Crudelia, Walt Disney Pictures / Esclusiva Accesso VIP Disney+ Opzioni

[Mattezena]

Comunque visti i cambiamenti apportati all'interno del film, credo che la saga si discosterà totalmente dal classico... un po' come per Maleficent.

Beh non mi sembra un'intuizione tanto nuova, già si capiva dal fatto che sia ambientato negli anni '70, che Rudy e Anita siano completamente diversi dal cartone e che il rapporto tra Crudelia, Orace e Jasper sia totalmente diverso da quello del cartone (oltre al fatto che nel cartone loro due hanno minimo 55-60 anni). Mi sembra palese che si tratti di un reboot totale ispiratissimo a Joker e non un prequel/spin off

[The Little Merma...]

Beh non mi sembra un'intuizione tanto nuova, già si capiva dal fatto che sia ambientato negli anni '70, che Rudy e Anita siano completamente diversi dal cartone e che il rapporto tra Crudelia, Orace e Jasper sia totalmente diverso da quello del cartone (oltre al fatto che nel cartone loro due hanno minimo 55-60 anni). Mi sembra palese che si tratti di un reboot totale ispiratissimo a Joker e non un prequel/spin off

In realtà non è così scontato come pensi. Leggendo in giro ci sono parecchi commenti di gente che crede sia la storia antecedente al film del 1996.
Sembrerà palese a te ma, credimi, per molti non lo è.

[Daydreamer]

Infatti, il pubblico medio ha visto i film della Close 20 anni fa e non si ricorda i dettagli della storia (manco quelli del Classico alcuni) ma i caratteri dei personaggi. Già la Crudelia dei primi anni '90 aveva una casa di moda, si sono visti servizi fotografici e figurini di abiti. Quindi i film della Close sembrano la naturale prosecuzione di questa nuova versione.

[Beast]

Infatti, il pubblico medio ha visto i film della Close 20 anni fa e non si ricorda i dettagli della storia (manco quelli del Classico alcuni) ma i caratteri dei personaggi. Già la Crudelia dei primi anni '90 aveva una casa di moda, si sono visti servizi fotografici e figurini di abiti. Quindi i film della Close sembrano la naturale prosecuzione di questa nuova versione.

Con Crudelia, Gaspare e Orazio che, dagli anni '70 ai '90 sono giustamente invecchiati, mentre Roger e Anita no, Pongo e Peggy che superano qualsiasi record di vecchiaia in un dalmata.
Per questo, come scritto nella mia rece, non c'è per davvero continuity e sarebbe meglio evitare il pesante citazionismo fine a se stesso. Per usare un linguaggio d'attualità, possiamo al massimo ipotizzare un multiverso

[veu]

Dal sito Collider:

'Cruella' Director Craig Gillespie on the Script's Evolution, Wink, and Sequel Ideas

The filmmaker also talks about the tonal balancing act and figuring out how to get around the "puppy killer" problem.

From director Craig Gillespie, the live-action flick Cruella explores the early days of one of cinema’s most notorious villains, from her rebellious school years as Estella (Emma Stone) to that of the punk rock-inspired fashionista Cruella. Her flair for fashion catches the eye of the terrifying Baroness von Hellman (Emma Thompson), who puts a series of events in motion, in an attempt to preserve her own legendary fashion empire, that lead to surprising revelations and some wicked revenge.

During a 1-on-1 interview with Collider, Gillespie talked about how this project evolved into a film that he was excited to make, the challenge in finding the tone, why they don’t really have many deleted scenes, how talented the supporting cast was at improvising, when they realized that Wink was stealing the movie, the leeway that Disney gave him, and whether he’d like to see more of Cruella’s story get told. He also talked about why he wanted to tell the story being told in Pam and Tommy, the appeal of the ‘80s set TV series Physical, and making a Chippendales movie.

Collider: Disney likes to turn their animated stories into live-action film and they love a good villain origin story, and this fits into both of those categories. When this project was first brought to you and you heard the name Cruella, what was your immediate reaction to that? Was it something you were intrigued by? Did you want to hear more? Did you have hesitation?

CRAIG GILLESPIE: Yes, yes, and yes. I got a call from Sean Bailey (president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production). It was crazy. I was actually working on something else and almost about to do another movie, and he called and said, “Hey, are you gonna be doing that film?” And I said, “Why do you ask?” He was like, “What do you think about Cruella with Emma Stone, set in 1970s punk London.” That combination, to me, just sounded amazing. I was very intrigued with that. And so, they sent the script over, and the script wasn’t what I felt that I could excel at. It was a little bit more straight with the narrative and the drama, and I really wanted to infuse this energy and this tone and this playfulness to it. That gave me some pause, as to whether I could actually even get it to that point. I wasn’t sure if I could really get it to a place that suited my sensibility. But then, we talked to Tony McNamara. I was working on a project with him, and Emma had just done The Favourite with him, and Disney was supportive, so he came in and did a rewrite. Once we got that rewrite, then I was like, “All right, now I’ve got a movie. Now I know what I can do with this.”

