I am Legend

[David Regan]

Just saw this at an advance screening, I liked it for the most part, but as far as story goes felt it was a bit short. Visually I enjoyed it for the most part, the beginning was very warm toned, which I felt set things up nicely, and as the story progressed so did the color scheme. I don't know just how much of the film was CG and how much was built sets, but the scenic NY city shots felt nice. Speaking of CG, I can't be sure but the opening scene of him driving the car, really through me off, either the car was extremely well polished and cleaned for each take, or it was CG, it was just too 'sharp.'

One question I had was about the blue flares that showed up frequently. They were a thin horizontal line, and I'm not sure what causes flares to look like that. Does it have to filters or lens coatings, or a particular type of lens? I noticed it was shot super35 but printed anamorphic, but I'm not familiar with that process so I don't know if it has anything to do with it. It was just something that I kept noticing.

[Christian Nachtrieb]

I believe a majority of the shots of the car were CG. I know someone who did locations for this movie over the summer and he happened to have some of the computer storyboarding on his laptop. Been waiting awhile to see this movie, big fan of The Last Man on Earth, just have never had the chance to read the novel.

 

How did Smith do playing Neville?

[David Mullen ASC]

It was shot with anamorphic lenses as far as I know.

[Max Jacoby]

I suspect it's shot with a mix of Super 35 and anamorphic. One one hand I've seen some behind the scenes stills with an anamorphic 40mm CF Primo on the camera and in the trailer there are some anamorphic flares also, but on the other hand there are many night shots in the trailer that have spherical bokeh. Since these seem to be wide-angle CU handheld/steadicam shots, I don't think that an anamorphic zoom was used, hence my suspicion that they must have mixed formats.

 

Looks like we'll have to wait for the new AC to find out.

[Jonathan Bowerbank]

Been waiting awhile to see this movie, big fan of The Last Man on Earth, just have never had the chance to read the novel.

 

Obviously The Omega Man is another one which used The Last Man on Earth as its starting point. It'll be interesting to see what new spin they put on the story this time 'round.

 

OH WAIT, so apparently Smith's character's name is Robert Neville, just as Heston's was in Omega Man...so there you go :)

Edited December 12, 2007 by Jonathan Bowerbank

[Max Jacoby]

Where does this 'The Last Man on Earth' come from? The film is based on the book 'I Am Legend' by Richard Matheson, as is 'The Omega Man'.

[Jonathan Bowerbank]

Where does this 'The Last Man on Earth' come from? The film is based on the book 'I Am Legend' by Richard Matheson, as is 'The Omega Man'.

 

So was "The Last Man on Earth", co-scripted at one point by Matheson:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_am_legend

[David Mullen ASC]

The new Cinefex to hit the newstands has an article on 'I am Legend" -- it says this about anamorphic:

 

Efx Supervisor Janek Sirrs: "We knew this was going to be a very difficult matchmoving job, because nearly the entire movie was shot handheld and anamorphic, which is the most difficult matchmoving scenario you can imagine."

 

"Anamorphic is an absolutely beautiful cinematographic tool, " added digital effects supervisor David Smith, "but it provided us with quite a bit of challenge in being able to track and matchmove the shots because it results in so much distortion, which changes as you move a camera through a scene. All of that distortion has to be dealt with before we could properly track the plates. There were a lot of smaller distortions within specific anamorphic lenses, and we had to deal with those aberrations, as well." Imageworks worked with Yannix Technologies to develop a proprietary tracking tool for anamorphic that concurrently addressed the lens distortion and camera track issues.

[Jonathan Bowerbank]

I wonder if some effects houses keep shortcut tools to make it easier to composite vfx into different shots, depending on what lens was used and to what degree the distortion is. :/

[Matt Workman]

As for VFX and match-moving, slightly coming from that background:

 

They definitely keep track of what millimeter the lense is, the tstop, lens height, focal distance, orientation etc. Thats why Cooke and has the lens data box, and Arri too. The better 3D tracking programs can figure out zooms etc. also. For compositing they also have built in grain match for various film stocks and processing.

 

For something this high end they pull out Knoll/etc. to custom program build new ALG etc. Technology?! Same with Transformers and the like.

