
@tvaziri
who handed over these two iconic shots to comp for the trailer 😍 Got to sit in a room w/ John Knoll &
@vickschutz
to talk Star Destroyers and Death Stars
#dream
#ilm
As a VFX artist, it's great knowing clients have a good laugh about the requests they make just as much as we do. Def keep those fun silly ideas coming
@iamkateherron
!
Look what just arrived! Words can't describe how we in VFX were so appreciative of having James Clyne til the very end. Those last 30secs w/ Nomad crashing into earth were some of the most beautiful shots I've had the pleasure of being a part of thx to the mind of James & Gareth.
I still pinch myself that my 15yr career in VFX has all been
@ILMVFX
and that I get to work w/ & learn from the most extraodinarily talented people who started it all! What a treat to get a 6 part series looking at the history, so many films & magic that inspired me 😊
Just so so so proud of our
@ILMVFX
team on
#TheCreator
getting all these
@VFXSociety
nominations! So much heart was put into this film. Fingers crossed for Feb 21! 🤞
Shoutout to our whole talented VFX team:
Let's spend a second to appreciate the amazing job
@ILMVFX
did on season 2 of
@witchernetflix
. There's a certain article floating around how there's no CG, but team ILM all that means is y'all made the best looking Nivellen ever 🤗 Round of applause to those who worked on it!
Really proud of the creature work our team did on Witcher for season 2 here at ILM. Super happy how Nivellen turned out. Dream team with
@Kouji_Tajima
, and amazing performance by Kristofer Hivju, go checkout season 2 on Netflix!
#ilm
#vfx
#cgi
#creatures
#nivellen
#witcher
15 years ago on this day was my first day at
@ILMVFX
. They sent me a lovely guide that told me the Mission was the less expensive place to live in San Francisco 😅 Joking aside, it's crazy how time flies when you're working with some of the best artists/ppl in the world ♥️
Finally a glimpse into how our
@ILMVFX
StageCraft volume worked! Blending digital sets with the practical sets was such a challenge, but the results speak for themselves. In camera finals are now new
#goals
😉
Happy
#InternationalWomensDay
! Wearing proud my
#womeninvfx
shirt. I've got extra shirts (of varying sizes) that I would like to sell today for £15 in which every shirt sold I will personally match w/ all proceeds going to the Ukrainian Women's Fund. DM me if interested!
This Episode 6 was absolutely fantastic! Shout out to my
@ILMVFX
colleagues for a superb episode, but specific shout out to Peter Demarest who's the ILM Compositing Supervisor on the show 🤩✨
@screenrant
WTF screen rant, all the artists at ILM Vancouver would say else wise.
Why don't you thank all the people listed here for making an unbelievably realistic Nivellen instead?
Really proud of the creature work our team did on Witcher for season 2 here at ILM. Super happy how Nivellen turned out. Dream team with
@Kouji_Tajima
, and amazing performance by Kristofer Hivju, go checkout season 2 on Netflix!
#ilm
#vfx
#cgi
#creatures
#nivellen
#witcher
@TheLeopard11
@THR
As someone in visual effects who works with the DP everyday, we do just as much work. Everyone deserves the time. No one deserves to be pushed to commercial breaks.
What a fantastic side by side for
#TheCreator
showing all the extraordinary work the tank sequence team did! This is also such a stellar example of when you have talented paint and roto artists, the integration can be taken to such seamless levels 😎
A side-by-side look at how
#TheCreator
was made.
Experience the motion picture event of the year, with Special Visual Effects and Animation by ILM. In theaters September 29. Get tickets now:
Might have accidentally brought the rain and cold from London to San Francisco, but didn't stop me from seeing this old pal 😄
#lucasfilm
#yoda
#yodastatue
#ilm
Season 2 of
#TheMandalorian
broke us to another level of innovation w/ StageCraft, and our Helios renderer is just starting to be pushed even more to new possibilities. Check out more about it in this new featurette!
#ilmvfx
#vfx
#virtualproduction
Happy
#TheAcolyte
finale eve everyone! We at
@ILMVFX
had so much fun working on this one! Seriously can't wait to see what y'all think cause it screams
#StarWars
to the max 😬
There will be a lot more coming out later on the specifics of this tech, but for those wondering where we've been taking Virtual Production @ ILM... take a glimpse at this article:
There was a huge flexibility to how the LEDs were incorporated with the sets. The way it worked for all the different scenes and setups made these bespoke designs absolutely ideal.
