I spent one month in the summer of 2004 working on the title sequence and VFX for the feature film Monstertorsdag (Monsterthursday). The film was directed by Arild ุstin Ommundsen, who also directed the surprise hit Mongoland.
Working with Arild on this film has been one of the most satisfying experiences I have had when it comes to clients. He is an extremely talented guy, with a great attitude on how to do film, and is incredibly open to the input of other people. He has also done on of my favourite films, and I hope he gets all the opportunity (and funding) to do the movies he wants to do.
The title sequence and VFX work was for the most part a solo job by me. Frode Ekeberg at Toxic did the typography for the intro, and my girlfriend helped out with some roto work.
Monsterthursday was the first norwegian film to be shown at Sundance, which is A Very Cool Thing Indeed. So please purchase it on DVD if you want to see a quality film from our little country.
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The title sequence was meant to be very dark and foreboding, with focus on mood instead of design. The most important thing was to set the tone of the film. I also put in some references to the end of the film, in a way "closing the circle". I had pretty much free reigns to do whatever I wanted for the amount of time the intro needed.
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At the beginning of the film there's a slightly surreal car crash. I suggested adding a dream-like exterior shot of the car getting its windows blown out, and Arild even went as far as letting me put the shot where I wanted into the edit. The film was shot on super 16, and it was ... let's say educational ... to try and match a 100% CGI shot to the rest of the film. I learnt more about film grain than I think is healthy.
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The last act of the movie begins with a lightning-storm hitting the coast, and that again leads up to the climax of the main character riding a huge monster wave. The effects had to look believable without being spectacular. The film itself has a down to earth look that didn't lend itself to flashy effects work.
I also did a good deal of sky-replacements, darkening the look of the sky and inserting lightning flashes over the horizon and water.
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And here comes the monster wave! The production purchased wave elements shot in Hawaii, and I used particle effects, animated lightnings and sky replacements to turn this into a dangerous wave from the icy northern ocean.
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For the shot where the main character is riding inside the wave, the production shot the actor standing on a barrell in front of a gray sky. The wave was done in 3D, with particle simulations for foam and water spray. It was a very hard and very fun shot to do.
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