When that rewrite happened, was the ending what we see now?

GILLESPIE: The skeleton of the movie was there. Dana Fox had really cracked that. That ending was in place and the duality of what was going on. What Tony brought to it was really upping the attitude and the punk vibe of it with Cruella and just that conflict between the Baroness and Cruella. That dialogue and the amount of screen time they ended up getting, he devised that structure where she goes undercover for the second half of the movie, so they get to stay together on screen a lot. That was huge, to crack that. That’s when it’s fun, when the two of them in a room together.

This is such an interesting movie because you’ve got these dueling diva storylines, dueling fashion and fashion shows, dueling dogs, and you’ve got a great bunch of supporting characters. What are the biggest challenges in weaving all of that together, giving it enough screen time without ever overshadowing anything, and also making sure it’s the length of a movie?

GILLESPIE: There’s a lot crammed into that, and it’s probably more than most people expect to be crammed into it. It’s a fast, aggressive way, in terms of storytelling. Even though I give it the luxury of places where we get to have music and I design around the music, the scenes are very economical. First and foremost was really figuring out that character journey for Cruella and the dynamic between Cruella and the Baroness, and tracking what’s going on between them. Then, you get to hang all of this other excitement around it and all of these set pieces on it. The characters have to make sense, as far as what they’re going through emotionally. Once that was figured out, then I would just pile on all of this extra stuff on top and get stuff layered.

Do you have a lot of deleted scenes for this?

GILLESPIE: We don’t have a lot of deleted scenes. I design it. I sit down and shot list with my DP, Nicolas Karakatsanis, and we figure it out. It’s shot to edit. The way we shoot the scenes, we know which shot goes with which shot, so it all comes together. I think there’s one scene with the Baroness where she cuts up one of Cruella’s designs. It’s probably 45 seconds, and we lost that scene. It was modulating the humor in the third act. Paul [Walter Hauser] does so much fun stuff. It was about how much we wanted to keep the gravity of what’s going on versus having these punctuations of humor. That’s the only stuff. There are some jokes from Paul that I loved in the third act, that just didn’t fit the tone of where we were, at that point in the film. He’s such a great improviser that there’s endless alt lines from him.

You have these two characters at the center of your story, that are as big as Cruella and the Baroness are, but you also have a great supporting cast, with Horace, Jasper , and Artie. What did you love about what that trio of actors – Paul Walter Hauser, Joel Fry, and John McCrea – and brought to their roles?

GILLESPIE: The actors are amazing. I really pushed for Paul Walter Hauser because I had such a great experience with him on I, Tonya. And then, Joel Frey came in and audition and just blew me away with his heart and his humanity, but also his dance with humor. And John McCrea was just a revelation to find. We wanted to find somebody that was very grounded and not a cliche, in any way, and who had his own personality. There wasn’t as much on the page for those characters, but they’re all such great improvisers that every opportunity, we would add stuff. The first time they did the birthday cake scene together, I came in that morning and Joel had come up with the guitar and came in singing with the guitar. I gave him a cake and said, “Let’s have this cake be stolen.” And then, there was this whole riff about like the cake being stolen. They all bounced off of each other during the take and it all came alive. That kind of stuff happened constantly, anytime they were together.

At what point did you realize that little Wink was stealing the show, and did you just have to give in and let that happen?

GILLESPIE: It’s funny, we were shooting that scene at the Black and White Ball, and there was a shot of Wink, in the rat outfit and the eye patch, and we’re pushing in on him and he’s growling at the camera. I was just focused on getting the shot, pushing in, and getting the growl at the right time. I stopped and turned around, and the crew behind me was just cracking up. My continuity script person was in tears and I was like, “What’s going on? Did I miss something?” They were like, “No, the shot is just so damn adorable.” He really became a star, at that point. Once he put on that rat outfit, that was it.

We’ve started getting the first glimpses of Pam and Tommy. What made you want to tell that story and what is your goal with that series?

