Renowned for its groundbreaking photo-realism and lighting techniques in commercial visual effects, SWAY studio is currently showcasing its creative versatility with a spectacular 3D opening sequence for Robert Luketics feature film 21, now the #1 movie in America. Utilizing expert techniques with macro photography, specialty lighting and animation, SWAYs talented team of artists created a stunning photo-realistic environment mirroring an iconic Las Vegas casino.
Columbia Pictures' action/adventure 21 is inspired by the true story of the very brightest young minds in the country and how they took Vegas for millions.
Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess) is a shy, brilliant M.I.T. student who needing to pay school tuition finds the answers in the cards. He is recruited to join a group of the schools most gifted students that heads to Vegas every weekend armed with fake identities and the know-how to turn the odds at blackjack in their favor. With unorthodox math professor and stats genius Micky Rosa (Kevin Spacey) leading the way, theyve cracked the code. By counting cards and employing an intricate system of signals, the team can beat the casinos big time. Seduced by the money, the Vegas lifestyle, and by his smart and sexy teammate, Jill Taylor (Kate Bosworth), Ben begins to push the limits. Though counting cards isnt illegal, the stakes are high, and the challenge becomes not only keeping the numbers straight, but staying one step ahead of the casinos menacing enforcer: Cole Williams (Laurence Fishburne).
Opening with a complete 3D sequence, the first shot pulls away from an acutely high-resolution landscape of a playing card as it hurtles over rows of casino chips and soars across the surface of an extremely realistic re-creation of a Las Vegas blackjack table. Radioheads I Might Be Wrong sets the haunting tone for the scene as the narrator tells his account of how it all began.
Our main goal for this project was to enable the impossible, said Chris Nichols, SWAY VFX supervisor. We created a macro world in which the camera travels to within mere microns from the surface of the cards and poker chips. This technique added a level of detail that would have been unattainable for a real-world camera.
Although the original direction called for a downplayed environment of the table, the films VFX supervisor Gray Marshall (Gray Matter FX) and editor Elliot Graham preferred SWAYs more photo-real approach so much that they actually adapted the original environment to incorporate it.
These extreme macro perspectives, made possible by the photographic techniques of SWAY, captured a previously unrivalled perspective. The techniques also required the development of a unique image format that was able to support such extravagant textures. Large lens flares, blinking slot machines and a simulated depth of field gave life to the smoky casino atmosphere.
SWAY has continually developed groundbreaking ideas, tools and techniques that prove versatile enough to transfer between multiple types of projects, said Mark Glaser, SWAY studios founder and creative director. From commercials to online interactive to feature films, SWAY enables ideas to go from imagination to screen in artful ways. We love what we do.
21 Production Credits:
Director: Robert Luketic
Screenplay by: Peter Steinfeld and Allan Loeb
Based Upon the Book Bringing Down the House by Ben Mezrich
Producers: Dana Brunetti, Kevin Spacey, Michael De Luca
Executive Producers: William S. Beasley, Brett Ratner, Ryan Kavanaugh
Editor: Elliot Graham
VFX Supervisor: Gray Marshall Gray Matter FX
Starring: Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth, with Laurence Fishburne and Kevin Spacey
Visual Effects: SWAY studio
Creative Supervisor: Mark Glaser
VFX Supervisor: Christopher Nichols
Compositing Supervisor: Chris Bankoff
Animation Lead: Robert Glazer
Technical Director: Graham Fyffe
Lighting Lead: Daniel Buck
FX & Animation: Greg Tsadilas
Texture & Shading: Rob Meyers
Animation/Lighting/Compositing: Derek Smith
Compositing: Christian Schermerhorn, Lauren Mayer-Beug
VFX Producer: Erin Hicke
Tools Used for VFX:
Assimilates SCRATCH
Autodesks 3ds Max
The Chaos Groups V-Ray
The Foundrys Nuke
About SWAY
SWAY is one of the top animation, effects and design studios in North America whose aim is to advance the artistry of visual content, enabling exciting new creative ideas in any media. SWAYs world class artists use cutting edge and innovative technology to produce unforgettable imagery.
SWAYs proprietary software, the SWAY Drive-A-Tron driving simulator, has been used to create stunning visual effects and spots for Chevy, Mazda, Pontiac, Subaru, Hyundai, Hummer and Toyota. This software replicates the performance of any vehicle with complete precision.
SWAYs headquarters are located in Culver City, Calif. For additional information on SWAY studio, visit its website at www.swaystudio.com.
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