[Ruairi Robinson]

As for VFX and match-moving, slightly coming from that background:

 

They definitely keep track of what millimeter the lense is, the tstop, lens height, focal distance, orientation etc. Thats why Cooke and has the lens data box, and Arri too. The better 3D tracking programs can figure out zooms etc. also. For compositing they also have built in grain match for various film stocks and processing.

 

For something this high end they pull out Knoll/etc. to custom program build new ALG etc. Technology?! Same with Transformers and the like.

 

Knoll is woefully inadequate. I really wish they would update it significantly. You can always spot a knoll fake flare in movies.

[Guest will griffith]

How did Smith do playing Neville?

Won't be mentioned for an Oscar, but not many could have pulled it off.

There has been a lot of critical comments about the movie itself, but none

about Smith's performance.

 

I kept comparing this movie to Castaway as I was watching it...and not

just because he's on an island. :)

 

There is a lot more action in Legend to give him a break, and I'm not

saying he's Tom Hanks, but I think Smith has become more versatile.

I mean come on... could Tom Hanks carry a sitcom, action comedy film,

action drama, drama, and action suspense drama, etc. etc.?

 

The movie is not perfect, but some of the suspense scene filming/editing.... WOW.

[timHealy]

... could Tom Hanks carry a sitcom, action comedy film,

action drama, drama, and action suspense drama, etc. etc.?

 

I don't mean to hijack the thread but: are you kidding?

 

http://imdb.com/name/nm0000158/

 

Tom Hanks

 

 

Overview

Date of Birth:9 July 1956, Concord, California, USA more

Mini Biography: Born in California, Tom Hanks grew up in what he calls a 'fractured' family... more

Trivia: Married first wife Samantha Lewes (real name: Susan Dillingham) two months... more

Awards: Won 2 Oscars. Another 47 wins & 49 nominations more

 

 

Angels & Demons (2008) (in production) .... Robert Langdon

Fahrenheit 451 (2009) (announced) (rumored) .... Guy Montag

Boone's Lick (2008) (pre-production) (rumored) .... Seth Cecil

The Great Buck Howard (2008) (post-production)

 

Charlie Wilson's War (2007) .... Charlie Wilson

The Da Vinci Code (2006) .... Dr. Robert Langdon

Cars (2006) (voice) .... Woody Car

Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D (2005) (voice) .... Narrator

The Polar Express (2004) .... Hero Boy / Father / Conductor / Hobo / Scrooge / Santa Claus

... aka The Polar Express: An IMAX 3D Experience (USA: IMAX version)

Elvis Has Left the Building (2004) .... Mailbox Elvis

The Terminal (2004) .... Viktor Navorski

The Ladykillers (2004) .... Professor G.H. Dorr

"Great Performances" .... Mountie (1 episode, 2004)

- Concert for George (2004) TV episode .... Mountie

"Freedom: A History of Us" .... Abraham Lincoln / ... (7 episodes, 2003)

- A Fatal Contradiction (2003) TV episode .... Abraham Lincoln

- A War to End Slavery (2003) TV episode .... Abraham Lincoln

- Independence (2003) TV episode .... Paul Revere

- Liberty for All (2003) TV episode .... Daniel Boone

- Wake Up America (2003) TV episode .... Reporter

(2 more)

Catch Me If You Can (2002) .... Carl Hanratty

Road to Perdition (2002) .... Michael Sullivan

"Band of Brothers" (2001) (mini) TV mini-series .... British officer

Cast Away (2000) .... Chuck Noland

 

The Green Mile (1999) .... Paul Edgecomb

... aka Stephen King's The Green Mile (USA: complete title)

Toy Story 2 (1999) (voice) .... Woody

Toy Story 2 (1999) (VG) (voice) .... Woody

You've Got Mail (1998) .... Joe Fox

Saving Private Ryan (1998) .... Captain John H. Miller

"From the Earth to the Moon" (1998) (mini) TV mini-series .... Jean-Luc Despont/Host/Narrator

Toy Story Activity Centre (1996) (VG) (voice) .... Woody

That Thing You Do! (1996) .... Mr. White

Toy Story (1995) (voice) .... Woody

Apollo 13 (1995) .... Jim Lovell

... aka Apollo 13: The IMAX Experience (USA: IMAX version)