GILLESPIE: The writing is amazing on that. It’s funny, I was just so intrigued with the story and, in some ways, it’s very similar to I, Tonya with the surprise of it. There’s the victimization of the media and what happened with that tape that was such an affront to them, and how it really ultimately severely damaged their personal life and her career. There’s this situation with the public who snicker and go, “Oh, yeah, I know that story. They sold it.” But people just don’t know the story. In a way, it, again makes us complicit, as a society and with the consumption of the media, that we do this without any consideration for the humans involved in it. It does that same interesting thing, where we go in being complicit because we wanna see it and relive this, and then halfway through it, we realize that we’re the problem, as an audience. You really get to land on an emotional human level with Pam, which is what they did so beautifully with the scripts.

I still can’t wrap my brain around the fact that it’s Lily James playing Pamela Anderson. Do you feel like the photos that have been released really have proven any doubters of her casting wrong?

GILLESPIE: I would think so, but that’s just the physicality of it. She’s so done her homework. It’s always a scary thing when you’re portraying somebody that’s a real-life figure that so iconic because there’s gonna be that scrutiny. People are familiar with Pamela Anderson. So, the homework she’s done, in terms of the body language and movement and voice, is incredibly impressive.

I love how visual the work is that you’re doing, from I, Tonya to Cruella to Pam and Tommy, and even Physical and the ‘80s aerobics scene. What interested you in that era and how did you want to approach the whole ‘80s Southern California aesthetic?

GILLESPIE: It’s always the writing first, in every case. The writing from Annie Weisman just had me immediately. It’s a very interesting story of self-loathing with a completely different projection of her persona on the outside, but then with her inner voice. That dichotomy felt very honest and real and fascinating to explore. It was such a tricky time that I was so excited to work on with Rose [Byrne]. And then, all of the other stuff comes secondary. It’s like, “Okay, now I’ve gotta create this world that feels plausible, but doesn’t take you out of the show and still keeps you invested in the characters.” I just love when you’re in that tone. It’s this tone of both having fun with moments of being laugh out loud funny, but then, within the same scene, breaking your heart. I’m just attracted to that writing.

I don’t know what to make of the fact that I now love Cruella, as a character. Do you feel like there is more of her story to tell? Would you like to see her story continue in another film?

GILLESPIE: I feel like we’ve only just met her. I’d love to now see the full-blown Cruella, fully loaded. She’s managed to get the support system around her and she can really expand on her brand. I’d love to see where that takes her and how you could almost destroy her from inside out, if she’s not careful with all that power.

Would you like to be the one directing another story of hers, if that happens?

GILLESPIE: If it was with this gang. It was such a joy to work with everybody, and Tony writing it, and Disney was so supportive. They really fostered a feeling of safety where we could just really go for it without the repercussions. We all were pushing it all the time and thinking, “I don’t know if Disney’s gonna be okay with this,” but they would always call and be okay.

This is also a project where you would want to include references and nods to the original cartoon, but it’s also a balancing act because you want to honor that without overshadowing what you’re doing. How did you handle that?

GILLESPIE: It’s a huge balancing act. I didn’t grow up being an enormous fan of 101 Dalmations. It was always this dance for me because I’m so about the tone and our characters and not compromising them. There were certain things that they would wanna get in the film that were a nod, and I did enjoy that challenge. The biggest one was obviously the puppy killer. I loved what we came up with, which was that in the media, she’s a puppy killer, and she owns it and uses it to her advantage. Whether or not she is not necessarily entirely clear. We know what’s going on, as an audience, but for the public, that’s her persona. I loved the way that we got to create that.

It was announced last year that you’d signed on to do a Chippendales movie with Dev Patel. Since then, Kumail Nanjiani is doing a TV series and there’s a documentary being made. What interested you in telling that story and why do you think there’s so much interest now in it?

GILLESPIE: I dunno. I’ve not yet figured out why I’m constantly attracted to outsiders and misinterpreted misfit characters. That seems to be my thing, for some reason, more than anything. He was an immigrant to this country. I came here from Australia when I was 19, and to New York City and living in a YMCA and knowing nobody. I experienced that beginning, to some degree, to a very different extent, obviously. His story and his journey and the American dream is fascinating to me, and how it imploded on him. That was the interest for me. It gets such a visual setting and it’s one of those stories you can’t make up. Ultimately, how it ends in this tragic way is so surprising. It was so rich. It’s such rich territory for me.

Is it fun to have a little bit of friendly competition, with so many projects on the same subject being developed?

GILLESPIE: I’ve gotten to a point where everybody’s gonna do their own take on it. I know the take that I wanna do and what my interpretation of it is, so I just stay singularly focused on that because that’s my voice. I think there’s room for all of it.

What’s the best part about getting a front row seat to watching Emma Stone and Emma Thompson together?

