Georges Tornero is evolving in the visual effects since almost 15 years. He has worked for many studios such as Duboi, Modus FX, Rodeo FX or CGEV. He has participated on many projects like Asterix & Obelix : Mission Cleopatre, Le fabuleux destin d’Amelie Poulain, Alexander or Jane Eyre.

What is your background?
Well this will be now 15 years that I’m working in postproduction, in compositing. Mainly on feature films, on softwares such as After Effects, Flame and Nuke today.
I worked with studios like Duran Duboi, Eclair, Efx India or Modus Fx Fx and Rodeo in Montreal. Since 2012, I am with CGEV (Compagnie Générale Visual Effects) where I supervise compositing.

On which sequences have you worked?
I mainly worked on Stadium and Molène sequences.

The film has a huge variety of screens. How did you work on that?
As usual, we filmed all those shots with screens that broadcast a green uniform background. Then, in post production, was replaced the green by the elements that have been selected or filmed elsewhere by the director, then we add all the necessary techniques for the proper integration of these elements into the TV (defocus, grain, brightness, distortion on the image for some old TV, etc.).

Can you tell us more about the scenes involving a ball?
Many balloons are real in the film, the actors have a certain talent to kick a ball… However, there are some sequences where we had no choice but to create a CG ball to help achieve some accurate shots (kicks, penalties) or some technically complicated figures (juggling). The actor then faking a kick without the ball, and then, once the shot on our screens, we only need to add a CG ball to get the desired path.

Does the actors were free in their movement or should they follow a choreography?
There was no choreography for the football scenes. We did not interfere in their comedy by imposing precise movements. We give them “carte blanche” to do what they want. Olivier Dahan, the director, preferred that they find their own play style, quirky, unlikely to increase the impact of comic. This is why Gad Elmaleh has a very personal way to juggle in the film.

What was the size of the field of FC Molène?
This is a field of normal size, located in the heart of the Fontainebleau forest.

Was there bluescreen around the set or did you rely on roto?
Many roto, only roto and lots of hair reconstruction.

Can you tell us more about the creation of the background with many boats?
It was an interesting part, because we had to replace the background, a forest set, with a set of sea, with boats, fumaroles, etc..
It is a mixture of matte painting and filmed elements. We had as references the other shots that were filmed in front of sea at other moments in the film.


Did you need to do face replacement for the football scenes?
No, all the actors have a real talent for this sport. There was no digital doubles.

How do you populated the various stadium?
Alain Carsoux and Guillaume Le Gouez have filmed the crowd elements in multipass. Different angles, different places and reactions. We reassembled the layers to fill the stadium in Nuke. The tracks were made either camtracker of NukeX, or Mocha, or even 3dEqualizer.

Is there an invisible shot that you would like to reveal to us?
I think we have nothing to hide.

What was the biggest challenge on this project and how did you achieve it?
The challenge was to find the best solutions to not go into a lot of CG crowd process – either by particles or by Massive for example – that we would put us out of deadline.
With a schedule so tight – 3 months – we had carved our pipeline closer. We need to well select the shots to do in Carnap, in corner pin or just in 2D for example.
At the peak of production, we were barely thirty artists.


Was there a shot or a sequence that prevented you from sleep?
No, there was no sleepless night, just a little dense days, but on a short period of time.

What did you keep from this experience?
The confirmation that a well-prepared shot will be a well made shot.

How many shots in the film?
In all, over 360.

How long have you worked on this film?
12 weeks.

What is your next project?
I am currently working on LES REINES DU RING by Jean-Marc Rudnicki and the next one should be the new film by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, SPIVET.

What are the four movies that gave you the passion for cinema?
Difficult to answer. Say after the period of Disney – BERNARD AND BIANCA for example – then spaghetti westerns – THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY, … – I think science fiction films like DUNE or BLADE RUNNER made that today I often have a pen in my hand.

A big thanks for your time.

// WANT TO KNOW MORE?

CGEV: Official website of CGEV.





© Vincent Frei – The Art of VFX – 2012

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