Clone troopers, not stormtroopers. That’s the first thing producer Maurine Fauvert clears up when talking about Star Wars: The 212, a fan film by Hoplite VFX that swaps Imperial inaccuracy for prequel-era precision. Born from the combined skills of two friends: one animating, one rendering, and the project snowballed into a full indie studio operation. With a lean, open-source-heavy pipeline, the team used Blender, Maya, and Houdini to craft a high-energy tribute to the 212th Clone Trooper Legion, led by Commander Cody. The result? A GPU-powered, blaster-filled short that proves you don’t need a galaxy-sized budget to make something worthy of the Star Wars legacy.

DP: What is The 212 and why a Star Wars fan film?
Maurine Fauvert: Like many people in our industry, Star Wars is what inspired countless artists to get into VFX. We wanted to pay tribute to this franchise that we particularly love and that has shaped the history of our craft.

As for the 212th, it’s a fairly well-known legion in the Star Wars universe, especially from The Clone Wars. We decided to put this legion in the spotlight because it has only ever been portrayed in a feature animation style and it’s a fan favorite.

DP: Let’s talk teams: A little Mynock told me this all started with just two friends noodling around—zero studio, zero big boss. How did this grow from “Hey, want to make a fan film?” to a real crew? 

Maurine Fauvert: Exactly, the whole project started with two artists creating Star Wars images and renders on their own: Arnaud, a modeler / rigger / animator, and Vincent, who handles texturing, lighting, and rendering. Their skill sets complemented each other so well that they decided to build a project together. Over time, friends joined in to complete the team. The synergy between the members worked so well, and production was running so smoothly, that we decided to create the studio. It happened quite naturally, the team and the pipeline took shape during the project itself. 

Pascal Blais mentored us tremendously on the production and budgeting side during the studio’s development. The team is truly passionate about what they do, and without their dedication, none of this would have been possible. We were also lucky to be surrounded and supported by the right people.

DP: How did working with zero “clients” influence your workflow?
Maurine Fauvert: We didn’t have clients but we had fans. The main goal was simply to get the project out there. We worked on it for about a year and a half as a side job, so part of the challenge was to avoid spending years on a personal project. The aim was to create images we were happy with, without nitpicking over every tiny detail.

Once the teaser was released, we received a lot of messages from fans, which meant we didn’t really have the option of being too late. We had to find a balance between managing the renders and not exhausting the artists on a volunteer project. Of course, we went through iterations, mainly to explore the style, but as soon as something felt convincing and matched the Star Wars universe, it went straight to render.

DP: Why are the Stormtroopers suddenly competent?
Maurine Fauvert: The 212th is a legion of clone troopers, not to be confused with stormtroopers. Clone troopers have always been highly trained soldiers, loyal to the Republic and led by the Jedi. Stormtroopers, on the other hand, are indeed more numerous, but far less accurate in their shooting.

DP: Did the first guy in the hangar really get stomped by General Grevious?
Maurine Fauvert: Grievous weighs about 350 pounds, so it’s not actually that heavy.  The trooper is still there, we didn’t cheat and he didn’t vanish; he’s just dead in the shadows.

DP: How did you choose what Star Wars references to use?
Maurine Fauvert: When it came to references, what really helped us narrow things down was the decision to feature one specific character: Cody and, by extension, his legion, the 212th.  We also decided to focus on a single era: the prequels, and more specifically The Clone Wars.  Within that framework, each artist picked the elements they personally wanted to bring in.

DP: You come from big studio backgrounds. So, how did working “small, scrappy, and open-source” compare? Did you find yourselves thinking, “Why didn’t we have this at [Insert Mega Studio Here]?” Or was there stuff you missed from the blockbuster pipelines?

Maurine Fauvert: One of the great things about being an indie studio is that we don’t have to go through a hundred approval steps to integrate a new tool into our pipeline. We test it, we approve it, and we use it — it’s as simple as that.

For example, we’ve used Move AI and Motorica. Back when we worked at a larger studio, we tried to integrate both tools, but the process required so many R&D approvals and authorizations that it never happened. Being a small team also means we can communicate fast. We’re close-knit, and everyone contributes their knowledge to problem-solving or finding new tools.

At our core, we’re 3D animators, so we do face certain challenges like working across multiple continents. This pushed us to set up cloud-based file management and external storage to secure our projects with proper backups.

We’re agile, but we’re still building our expertise in infrastructure. Right now, we’re working on solutions to build powerful, scalable servers. It’s a lot of time and research, but it’s an incredibly valuable learning process.