GILLESPIE: Those guys are such masters of their craft that there’s never a wrong take. They’re just so in control of the versatility that they have. What was amazing was to have that opportunity for them to do it with this writing. That kind of tone is honestly one of the trickier things for an actor to do, and if I don’t have the right actor, I can’t do it. They’re so amazing and being able to do that dance between knowing where the humor is and where the drama and the emotional resonance of the scene is. To see them doing it together and duking it out and playing off of each other that way, was just amazing to watch, all the time. Every time I had a scene with them, it was my favorite day. In terms of coverage, it was just about putting the camera right in front of them. They just hold the screen.

You talked about being surprised at some of the stuff that you were able to get away with without really any pushback on it. Was there ever anything that Disney objected to? Did they ever have any notes on anything, or did you feel like you had a real freedom to tell the story that you wanted to tell?

GILLESPIE: There were maybe a couple of times where they had reservations, and I would shoot it two ways. To their credit, it ended up in the movie, which is amazing. They allowed me to shoot it both ways, so it was really supportive, in that sense. It worked out.

Cruella is in theaters and available to stream at Disney+ Premier Access.

[Under the sea]

Spero un giorno di riuscire a reperire la prima sceneggiatura di crudelia come ho fatto con quella di Maleficent.
Di solito sono molto più interessanti perché si riesci a vedere la vera base che sta sotto il film e la vera idea che c'è dietro.
Per Maleficent la prima sceneggiatura era molto meglio,era molto più contestualizzata ,e spiegava tutto:dal nome alla gerarchia di potere tra fate, all'aspetto diverso di Malefica ma anche il perché lei viene vista come malvagia da tutti.
Il fatto che venisse colpevolizzata per quello che era successo era davvero moderno e forte,molto struggente.
Lei qui rimaneva sempre con una vena di malvagità (essendo mezza demone).
Peccato che alla fine il film sia stato svuotato delle sue idee, specialmente perché delle idee solide c'erano.

Messaggio modificato da Under the sea il 2/6/2021, 0:04

[Daydreamer]

Hai ragione, di Maleficent addirittura girarono l'intero prologo, con un'altra attrice, India Isley, similissima alla Jolie, tra l'altro. Ma poi rigirarono tutto, perché le voci dicevano che l'attrice non funzionava e forse pure le proiezioni test non erano andate bene. Ma come si può tagliare personaggi interpretati da Miranda Richardson nel ruolo della Regina delle Fate e Peter Capaldi nel ruolo della fata consorte? Me lo domando ancora . C'era pure la figura oscura del padre di Malefica...
Da allora io non ricerco più spasmodicamente le sceneggiature, perché poi mi creo sempre il rimpianto di quello che sarebbe potuto essere e finisco poi per inficiare irrimediabilmente la visione del film.
Se mi capitasse la sceneggiatura di film attesissimi come Come d'Incanto 2, Biancaneve e La Sirenetta li leggerei comunque, figuriamoci tuttavia, generalmente anche nei dvd, nei contenuti relativi ai dietro alle quinte ecc., anche qui si tende sempre a scoprire qualcosa di più che sarebbe potuto essere e invece non è stato, per cui spesso non li visiono perché capita praticamente così per tutti i film, quello di essere stati sempre migliori a livello produttivo, che effettivo poi. Se penso alle ricerche grafiche di Rapunzel, a quello su cui lavoravano e pensavano mi viene ancora 'na rabbia .

[Under the sea]

Si ma infatti potevano aggiustarlo in un altro modo,di certo riscrivere l'intero prologo e appiccicarlo su un film già finito ha portato una serie di problemi.
La cosa che fa più arrabbiare è che se ti vedi le critiche legate a film,molte erano presenti e contestualizzate all'interno della prima sceneggiatura,per esempio:
-il suo nome era malefica perché significa "colei che causa un danno",questo perché sua madre era morta dandola alla luce.
-lei era diversa dalle altre fate perchè suo padre era un redcap,ma in questo caso non era tanto un folletto quando un demone, quindi era mezza fata mezza demone.(le corna invece erano date da una maledizione di sua zia)
-lei sue ali avevano vita propria,ecco perché alla fine del film si muovono da sole e vanno da Malefica.
-Aurora era per un quarto fata,visto che Stefano era il figlio bastardo del re delle fate,e veniva scelta dalla pietra sacra affichè diventasse la regina della brughiera,e non a caso.
-flora fauna e Serenella erano pixie,ecco perché erano più piccole e i loro poteri non potevano competere con quelli di Malefica.
Spero un giorno,magari per l'anniversario,che rieditino e rilascino l'edizione integrale del film.
So che non succederà mai perché questa trama va a scontrasi con quello raccontato nel 2,ma io voglio troppo vedere Miranda Richardson e Peter Capaldi come regina e re delle fate.
Di loro ho trovato solo due concept su Internet e nulla più.

