A number of Kent graduates have contributed to the work which helped secure a ‘Best Visual Effects’ Oscar for the film Gravity.
The graduates, who studied at the University’s School of Engineering and Digital Arts (EDA) for degrees in Multimedia, Technology and Design, all work for London-based visual effects company, Framestore, which produced almost 80% of what appears on screen during the film.
Liam Russell, Christopher Johnston, Steve Hardy, El Suliman, Adam Ward and Mark Millena all contributed to the ground-breaking post-production work, including realistically inserting Sandra Bullock and George Clooney faces into the ‘universe’ – which in most scenes are the only elements not computer generated.
Masters in Computer Animation graduates James Harmer, Guo Kun Pan, James Parsons, and Bernard Wicksteed are also credited for their work on the film. Alongside Liam Russell and El Suliman, these graduates progressed from the undergraduate programme at Kent.
Liam Russell, as Lead Animator, oversaw aspects of character and technical animation, whilst Bernard Wicksteed worked in the tracking team. Christopher Johnston was Technical Director working on layout and motion capture data, while Mark Millena was a Paint and Roto artist, which involved three month’s work ‘cutting out’ Sandra Bullock’s body to use in other sections of the film.
The graduates also helped create computer-generated interior scenes and floating props, whilst the characters’ motions, right down to the subtle finger movements as they work on the Hubble Telescope, were all painstakingly hand-animated.
For more information contact Katie Newton.