DP: What was the most challenging shot or character?
Maurine Fauvert: The most complex shot is the one where Cody uses his jetpack.  The biggest challenge was the sheer richness of the visual effects: blaster shots, smoke, fire, jetpack effects, and more all of which led to very resource-intensive render times.

Another challenge, which applied to the entire project, was rendering across different layers. We used Blender, Maya, and Houdini to render the frames, and certain parameters — like motion blur — were tricky to manage because each render engine processes them differently. This sometimes caused slight differences between outputs, making compositing more complex.

For this shot in particular, we had to handle a large number of layers for the characters, visual effects, and other elements, which made the rendering process especially meticulous.

What we’re most proud of is creating a pipeline capable of handling renders from different software. But if we had to pick our favorite shots, it would be the jetpack scene… and the exploding ships both of which are pretty badass!

DP: Why Maya, Nuke, Houdini, and Blender?
Maurine Fauvert: The goal was for everyone to work with the software they know best.  We rendered most of the shots in Blender, as it’s free software that delivers renders about five times faster than Maya. We kept Houdini for complex VFX renders, since transferring VDB files from certain simulations isn’t optimal in Blender.  The face was the only element rendered in Maya, simply because it made texture management easier.

In the end, there wasn’t really a “superhero” software, it was more about optimizing each tool for what it does best.

DP: How long did a frame take to render in Cycles, in real-world artist terms?
Maurine Fauvert:  The advantage of Cycles is that it runs on the GPU and is very fast, on average, Cycles is 2 to 5 times faster than Arnold depending on the shot.  That said, automation in Blender is not yet optimal, so we understand that this workflow might not be suitable for larger studios. We didn’t consider Eevee because it’s a real-time engine, and at the time, we had no plans to train for real-time production on this project.

DP: What advice or resources helped you most?
Maurine Fauvert: We don’t spend much time on forums instead, most of our exchanges happen on the studio’s internal Discord.  As I mentioned earlier, tools like Move AI and Motorica saved us a lot of time on animation. I believe our real “secret weapon” isn’t a tangible resource, but rather passion and motivation for our craft. Without that, we would never have been able to complete this project.

DP: Why “Hoplite VFX”?
Maurine Fauvert: Hoplites were Greek citizen-soldiers. We like the idea of being a tight-knit army, ready to take on any challenge.  Some English speakers think our name is pronounced hopelight, which also carries a nice meaning.

DP: Will there be a 213, or what’s next?
Maurine Fauvert: Right now, we’re working on a video game cinematic, a format we truly enjoy. We hope to continue collaborating with game studios and also plan to develop our own IPs in the future. In the meantime, our first cinematic will be released at the end of September, so make sure to follow us on social media! :)

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hoplitevfx/
LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/company/hoplite-vfx-studio

The Team

Maurine Fauvert / Co founder & producer 

Arnaud Layé / Modeling, rigging & animation

Sylvain Vermesse / Animation

Elisa Drique / lighting texturing & compositing (IMDB)

Vincent Levrero / lighting texturing & compositing: 

Kenny Serane / Sound & music

Studio

Hoplite studio
https://hoplitevfx.com/

Mail : hoplitevfx@gmail.com

The post These Are the Clones You’re Looking For: Hoplite VFX Fires Up ‘Star Wars: The 212’ first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

We got a chance to talk to Digital Domains Michael Melchiorre, who has been in the VFX-Game since 1997 – earning his first spurs on “Xena, Warrior Princess”, and being a compositor or supervisor on almost 60 movies – including the Marvel Universe with “Avengers: Endgame”, Black Widow (Which earned him a VES nomination), “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (which earned him a Telly Award), Shang Chi and many more. Outside that universe, he has been part of all kinds of productions, from “Power Rangers” to “I, Robot” and from “Transformers” to “Benjamin Button”. See a full list on his IMDB-Profile here.

DP: How did you get involved in the project?
Michael Melchiorre: As I was finishing up “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law,” Digital Domain was in the process of actively bidding on new projects, one of which was “Agatha All Along.” My background as a compositing supervisor made this a perfect fit for me, as it was a very comp heavy show. Digital Domain was the main vendor on this show completing just under 400 shots, spread across all nine episodes.

We went through the normal bidding process on this show since it had been a few years since we were involved with “WandaVision.” We were able to reuse our Agatha digi-double. This was helpful in that we had already nailed her likeness in the previous show. However, she had an all new costume on this project, so we still had to make extensive upgrades and adjustments.

DP: Digital Domain was a key player in this project. How did you integrate your pipeline with Marvel’s existing workflows to ensure seamless collaboration?
Michael Melchiorre: We have worked closely with Marvel since the release of “The Avengers” in 2012, which was the first Marvel project I was involved with at Digital Domain. At this point we know Marvel’s pipeline very well, and it is pretty standard from show to show. This makes it easy to get a project up and running.