[Daydreamer]

Ma davvero, #releasetheoriginalmaleficent.

[veu]

Under The Sea, quali sono le ricerche grafiche della Regina Ulla e del Re delle Fate?
Le metti nel topic di Maleficent?

Anche noi speriamo che realizzino una versione estesa di Maleficent o comunque mostrino le scene eliminate con la Eisley, la Richardson e Capaldi... è uno dei nostri film preferiti di sempre...

[Daydreamer]

Tutta la mia solidarietà.

Da BadTaste

Crudelia: è polemica per una linea d’abbigliamento prodotta senza la costumista Jenny Beavan

Una linea d’abbigliamento ufficialmente ispirata a Crudelia ha scatenato polemiche a causa della decisione della Disney di non coinvolgere la costumista Jenny Beavan in nessuna delle fasi della realizzazione.
La mossa ha messo la Costume Designers Guild sul piede di guerra, come si legge in una dichiarazione rilasciata a Variety:
In quanto costumisti, il nostro operato ha una vita oltre lo schermo. Il nostro lavoro viene riprodotto per giocattoli, costumi, collezioni di moda e altro. Non solo non ci viene concesso di avere percentuali sui profitti del merchandise, ma non veniamo neanche accreditati per il lavoro che facciamo con i progetti originali.
Beavan ha raccontato a Variety di essere stata inizialmente coinvolta dalla Disney per un progetto parallelo e una collezione di moda. Finita la produzione e con il Covid-19 di mezzo, la costumista non ha ricevuto più aggiornamenti in proposito. Poi il mese scorso, qualcuno le ha fatto vedere un post su Instagram di Rag & Bone che promuoveva una collezione ispirata a Crudelia.

“Ero un po’ inorridita” ha raccontato Beavan dalla sua casa a Londra, dove sta lavorando per il prequel di Mad Max su Furiosa. “La questione è che Crudelia è la storia di due stiliste che combattono praticamente a colpi di moda, perciò ho trovato molto irrispettosa quella scelta“.
Beavan non è la prima costumista a essere messa da parte quando si parla di merchandise legato all’uscita din un film. Solamente l’anno scorso è successa la stessa cosa a una collezione ispirata a Birds of Prey, per cui non è stata coinvolta Erin Benach.

[veu]

Dal sito Art of VFX:

Cruella: Max Wood – Overall VFX Supervisor – MPC
By Vincent Frei -28/06/2021

Back in 2018, Max Wood explained in detail the visual effects work on The Nutcracker and the Four Realms. Today he returns to tell us about the origins of Disney’s most famous villain, Cruella!

How did you get involved on this show?

I had previously supervised the VFX on The Nutcracker and the Four Realms for Disney. Dave Taritero, Senior Vice President of Visual Effects for Disney, suggested that I meet with Craig Gillespie, the Cruella Director, to see if we would be a good fit. We discussed the movie, including his style and how he envisaged the VFX working in the movie. We also discussed what Craig had liked, and a lot of what he had not liked about VFX in his previous movies. It gave me a great insight into working with Craig and what to expect. I then met Sarah Tulloch, the VFX producer, and we got on really well and made a for a great team throughout the show.

How was the collaboration with Director Craig Gillespie?

Craig knows what he wants, which is great. He also shoots at a colossal speed and does not like to wait around. There were times where I definitely frustrated him whilst shooting by getting reference but it really paid off in post and he appreciated that in post… I think. In Post Craig was great, he has worked with the same editor, Tanya Riegel, on many movies and they were both great for VFX in terms of rarely changing a take once we were working on a shot. Although, on Christmas Eve Craig told me that he was adding an aerial plate of 1960s London to the movie. We had to add a CG Truck, replace all of the modern-day buildings and boats, change from day to night and replace the sky… with only three weeks of post left to go… Happy Christmas!

How did you organize the work with your VFX Producer?

We knew MPC were the main VFX vendor taking care of the Dogs and the environment work, but we also knew that we had a lot of beauty work (wig line fixes, eye colour correction for young Estella, blemish removal etc) and some de-aging to do. Several vendors who specialise in this type of work did some tests for us on de-aging of the Baroness for the flashback scenes where she appears 25 years younger. After receiving the tests and talking with Ed Bruce from SSVFX we decided they were the team to work on this. They were great!

Can you explain in detail about the dogs creation and animations?

We did photogrammetry of all 8 CG dogs in the movie. We scanned them and took photos in different poses, stood, sat, mouth open (that was a tricky one!), etc… From here we built the dogs, to be as accurate as possible to their live counterparts. MPC used a lot of what they had learnt on both The Lion King and The One and Only Ivan for rigging, muscles, eyes etc. One thing that we did change was the fur shader, from previous shows it was something that we hadn’t been entirely happy with, especially the light scatter through the fur and so we made it a more physically based shader.

