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VFX
Playing the Monster Game VFX supervisor Dennis Berardi details some of the fantastic creatures and world building involved in the new Monster Hunter movie. By Trevor Hogg
F
ilmmaker Paul W.S. Anderson extends his relationship with Japanese video game publisher Capcom beyond the Resident Evil franchise with the new action-packed sci-fi movie Monster Hunter. Partnering with Anderson on this year-end thrill ride are producers Jeremy Bolt and Dennis Berardi, who also serves as the visual effects supervisor on the cinematic adaptation. The storyline centers on an American military unit led by Lt. Natalie Artemis (Milla Jovovich), who is swept away to a parallel world by a mysteri-
ous storm. They find themselves teaming up with a band of warriors to prevent massive predatory creatures from travelling to Earth. “Because Monster Hunter was so visual effects-driven and that informed how we were going to shoot the movie, it made sense for me to be involved more than a visual effects supervisor,” explains Berardi, whose many credits include Guillermo del Toro’s Oscar-winning feature The Shape of Water, Crimson Peak and Ad Astra. “One of the reasons that
I’ve stuck with Paul for a lot of years is because his process is fun. It is a real partnership. He is open to ideas right down the line — not just with me but with the artists.” Mr. X, which was founded by Berardi, was the main vendor for the film’s 1,300 VFX shots, with additional support provided by South Africa-based BlackGinger. “We storyboarded every key sequence and did 2D animatics to get a sense of timing that included action music and dialogue; that went back and forth with Paul. In some cases the animatic was Wings of Terror: Although it faces a tough battle at the box office worldwide, Paul W.S. Anderson’s adaptation of the Capcom game Monster Hunter features eye-popping visuals, supervised by Dennis Berardi and Mr. X.
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february 21
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