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Simulating an Imperfect Reality VFX supervisor Dan Glass details a few of the behind-the-scenes secrets of The Matrix Resurrections. By Trevor Hogg
W
ith the current advances in virtual reality, real-time rendering and AI, the futuristic world envisioned by the Wachowski siblings is becoming more science than fiction. When it was first released in 1991, The Matrix became a huge box office sensation and the messianic figure of Neo became a signature role for Keanu Reeves. In the recent reboot The Matrix Resurrections, director Lana Wachowski expanded upon the original trilogy which sees protagonist Thomas Anderson/Neo drawn once again into the conflict between oppressive machines and human resistance fighters. Frequent Wachowski collaborator Dan Glass (Cloud Atlas) oversaw the creation of 2,300 visual effects by primary vendor DNEG, Framestore and One of Us. Describing how The Matrix Resurrections fits within the franchise, Glass remarks, “It sets out to be more real and a different flavor, but a continuation of the story.” Principal photography took place in San Francisco for the simulated environment constructed by the machines to deceive human beings. “The first three movies were almost entirely shot stage-based but it goes beyond that,” he notes. “The camerawork and composition tried to be like a graphic novel; that was part of the look of the Matrix, because it was a computer’s idea of what people would think was perfection. This Matrix is an upgrade of what we have seen before. The computers are trying to create something that is even more real by putting in imperfections. The previous Matrix took place in a megacity while this one covers the world, which is because un-
derpinning it is now a much larger operation, a vast number of pod towers.”
Reality Bytes
Having to work with practical elements did not make the digital augmentation easier. “Arguably it makes things a lot harder,” notes Glass. “The integration work becomes complex and we were shooting with zoom lenses on Steadicams with few opportunities to get data at the speed at which everything was being
shot. But you know what the image needs to look like, which is critical. It also creates a more relatable aesthetic to the Matrix itself. But what we call the ‘real,’ which are the tunnels and sewers, the ugly underpinnings, had to be digitally fabricated because those environments don’t exist. That being said, we had to make them feel as real as possible because they were up against awesomely rich recognizably real footage that the rest of the movie was shot in.” Two major set pieces requiring a close col-
Powerful Portals: The film incorporated 2,300 VFX shots created by primary vendor DNEG, Framestore and One of Us.
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march 22
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