Did you receive specific indications and references for their animations?

During the shoot Tom Reagan, our VFX editor, collated all of the shots where we needed to add digital dogs. We then had two days at the end of the shoot with the hero dogs and their trainers where we filmed the dogs doing all of the required actions. As well as having multiple witness cameras we had the MPC asset supervisor, rigging lead and animation supervisor there to watch and learn from the dogs. In post there were several shots where we didn’t have reference for some unplanned Buddy shots, in this instance I spoke to Julie Tottman, Buddy’s trainer and owner, and she kindly filmed some reference for me. In other instances, we would use the internet to source extra reference.

How did you handle the super slow-motion shots?

MPC have a great retime pipeline where you can switch between real time and slow-mo. We did find that we wouldn’t just work at regular speed and retime using the curve that the plate was retimed with, as it needed to be more stylised and more detailed. We found that the shots are so slow that they were very forgiving as to not exactly matching the speed of the plate. The slow-mo shots of the dalmatians jumping and biting at Young Estella’s feet are my favourite shots of the movie, once we added the slow-mo drool coming from the dog’s mouths it really made that short sequence perfect for me.

Can you elaborate about the beautiful dress in fire transition?

We filmed Emma Stone in the red dress performing the each of the shots. We also filmed her performing the same shots with the white cape over the red dress. We knew that the plates would not line up well enough to use the cape as an element but it gave the perfect reference for lighting the cape and also how it moved. We roto-animated Cruella in the red dress and added the CG white cape on top. We did several passes of crude fire FX in comp to get the timing of the fire travelling up the cape across the cut. Once Craig signed off on the timing, we simulated the cloth to feel like burning flash paper (you may have spotted Horace burning flash paper earlier in the movie). We then simulated the fire and added burnt edge to the paper. The final touches were adding smoke, embers and interactive lighting to the plate.

The movie has many impossible camera movements and long continuous shots. How did you prepare shots like these?

We planned each shot in Pre-vis and then tech-vis. The long shot flying over Liberty department store, in through the roof, down to the ground floor and then down into the basement required a lot of planning. Especially as we transitioned through three different cameras, and therefore film back sizes. We start outdoors on the Alexa LF on a drone, the interior decent into Liberty is on the Alexa 65 on a cable rig and then we go to the Alexa Mini on a steady Cam. In total the shot required us to stitch seven plates together. We used the LF and 65 for the extra resolution for re-framing and re-projecting the plate. On set we had a framing grid that we could overlay during shooting and playback on the monitors to see that once cropped to the same resolution the different plates would align.

Can you explain in detail about your work on the factory on fire?

There were two different components to consider with the lair on fire, the interior and the exterior. When shooting the interior SFX did a fantastic job of having real fire surrounding Cruella. Obviously for safety reasons it could only be a fraction of what we needed but it gave us great interactive lighting and also values to aim for in terms of the brightness of real fire. It is very easy in VFX to retain too much of the detail of fire and therefore make it look incorrectly exposed. By having the real fire we had a great target. I then worked with SFX and shot a bunch of elements of fire… fire on the floor, fire up the walls, props on fire etc we then layered them into the comps. The only time the interior shots required CG fire was for when it was hitting the ceiling. We also shot and used a lot of elements of embers.

Stylistically, Craig decided that we wouldn’t add smoke to the scene as he wanted to give it a more graphic feeling. Then… after we had finaled the scene we were asked to add smoke! It was at this moment that I thought Damien Stumpf, MPC’s internal VFX supervisor, might actually kill me, but instead he calmly went away with his team added CG smoke and the scene did indeed look a lot better, it was a good call!

The exterior Shots of the fire were, in a way, much easier as they were fully CG. The base of the building is practical and the upper floor and roof are CG. We used internet-based reference of buildings on fire at night for scale, embers and smoke levels.

Can you explain in detail about the rejuvenation work?

We had to de-age both the Baroness and her Valet, John, for the flashback scenes where we see them both 12 year and 25 years younger. The de-aging work was entirely a 2d process. We scanned each actors face and took reference photography. We also had a stand in actor of the appropriate age so that we could use that as reference of how the skin would look in each specific lighting scenario. Once Craig was happy with our hero shots, we applied the same 2d techniques to the other shots. One of the interesting aspects of de-aging john to 25 years younger was that the wig he was shot in did not suit his younger face. Ed Bruce, SSVFX’s VFX supervisor, gathered ref images of guys at the right age in the right time period and I presented them to Craig. He picked a style and we then gave him CG hair for those flashback scenes.