DP:Marvel’s “Agatha All Along” has such a unique tone and aesthetic. How did your team approach defining the visual style of the series?
Michael Melchiorre: We knew going into this show that the creatives were looking to evoke the feeling of movies we all watched in the early to mid eighties. Movies like “Poltergeist,” “Ghostbusters,” “Return of the Jedi,” and “E.T.” were definitely touchstones we were aiming for.

DP: What was your approach to creating Agatha’s magical energy and effects? Were there any particular inspirations or references?
Michael Melchiorre: Beginning with Lookdev in November 2022, we were tasked with establishing distinct looks and colors for the magic of each witch: Agatha (purple), Teen (blue), Rio (green), Alice (orange), Lily (yellow), and Jen (pink). Each effect had to be unique yet maintain a consistent feel within the “Agatha All Along” world as well as what had been already established in “WandaVision”.

DP: The show features a mix of magical elements and grounded environments. Can you describe the main challenges in creating VFX that felt both fantastical and believable?
Michael Melchiorre: The Burial Mound Sequence, as we called it, was a very complex and difficult task. Although there was some consideration of completing this sequence in 2D, through the use of time lapse footage, the work was ultimately done in CG. As Agatha is gently laid to rest on the ground, her body withers and decays with grass, flowers, and mushrooms growing to envelop her. As the mushrooms mature and die, they are replaced by blooming roses and purple flowers, symbolizing the beauty that arises from her sacrifice. Our Environments team built growth simulations that allowed them to meticulously control every mushroom, flower, and blade of grass. Once we had the death/growth timing locked in, the FX team added subtle details such as falling pebbles and dirt being pushed aside as new flowers sprouted from the ground. A keen observer will notice that Agatha’s toes begin to curl as she withers away. A subtle nod to witches that have come before.

DP: Lighting and rendering play an important role in setting the mood for magical scenes. What tools and techniques did you use to achieve the show’s distinctive lighting effects?
Michael Melchiorre: The look of Evanora’s ghostly form was loosely based on the Librarian ghost from “Ghostbusters”. This again was an all 2D effect. The actress who played Evanora was filmed against a bluescreen, suspended by wires. Through a series of keys and mattes of targeted densities, compositors slowly layered Evanora back into the plate, paying close attention to the density and transparency of her form. On-set production had fans blowing to simulate a gentle, ethereal breeze. However, this was often blowing too fast for the look we were after. To solve this piece of the puzzle, our compositors strategically retimed and slowed down areas of her gown or hair that were moving too fast, being careful not to alter the performance or facial features. These areas were then carefully reintegrated into Evanora’s ghostly form.

DP: The show has a period aesthetic. How did this influence your VFX work, and were there any particular challenges in matching the period look?
Michael Melchiorre. We absolutely went ‘old school practical’ on much of our work for this show. During the final battle between Agatha and Rio in the backyard, the ominous green clouds we see above them are actually practical cloud tank elements. We sifted through tens of thousands of frames of footage looking for just the right cloud movement to convey the foreboding tone we wanted. Once we selected the pieces we wanted to use, compositors layered them into a 360 degree dome in Nuke. The end result was a great homage to effects reminiscent of things we grew up watching in “Ghostbusters” and “Poltergieist”.

DP: Can you talk about the collaboration between the VFX and Animation departments on this project? How did the teams ensure consistency in the final visuals?
Michael Melchiorre: The Animation team was an integral part of this project, most notably during the Broom Chase Sequence. Drawing inspiration from “Return of the Jedi” and its speeder bike chase, on-set production built an elaborate forest set and used drones to capture 180-degree array footage that, when stitched together, would be used as backgrounds to insert our broomstick riding coven into.

Each coven member was shot individually on a blue screen, suspended by harnesses. Once the comp team extracted each character from the blue screen, the animation team stepped in to help ‘fly’ the witches through our digitally created forest environment that matched the practical set. This helped ensure all of the witches were traveling correctly in 3D space, keeping their scale and position consistent and, most of all, keeping a natural and realistic flight path. The comp team took this flight information from anim and reprojected each witch onto animated cards, rephotographing them with the camera lens that matched what we identified as the hero witch in each shot.

The lighting team rendered full 3D versions of our forest assets that were used to extend and enhance specific areas of the practical photography. This resulted in seamless composites that were often constructed from as many as eight to ten individual plates. In a nod to “E.T.,” as the coven tries to escape the forest road, they fly high above the treetops across a blood moon. This effect initially began as a traditional painted backdrop on glass. On set, individual puppets dressed as each character were photographed on miniature brooms against a blue screen. To enhance the scene, compositors augmented each character to ensure their hair and clothes moved naturally.

