Hollywood, Calif. - For Sony Pictures’
Angels and Demons, Ron Howard’s sequel
to The Da Vinci Code, visual effects
supervisor Angus Bickerton once again asked postproduction studios to create the
interiors of buildings impossible to film. This time, the work expanded to
include the enormous St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, as well as smaller
churches, the ancient Pantheon, and explosive effects.
The idea of projecting photos onto low-res geometry sounds simple until you
remember that the camera moves and the interiors were lit with hundreds of
lights. As for explosions, they are never easy. Read how these exceptional
visual effects were done in the June issue of
Computer Graphics World. For a look back on those accomplished for The Da Vinci Code, see “On Holy Ground” in the
July 2006 issue, which can be found on this site, under Current Issue, and then
Issue Archive in the top navigation bar.