Which sequence or shot was the most challenging?

The parachute falling scene was the most challenging, it went through several iterations of parachute design and previs until we got something that could be considered close to physically plausible. In this scene we used some elements of Emma Stone’s face but her body, costume and hair are CG throughout.

Did you want to reveal any other invisible effects?

It is not so much an invisible effect, or maybe it is. I love the shot where we are looking at the back of Young Estella brushing her teeth and we can see her reflection in the mirror. As the camera moves closer she ducks out of frame to spit her toothpaste into the sink and adult Estella pops back up, still brushing her teeth. As she walks away, the camera passes through the mirror and we follow her through their lair. It’s not the type of shot where the audience will notice something odd has happened but if you go back and look at it it’s pretty cool. It was probably the shot that gave us the biggest head scratching moment on set, but once we realised how to shoot it, it was actually relatively simple.

Is there something specific that gives you some really short nights?

It was probably during the shoot, it’s the feeling of did we get what we need in camera in order to make this work? Especially for the complex scenes with multiple plates being stitched together, our stitches generally were not the type where we could just line them up easily on the day. As much as I was pretty confident that we got everything, it is always a relief to see it comped and working!

What is your best memory on this show?

Our first review in postproduction where we showed Craig some of our CG dogs already in shots and he was blown away. Getting his faith in the quality of our work early on really lead to a smooth postproduction. I really have to thanks Damien Stumpf, MPC’s VFX supervisor, for putting that together so quickly as it made my job a lot easier!

How long have you worked on this show?

Too long! Due to Covid post extended by 6 months and so I was on the show for a total of two and a half years.

What’s the VFX shots count?

The show was a total of 1828 shots, 1151 by MPC, 512 by SSVFX and 165 by our great in-house team (Matt Mullarky and Suzette Barnett).

What is your next project?

I’m currently getting ready for prep on another Disney show. It’s a big one that I’m very excited about.

A big thanks for your time.

WANT TO KNOW MORE?
MPC: Dedicated page about Cruella on MPC website.
Cruella: You can now watch Cruella on Disney+.

Vincent Frei – The Art of VFX – 2021

[Daydreamer]

Ottima performance.

Da The Disinsider

Disney’s ‘Cruella’ Overperforms: Surpasses $200m Worldwide, Eyes $80m Domestically

Disney’s live action Cruella is proving it has legs as it holds the number 6 position over the holiday weekend and eyes the $80 million mark domestically and surpasses $200 million worldwide. Two benchmarks that were presumed out of reach for the Emma Stone film that was released in theaters and on Disney+ (with premier access) back on May 27th.

Currently Cruella sits at $76.5 million domestically and $204 million worldwide. It is important to note that these box office figures do not take into account the money Disney collected from the Disney+ premier access purchases, which costs customers $29.99 to lease the film, a total that Disney gets to keep to themselves as it is not split among theater chains like a film’s box office totals.

The film is holding very strong as newer films tumble off of the charts after only a few weeks. This was Cruella’s sixth weekend on the charts and it sits at number 6, while films like Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, and In The Heights, were all released more recently and occupy spots 8, 9, and 10.

As we reported earlier, Cruella scored a near perfect rating among fans, which often foretells a movie will stick around for awhile as good word of mouth can add life back into a film’s box office weeks after its initial release. We saw the same thing happen with Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon which continued to rack up healthy box office receipts months after it was initially released.

We will need to wait and see how much more Cruella can add to its totals. A run of $80 million seems very likely domestically, but this weekend’s Black Widow will end up crowding out a lot of the competition, we will have to wait to see how much the upcoming Marvel film will affect Cruella’s numbers. Stay tuned.

[veu]

Dal sito The Disinsider:

Emma Stone Weighing Legal Options Following ScarJo Suit Against Disney

Following yesterday’s news that Scarlett Johansson had filed a lawsuit against Disney, it appears that another actress is also pondering legal action.

According to Former Hollywood Reporter Editor Matt Belloni, Emma Stone might (literally) follow suit and sue Disney too for their decision to simultaneously release Cruella in theaters and on Disney+ via Premier Access.

In his exclusive newsletter titled What I’m Hearing…, Belloni writes,“Emma Stone, star of Cruella, is said to be weighing her options.” He also hinted that Emily Blunt is expected to speak out about the issue following this weekend’s release of Jungle Cruise.

In regards to the situation as a whole, Belloni noted that Disney has garnered a reputation for being “notoriously difficult to deal with,” and added that while many have wanted to stand up and say something about some of the company’s practices for years, Johansson was the first person with the courage to do it.