Forrest Gump (1994) .... Forrest Gump

"Sunday Night Clive" (1 episode, 1994)

... aka Clive James (USA)

- Episode #1.1 (1994) TV episode

Vault of Horror I (1994) (TV)

Philadelphia (1993) .... Andrew Beckett

"Fallen Angels" .... Trouble Boy #1 (1 episode, 1993)

- I'll Be Waiting (1993) TV episode .... Trouble Boy #1

Sleepless in Seattle (1993) .... Sam Baldwin

A League of Their Own (1992) .... Jimmy Dugan

"Tales from the Crypt" .... Baxter (1 episode, 1992)

... aka HBO's Tales from the Crypt

- None But the Lonely Heart (1992) TV episode .... Baxter

Radio Flyer (1992) (uncredited) .... Older Mike

The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990) .... Sherman McCoy

Joe Versus the Volcano (1990) .... Joe Banks

 

Turner & Hooch (1989) .... Det. Scott Turner

The 'burbs (1989) .... Ray Peterson

Punchline (1988) .... Steven Gold

Big (1988) .... Josh

Dragnet (1987) .... Pep Streebeck

Every Time We Say Goodbye (1986) .... David Bradley

Nothing in Common (1986) .... David Basner

The Money Pit (1986) .... Walter Fielding, Jr.

Volunteers (1985) .... Lawrence Whatley Bourne III

The Man with One Red Shoe (1985) .... Richard Harlan Drew

Bachelor Party (1984) .... Rick Gassko

Splash (1984) .... Allen Bauer

"Family Ties" .... Ned Donnelly (3 episodes, 1983-1984)

- Say Uncle (1984) TV episode .... Ned Donnelly

- The Fugitive: Part 2 (1983) TV episode .... Ned Donnelly

- The Fugitive: Part 1 (1983) TV episode .... Ned Donnelly

Mazes and Monsters (1982) (TV) .... Robbie Wheeling

... aka Dungeons and Dragons (USA: video box title)

... aka Rona Jaffe's Mazes and Monsters

"Happy Days" .... Dr. Dwayne Twitchell (1 episode, 1982)

... aka Happy Days Again (USA: syndication title)

- A Little Case of Revenge (1982) TV episode .... Dr. Dwayne Twitchell

"Taxi" .... Gordon (1 episode, 1982)

- The Road Not Taken: Part 1 (1982) TV episode .... Gordon

"Bosom Buddies" .... Kip Wilson / ... (37 episodes, 1980-1982)

- Not the Last Picture Show (1982) TV episode .... Kip Wilson/Buffy Wilson

- Not with My Sister, You Pig (1982) TV episode .... Kip Wilson/Buffy Wilson

- Who's on Thirst? (1982) TV episode .... Kip Wilson/Buffy Wilson

- The Way Kip and Henry Were (1982) TV episode .... Kip Wilson/Buffy Wilson

- Hildy's Dirt Nap (1982) TV episode .... Kip Wilson/Buffy Wilson

(32 more)

"The Love Boat" .... Rick Martin (1 episode, 1980)

- Friends and Lovers/Sergeant Bull/Miss Mother (1980) TV episode .... Rick Martin

He Knows You're Alone (1980) .... Elliot

... aka Blood Wedding

 

 

 

 

OK back to I Am Legend .....

Edited December 17, 2007 by timHealy

[Jonathan Bowerbank]

Saw it tonight. It was OK, a good suspense/thriller, but not too memorable. It would have helped if he wasn't being chased by cartoon mutants the whole time. Really took the realism out of it for me.

 

Performance wise, he was great as usual. Can't really compare it to Castaway, totally different movie and pacing.

[Guest will griffith]

Can't really compare it to Castaway, totally different movie and pacing.

I agree about it being totally different, but I guess it was the whole

"talking to non-human characters" thing that stuck with me.

 

Dealing with something that found him at the end was familiar as well...

can't elaborate without spoiler though.

[Guest will griffith]

I don't mean to hijack the thread but: are you kidding?

 

... ok ... geez I guess I will replace "MORE" with "SURPRISINGLY" versatile.

