In nuce: The VFX service provider Redefine (own spelling: ReDefine) has released a VFX breakdown for the streaming series Halo – including sci-fi-tastic battles in the air, on the ground and in the first-person perspective.

In toto: As in the original game, the Halo series tells the story of the armed conflict between humans and an alien civilisation called the Covenant. In terms of dramaturgy, Halo draws its viewers in with a mixture of action and drama. The series is set in a speculative 26th century. The protagonist is John-117, aka Master Chief, the iconic hero from the video game series. The series adaptation of the popular first-person shooter games can be viewed on the streaming service Paramount .

About Redefine: The VFX house Redefine is based in Canada; the company has three locations: in Montreal, London and Mumbai. Redefine’s portfolio includes the Star Wars series Obi-Wan Kenobi (with Ewan McGregor), the actioner Ambulance by director Michael Bay, and the slasher remake Scream by directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. The VFX experts are currently working on the sequel Scream VI and the Disney streaming series American Born Chinese. To the website of Redefine.

Click further: In the past, Digital Production has repeatedly reported on the spacey visual effects of Halo; we present them below:

• 2.08.2022: The Master Chief in Beast Mode: MPC not only plays Halo, but also means series streaming. Does John-117 pull the aliens’ teeth?
• 18.10.2022: VFX Supervisor Patrick David and VFX Producer Nancy Heller chat about Alien Concept Design.
• 24.11.2022: Rodeo FX blows up the Madrigal Tower! A colossal series entry for the Master Chief from the Halo series.

ReDefine | Halo VFX Breakdown

The post Halo | VFX Breakdown first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

In nuce: VFX service provider Rodeo FX has released the second instalment of its breakdown series for the sci-fi gaming IP Halo. The video, which runs for just under four minutes, is called “Halo Season 1 – Planets: Eradinus II, Oban & Madrigal Tower”. The video is directed by VFX Supervisor Patrick David and VFX Producer Nancy Heller – as in the first episode, which Digital Production reported on 18 October this year .

In toto: Eradinus II, Oban and Madrigal Tower. About Eradinus: For the fictional desert planet Eradinus II, Rodeo FX has created a proverbial Garden of Eden, an oasis with lush vegetation – from agricultural land to forests. For the series, Rodeo has created a past and present version of this oasis – once covered in lush vegetation, now a deserted wasteland. One of the concept artists who played a leading role in defining the look was Olivier Martin – whose concept art served the visual effects artists as a starting point for all further design decisions. To create the environment, Rodeo FX used a combination of 3D textures and geometry scans of real rocks – as well as Houdini and traditional matte paintings.

Click further: To find out more about the planet Orban, which is referred to in the series as the galaxy’s rubbish dump, and how FX supervisor Sadjad Rabbie helped make the Madrigal Tower from the opening scene of the first episode of the series explode in a flaming inferno, click on the video below.

Breaking Down The Breakdown – HALO – Episode 2

The post Rodeo FX blows up the Madrigal Tower! first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

In nuce: VFX service provider Rodeo FX has released the four-minute video “Breaking Down The Breakdown” for the streaming series adaptation of the gaming IP Halo, in which VFX Supervisor Patrick David and VFX Producer Nancy Heller talk about working on the first season of the series. In the video, Patrick and Nancy explain how the environments of the Rubble and High Charity were created. The Rubble is a collection of asteroids, while High Charity is the capital of the Alliance Empire (a religious organisation in the Halo universe). The “Breaking Down the Breakdown” video is the first part of a two-part video series. The second video has not yet been released.

In toto: In the course of the video, Patrick and Nancy talk about how Rodeo FX worked on the first Halo season for over two years – starting with the concept art. During the course of production, a major focus was placed on honouring the video game and comic book originals. In order to faithfully recreate the alien civilisation of the Covenant, the creatives at Rodeo FX took inspiration from the animal kingdom – for example jellyfish or animal bone structures. Patrick emphasises matte painter and concept artist Mai Anh Tran as the artist who put the finishing touches to High Charity with her paint overs. One of the definite “Oha!” moments of the video is when Patrick talks about how Rodeo FX invested two months to create organic staircases.

Click to continue: Digital Production last reported on the streaming series Halo on 2 August this year – back then it was a VFX breakdown of competitor MPC, in which the Master Chief aka John-117 pulled the teeth out of the aliens.

Source: halo.fandom.com

Breaking Down The Breakdown – HALO – Episode 1

The post Rodeo FX explains the visual effects for the Halo series first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

In nuce: Who remembers the dawn of the noughties when Halo: Combat Evolved from Bungie Studios was strapped to Microsoft’s games console as an Xbox-exclusive title? More than two decades have passed since then – and Halo has recently leapt from the gaming cosmos into the streaming stratosphere. MPC has published a VFX breakdown of the series spectacle. VFX house MPC was involved with over 400 shots in translating the popular sci-fi video game series into a series format, which celebrated its premiere on Paramount’s streaming platform in March of this year.

What is the Halo series about? As in the original game, Halo tells the story of the warlike conflict between humanity and an alien civilisation called the Covenant. According to the description of the VFX breakdown, Halo aims to captivate with a mixture of action and drama, as well as a fictional vision of the 26th century in which the series is set. Of course, John-117, aka Master Chief, the iconic protagonist from the game series, will always be there.

Click further: If you want to see for yourself that MPC can do science fiction, take a look at the VFX breakdowns for the live-action film adaptation of Ghost in the Shell(27/09/2017) or the Alien sequel Alien Convenant(12/09/2017).

MPC HALO VFX Breakdown Reel

The post Halo | VFX Breakdown first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.