Archive notice: This article was originally published on May 1, 2015. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Thanks to the new VFX department headed by Michael Coldewey, HFF Munich has been all about visual effects since March. We have already reported in detail here about the new VFX department at HFF Munich.
The freeze scene for the film “Willa”, however, was created before the department existed, because even before then the HFF students had not been afraid to use visual effects in support of the story.
“Willa” is based on a short story by horror master Stephen King, in which a group of travellers is stranded at a lonely train station. The key scene in this film is a train accident with an explosion. At the exact moment of the explosion, movement stops and the camera continues moving almost weightlessly: a classic freeze, in other words, a camera movement through a “frozen” set: objects, actors, clothing – everything stands still. In the case of “Willa”, the actors even had to be tied to wires to illustrate the force of the explosion.
HFF student Helena Hufnagel made “Willa”; it is the first film with a freeze at HFF. Such a shot is normally expensive, but together with Josef Rödl, Professor of Filmic Space, and HFF student and Filmic Space assistant Anna-Katharina Maier, they succeeded in bringing Trixter on board. Together with BAF students, who volunteered with the greatest personal commitment, the shot was planned and implemented over the course of a year. Post-production took place under the direction of Robert Hoffmeister (then VFX Supervisor at Trixter).
Here is the freeze scene from “Willa”:
You can find all further information about HFF Munich here.
Another impressive freeze scene featuring Qucksilver could be seen in “X-Men: Days of Future Past”. You can find the making-of for the film in DP issue 05 : 2014.
