Blur Studio teamed up with Director Marc Webb and Sony Pictures Imageworks VFX Supervisor Jerome Chen once again to create visual effects for the opening sequence, end titles and 45 other visual effects shots for Columbia Pictures’ “The Amazing Spider-Man 2.”
Well-versed in Marvel’s rich universe, Blur drew on its expertise of the property to align with the film’s story in a way that was both authentic and fresh via character design, VFX sequences and teaser-laden end titles that they created in stereo.
“Blur is always my go-to studio for unique scenes requiring innovative design and high quality execution,” said Jerome Chen, VFX Supervisor, Sony Pictures Imageworks.
Led by Blur Co-founders Tim Miller and David Stinnett, a small team of artists leveraged well-rounded design chops, technical ingenuity and inherent fanboy savvy to deliver more than 45 VFX shots over eight sequences, including the film’s opening shot. Much of Blur’s work showcases their unique skillset and knowledge base, such as the Special Projects sequence set in the basement of Oscorp, which features nefarious apparatuses belonging to Spider-Man villains from the original comic books. After comprehensive visual R&D, Blur shaped the concept design for each notorious nemesis, including Rhino, which Sony referenced for production.
“The Spider-Man universe in this film has been slightly altered from that of the comic in that all evil originates from Oscorp and is driven by technology. Our biggest creative challenge was to reinvent elements for this new tech-powered universe while still honoring the legacy of the Spider-Man comic books. As huge Marvel fans, we were able to sneak in a lot of little nuggets of insider information in our work to add depth and intrigue,” explained Miller.
Several of the villains featured in the Special Projects sequence also make an appearance in the two-minute end titles created by Blur. Set to “It’s On Again” by Alicia Keys featuring Kendrick Lamar, the abstract sequence provides a macro look at mysterious CAD schematic designs for six different Spider-Man foes to reveal subtle hints of what audiences might expect from the recently announced “Sinister Six” spinoff film. With an artful color palette and strong depth of field, Blur Creative Supervisor Jennifer Miller art directed the titles to draw the audience into the mysterious story. The team delivered the two-minute sequence in stereo in less than six weeks once the concept was finalized.
“The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” starring Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone and Jamie Foxx is now playing in theaters nationwide.