Breakdown from
@Jon_Favreau
on what we did on set:
"...we weren't really going to get in-camera shots that required no rendering at all. And no comping. I think up to 70 percent of the shots [on The Mandalorian] we were able to get in camera..."
We used StageCraft in quite a few ways on
#TheBatman
and this new featurette gives a glimpse into process volumes and it's flexibility to capture what was needed for a car chase sequence.
How they filmed that batmobile/Penguin chase in ‘The Batman’ --> a new official featurette is out. Fun to see
@ILMVFX
's
@charmainesmchan
there showcasing the StageCraft work!
#RogueOne
has a distinct look & style that I constantly refer to in VFX. Most of that is due to the outstanding cinematography of
@GreigFraser_dp
. I've had the honor of working alongside Greig on
#TheMandalorian
&
#TheBatman
Everything I've learned from him is priceless 👇
Big shout out to our R&D team for all they've developed with Helios and what we're capable of doing with it 😍
❤️
@self_shadow
@jutanclan
and so many others!
VFX Fact: For Season 2 of
#TheMandalorian
ILM developed Helios, our own real-time render engine which was used for all StageCraft rendering in the Volume.
Finally saw
#TheBatman
w/ fellow colleagues who worked on it! Went to the Dolby theatre & what an experience 🤩 Well done everyone who worked on it! And big thanks to
@GreigFraser_dp
&
@danlemmn
for the experience of working along side you both!
It's so easy to get jaded and pessimistic in the VFX industry, especially when you've been doing it for over a decade. But there are days where I just pinch myself and can't believe what I'm doing. This is def one of those days
#grateful
#vfx
#setlife
Season 1 of Mandalorian was an absolute dream team, and being able to work with
@JeffJWebster
and his team of talented gaffers was a treat. Jeff gave a super detailed breakdown of the Volume and it's uses here:
This project is really something special.
#TheCreator
is nothing what you would expect, and I'm so proud of all the work our teams have done on this. September can't come soon enough, but for now an extended trailer 😬🙌
Finally got around to seeing
#TurningRed
& as someone called Mei Mei my whole life... Where was my box full of kittens during my Chinese puberty?!? 🤣 Seriously though, amazing job friends
@Pixar
! I need more films like this, just give Domee Shi &
@dafeinberg
all the films
Happy International Women's Day!
#IWD2021
I don't have all my sisters to celebrate today w/ in person, but I can take the time today to say thank you to all the women who've graced my life 🤗 I also proudly wear my
#womeninvfx
shirt cause we ain't alone! 💜
#smashthepatriarchy
@tvaziri
Walking up to the Volume,
@Bazidoine
pulls me to the side w/ the original Cantina scene from New Hope up on his laptop. He tells me make what's up on the LEDs look like the original. *gulp!* all that's real was the bar and actors/droids. I had like 5 mins 🙃
Sometimes you just gotta stop and appreciate the little things in life. It snowed in London today, I've never experienced snowfall before since I grew up in Hawaii & California, so I was an extremely excited kid today! 🥶❄️
#grateful
#snow
#littlethings
Congratulations to
#VFX
Supervisor Richard Bluff and the entire visual effects team on receiving an
#Emmy
Award nomination for
@themandalorian
’s Outstanding Special Visual Effects!
The British Film & TV industry has been absolutely thriving. And as an American living in Britain and working in visual effects, what an absolute honor to now be a member of
@BAFTA
😱 Super excited, thank you! 😄
#womeninvfx
#womeninfilm
#vfx
#bafta
the stunning visuals of
#TheAcolyte
finale.
For more can’t-miss effects from Julian Foddy and
@ilmvfx
’s Charmaine Chan, watch The Acolyte streaming on
@DisneyPlus
.
The amount of virtual production projects going on right now & this last year
@ILMVFX
is bonkers! We've been taking all that experience & using them to push our tech and creativity even further. We are setting high bars for ourselves & can't wait for y'all to see the results! 🤩
Well this was a nice surprise! The ever so wonderful Rachel Rose,
@ILMVFX
R&D Supervisor, hand carried these lovely certificates from SF to London. It's always such a great feeling being part of such an innovative team 🙌
#stagecraft
#visualeffects
#virtualproduction
I am LIVING for DP, Joshua James Richards, calling out Tarantino to raise awareness of what Chloe Zhao had to deal with being a Chinese woman in this industry ✊👏
We don't ask for much, but when we get that real support 😭❤️
Great read 👇