December 14, 2020
Savage VFX
Watch the reels from Savage VFX:
1. Mank VFX Breakdown
2. UNREAL: San Simeon Set
Sky replacement work using Unreal Engine to create a 3D model of the set and the sky with the clouds, for full consistency between the numerous shots.
December 11, 2020
Artemple – Hollywood
David Fincher’s Digital Filmmaking Prowess Brings Golden Age Hollywood to Life.
Territory Studio travels back to the golden era of 1930s Hollywood, delving into the development of ‘Citizen Kane’ in David Fincher’s ‘Mank‘.
December 9, 2020
Territory Studio
The brief was to recreate a section of 1930s Wilshire Boulevard to play on an LED rear projection behind Mank and his wife Sara. Authenticity was key, we wanted to ensure this recreation blended into the background seamlessly and convincingly. The final sequence feels very much as David described in our initial brief: “We’re making a 1930s style film with rear projection, but with the very latest digital technology we’ve been able to improve upon it and transport the audience back to Hollywood’s golden era.”
Simon Carr, VFX Supervisor at Territory Studio:
“It was a great privilege to work on such a visually stunning movie for an eminent director, and to be able to dive into recreating the period details of 1930’s Wilshire Boulevard. To see the sequence come together in-camera as a perfect blend of old style and new technique is the essence of how VFX should be used.”
‘Mank’: Inside the World of a Synthetic LA and LED Screens
Ian Failes
December 10, 2020
befores & afters
Territory recreates Wilshire Boulevard for Mank
Jon Creamer
December 11, 2020
Televisual
Ben Mankiewicz and David Fincher
Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz reports on the film about his grandfather.
Ben Mankiewicz
October 25, 2020
CBS News Sunday Morning
It is arguably the most famous word ever spoken on film: Rosebud. And it comes from what many consider the greatest movie ever made. “Citizen Kane,” Orson Welles‘ 1941 masterpiece on the rise and fall of Charles Foster Kane, a ruthless capitalist mostly based on newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst.
With its deep focus camerawork and bold lighting techniques that use shadows to direct the audience’s attention, “Citizen Kane” is a cinematic landmark.
So it’s only fitting that the story behind it is equally compelling.
And that’s the story director David Fincher tells in his new Netflix film. I spoke to Fincher on Stage 19 at Paramount Studios, where Welles made Citizen Kane 80 years ago.
“When you look at a movie that is cohesive, as ‘Kane’ was, from the authorship standpoint, it fires on all cylinders,” Fincher told me.
Fincher’s film is called “Mank.” Oscar winner Gary Oldman stars as Herman Mankiewicz, who Welles hired to write the screenplay for “Kane.”
Full disclosure, Herman Mankiewicz was my grandfather.
This ‘Mindhunter’ promo needed something very, very specific. Territory studio delivered.
Ian Failes
December 3, 2019
befores & afters
If you’ve watched David Fincher’s Mindhunter series about the development of the FBI’s Behavioural Science Unit from the late 1970’s through to 1980s, then you’ll already know there’s a certain kind of meticulousness to the Netflix show in each episode.
Well, that same kind of detail was added even to this promo for season 2 of series that got shown on social media. And it all revolved around…a microphone.
Tasked with creating a mic in between agents Ford and Tench in a police interrogation cell was Territory Studio, which also handled a few other clean-ups in the push-in shot.
Here’s the story, step-by-step, of how Territory – led by VFX Supervisor Simon Carr and VFX Producer Robin D’Arcy – researched the prop itself (even taking a used version apart), modeled it in CG and finished the shot.
November 1, 2019
Territory Studio
Charting the development of the FBI’s behavioural science unit in late 1970’s USA, and based on the true-crime book ‘Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit‘, Netflix‘s TV series required an effortless recreation of time and place.
We worked with the production team behind Netflix’s second season of Mindhunter, initially to produce a promo shot which was published across their social media channels, and then to create some stand-alone VFX shots. The scene shots ranged from creating CG backdrops, torches and microphones, to recreating authentic vehicles and helicopters for search scenes. This fascinating series allowed us to become part of legendary Director, David Fincher’s world.
From promo shots…
With microphones providing a pivotal accessory throughout both seasons, we were asked to create a teaser recreating their iconic first microphone, which also features in the opening credits, in CG. The teaser was used across their official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram channels before the launch of season 2, garnering hundreds of thousands of views.
… to final scene shots…
Providing final shots in 6K meant working in the finest of detail, at the highest quality. Working closely with Fincher, and the producer, Peter Mavromates, feedback was precise and invaluable, making for a smooth and speedy process. From researching types of trees for the woodland car scene, to playing with atmospheric lighting and weather conditions, we enjoyed this project from start to finish.
October 31, 2019
artemplehollywood (vimeo)
Breakdown reel showcasing David Fincher‘s invisible visual effects in the Netflix Original Series Mindhunter, Season 2.
Techmoan (YouTube)
May 5, 2018
A ‘joyously nerdy’ video in which I attempt to assemble all the components to recreate the reel-to-reel title sequence from the Netflix Show Mindhunter.
hifiengine: the Portable Stereo Reel-to-Reel Tape Recorder Sony TC-510-2 (or Sony TC-5550-2 in Japan)
The Tapeheads forums: “Looking for the sony tc-510”
The RPF forums: “The Tape Recorder from Netflix MINDHUNTER” (“David wants perfect”)
New Mindhunter style metal 5″ reels can be bought from Righteous Reels.
Special thanks to Jason Moore (on Patreon) for the tip regarding The Professionals episode.
The music used in my recreation of the title sequence is ‘Spirit Of the Dead‘ – by Aakash Ghandi and is from the youtube audio library (Download link).
NOTE: The TDK tape leader was created specifically for the sequence with CGI to hide the original Sony one:
Ollin VFX 2018 Demo reel
Ollin VFX (vimeo)
December 12, 2017
October 20, 2017
artemplehollywood (vimeo)
Breakdown reel showcasing David Fincher‘s invisible visual effects in the Netflix Original Series Mindhunter.
Thanks to Joe Frady