Once we are high above the witches road, this is where we relied heavily on our full digital recreation of the forest environment to capture angles that were impossible to achieve on set. Detailed down to the smallest rocks and built to hold up at any distance. The lighting team had complete freedom and confidence in our forest to create any vista we could conceive.

DP: Were there any unexpected technical hurdles that arose during production, and how did your team overcome them?
Michael Melchiorre: The biggest hurdle we had to overcome was also what made this show so interesting and unique: the artistic directive from Marvel. We were embracing old school techniques and methodologies and updating them using our current toolset. This is something many newer compositors have not had the chance to experience. We knew the comp team was going to be carrying a very heavy load, so we were very specific about the kind of artists we brought onboard for this show.

DP: Agatha’s character is at the heart of the show’s visuals. How much of the VFX work was influenced by Kathryn Hahn’s performance and how did you use digital effects to enhance her performance?
Michael Melchiorre: When we have an actress that is as expressive as Kathryn Hahn, we are always careful not to distract from or hide the performance. This was particularly important in the scenes where Agatha is a ghost. We had to create her otherworldly ghostlike appearance, but not lose the essence of her character. We were very particular about the amount of transparency that we allowed in and around her facial features. After all, she is the star of the show.

DP: Looking back on the project, is there a particular scene or effect that you’re particularly proud of and why?
Michael Melchiorre: I don’t know if I have a favorite shot or sequence. Each one presented its own challenges and rewards. I’m really proud of what the entire team, across every department, was able to achieve. Everyone involved in this show gave it their all and that effort shines in the final frames. I really feel like we created something that was exciting and fresh, but at the same time very familiar.

The post Digital Domain Lets Agatha Fly first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

The post Third Floor Company Reel 2024 first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

In nuce: Visual effects service provider Rising Sun Pictures (The Boys, Thor: Love and Thunder, Black Widow, etc.) has released a one-and-a-half-minute VFX breakdown for the first season of the Star Wars series Andor. The series tells the prequel to the film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

Turn the page: In our Digital Production 05 : 2022 went up – with the thematic focus on Star Wars. We watched the comedic unpacking short film E-11 (named after the laser cannon of the same name). In the accompanying workshop report “Unpacked! Or: The Making of E-11: A Star Wars Fan Film”, filmmaker Robert Hranitzky poses the question “What if the E-11 blaster was a real, new product – and a stormtrooper unboxed and reviewed the thing on YouTube?” On the other hand, 15 years of heart and soul went into the second fan film called Descendants of Order 66 den Weg before the love letter to the George Lucas Cinematic Universe could celebrate its premiere. In terms of content, Descendants of Order 66 dares to build a bridge between Star Wars Episode III and IV. The issue is also available as a free e-paper.

Click further: 8 March 2022 was the last time Digital Production reported on a VFX breakdown from Rising Sun Pictures – back then it was the action fun Jungle Cruise from Disney and starring Emily Blunt and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, the same ones with their steamboat … looking behind the back of the water? To the website of Rising Sun Pictures.

Rising Sun Pictures (RSP) Andor (Season 1) VFX Breakdowns

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

In nuce: Visual effects service provider Hybride Technologies has released an almost five-minute VFX breakdown for Disney’s streaming series The Book of Boba Fett.

In toto: If you want to make friends with the rough-and-tumble Wookie Black Krrsantan or get to know the bounty hunter Cad Bane personally, you should dive into the George Lucas Cinematic Universe with The Book of Boba Fett. As with its predecessor series The Mandalorian, an LED volume stage was used for the Boba Fett series. The deepfake technology also created a surprise effect for viewers of the series; it helped to wipe a young Luke Skywalker out of the pipeline.

Click to continue: Digital Production last reportedon the streaming series The Book of Boba Fett on 17 June last year – at the time, texture artists from ILM were riding the Rancor, so to speak. On 2 December of the same year , VFX house Image Engine shook the War of the Stars alumnus Obi-Wan Kenobi out of his Jedi bathrobe for a streaming series dedicated to him.

Turn the page: In DP 05 : 2022 , we had two excellent fan films from the galaxy far, far away up our sleeve (the fun unpacking video E-11 and the epic feature-length film Descendants of Order 66). We also make DP 05 : 2022 available to our readers as an e-paper (this issue is even available as a free trial copy!).

The Book of Boba Fett – Hybrid VFX Breakdown

The post The Book of Boba Fett | VFX Breakdown first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.