 

"He is surprisingly versatile...but no Tom Hanks." -Will Griffith

 

I would put my money on Smith in a fist fight though, you have to give

me that!

[stephen lamb]

I enjoyed the way Andrew Lesnie shot the first scene that takes place in the dark with the mutants, where Smith chases his dog into the buildling where the deer went. I was impressed with how dark he let the scene go, and for a good part of it, the only illumination coming from Smith's flashlight. It brought a lot to the scene to make it more intense, and more confusing, just how one would feel in the given situation. I feel that many film makers would add some ambiant light to the scene to let the audience see the location, and I thought it was a nice move to let it play so dark. Bold, so to speak. I also liked what appeared to me a large portion of minature VFX work to depict the city, instead of just pure CG. I was disappointed in the story (could have been so much more) and the poor quality of the mutants.

[Guest will griffith]

where Smith chases his dog into the buildling where the deer went.

That was one of the more suspenseful scenes I've ever seen.

It looked amazing in 2k....but unfortunately 2k made the outdoor

zombies look even more unrealistic.

[Jonathan Bowerbank]

That was one of the more suspenseful scenes I've ever seen.

 

Yeah, that was definitely intense, especially since we hadn't seen the mutants yet.

[John Holland]

I remember seeing " The Omega Man " when it came out it was a very dark movie and Charlton Heston gave a good performance , didnt see a lot of the zombies which is a good thing anyway dont know if i will bother to see this remake .

[Dave Thompson]

Hey Fellows,

 

Just wanted to set the record straight about "IAL". First I was the B/steadicam op on the first unit and present for every single shot done(even some of the second unit, as we had many crossover days). The film was shot in the anamorphic format using the C, E and Primo lenses with the Primo 11-1 and 2-1. Our focus pullers spent an incredible amount of time and effort in prep to find matching lenses for both the 1st and 2nd units. The footage that is spherical is the nite evacuation scenes. The choose to go spherical for that sequence was for the sake of ease and lighting. Attacking a sequence of that scale and caliber was not going to be easy. All nites for a week and a half with extra cameras,helicopters, tanks, boats etc. and thousands of extras it was the start of a logistical nightmare that was executed rather seamlessly.

 

Focus Pullers Gregor Tavenner and Bobby Mancuso(some of the finest in the biz) did an awesome job. Working almost wide open on an anamorphic movie that is 90% handheld is an unbelievable task and both preformed flawlessly! I can not say enough about the job they did.

 

The opening sequence with Shelby Mustang was shot with a real car. The only CG shot is the overhead birds eyeview of NYC with the car driving in the bottom of the frame. 2nd Unit did most of the free driving work with the car going at actual speed being pursued or tracked by the Russian Arm fellows. The footage with Will and the dog was done mainly with the car attached to the Go Mobile.

 

I would be more than happy to answer any questions you may have about the shoot. Fire away!

[Max Jacoby]

The footage that is spherical is the nite evacuation scenes.

Ah so that's where the spherical bokeh I noticed in the trailer comes from. Thanks for clearing that up Dave.

 

So if 90% of the film is handheld, I suppose it is Cs and Es then mostly, right? Or did you put the Primos in handheld/steadicam mode also? And did you find yourself favouring any focal lenghts in particular?

[Dave Thompson]

Lense wise we didnt really stick to a specific formula. The C series lenses we had were reglassed and pretty much had the same characteristics as the the E's and Primos. As for what went on what, we handheld everything. The C's were mostly on the A camera, as we(B) did mostly the tighter work on the 135 and 180 E's an some of CF Primos.. On the steadicam we mostly stuck with the C's, but at times put the E and Primo series on. We even handheld the 11:1 for some crazy shots. If my memory is correct we mostly stayed in the 35 to 75 range, but it really depended on the shot. Saying that I remember doing some 28mm shots and some pretty extreme low angle prism work. An interesting side note is that because of the minimum focus on the anamorphic lenses a lot of the shots were done with Diopters. The AC's had a great system with their Prestons were they could switch diopters and rings and be ready almost instantly.

 

As for the VFX work anamorphic gets a bit tricky. We had to shoot charts at every distance for every lens for them to map.