In case you missed it, Disney was quick to respond to Johansson’s suit. They released a brief statement yesterday which read:

“There is no merit whatsoever to this filing. The lawsuit is especially sad and distressing in its callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Disney has fully complied with Ms. Johansson’s contract and furthermore, the release of Black Widow on Disney+ with Premier Access has significantly enhanced her ability to earn additional compensation on top of the $20M she has received to date.”

Seemingly blaming the pandemic for its need to release Black Widow on Disney+, the company called Johansson’s suit a “callous disregard” for pandemic’s ongoing effects. However, the fact that Disney chose to release its films theatrically despite an ongoing health crisis might also be perceived as a “callous disregard” for the safety of its fans depending on how you view the situation.

Johansson has yet to respond to this statement. Stone has yet to release an official statement on her position either.

This is a developing story, so be sure to follow The DisInsider as we’ll continue to provide updates as they become available.

[Daydreamer]

Oddio che cortocircuito, la Disney farà bene a studiare nuovi contratti in futuro per non trovarsi in simile pantano .

[veu]

sì esatto... la nuova che sta valutando se far causa è Emily Blunt, valuta se gli incassi di Jungle Cruise sono soddisfacenti e poi decide se fare o no causa...

crediamo che la Blunt si scordi di fare la Donna Invisibile nei Fantastici 4 così come la Stone e la Johansson saranno silurate...

[Daydreamer]

Non credo, se quelli fiutano di fare i soldoni, con sprezzo dell'apparenza se le tengono eccome per i sequel. Business is business. Troveranno un modo per accordarsi ma la Johannson, per Tower of Terror, per me resta fuori dai giochi.

[veu]

crediamo anche noi che la Stone e la Blunt per i sequel di Crudelia e Jungle Cruise ci saranno, ed è giusto così... a meno di non recastare i personaggi.. ma è difficile
però crediamo che se prima avevano una possibilità di entrare in Marvel e incassare miliardi perché i contratti Marvel consentono incassi stratosferici (da qui la corsa delle star a fare film di supereroi che vanno per la maggiore al giorno d'oggi), ora come ora se lo scordano sia la Blunt sia la Stone...

[Daydreamer]

Curioso di sapere se la Stone, insieme a tanti altri interpreti di film sull'Uomo Ragno del passato, alla fine comparirà come cameo nel terzo Spider-Man, come qualcuno vocifera (nel ruolo di Spider Gwen aka Ghost Spider)...

[veu]

Dal sito The Wrap:

‘Cruella’ 3rd Most-Watched Streaming Title After Premium Run on Disney+ Ends

Emma Stone’s film about the ”101 Dalmatians“ villain logged 815 million viewing minutes the week of Aug. 23, according to Nielsen

In the week that Disney’s “Cruella” was made available for free on Disney+ after previously being a Premier Access title on the streaming service, the movie starring Emma Stone was the third most-streamed title on the web, according to Nielsen’s weekly streaming rankings.

Nielsen says that “Cruella” was watched for 815 million viewing minutes in its first week available for free on Disney+, which covers the week of August 23-29. It was the third most-streamed title among all movies and shows and easily topped the list of movies for the week.

“Cruella” did well on Disney+ even when it was available for a $30 charge, remaining among the top 10 movies for five straight weeks, but Nielsen says that back in May it only topped out at 362 million viewing minutes compared to the 815 million it put up in August.

For another comparison, Disney’s “Raya and the Last Dragon” had its own spike when it became available on non-premium Disney+, logging 1.078 billion viewing minutes during the week of May 31.

“Cruella” was the one Disney+ title to crack Nielsen’s Top 10 in this particular week, and only one of two movies, the other being Netflix’s “Sweet Girl.” That film, starring Jason Momoa and Isabela Merced, logged 519 million minutes, good enough for #8 on the overall list and #2 on the movies list.

“Cruella” is directed by Craig Gillespie and stars Emma Stone as the monochromed “101 Dalmatians” villain Cruella de Vil in a prequel film. Despite being a Premier Access title, it grossed $86 million domestically at the box office and $233 million worldwide, and the film is already spawning a sequel.

[veu]

Ai World Soundtrack Award , Crudelia ha vinto come miglior canzone originale

Best Original Song

"Call Me Cruella" — Cruella
"Fight for You" — Judas and the Black Messiah
"Hear My Voice" — The Trial of the Chicago 7
"Husavik (My Hometown)" — Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga
"Loyal, Brave, True" — Mulan
"Rain Song" — Minari


Ha concorso a Golden Trailer Awards in tre categorie e ha perso in tutte:

Best Animation/Family

Black Beauty
Cruella — Bad Things/Evil
Frozen 2 — Spirit/Adventure
Mulan— True
Soul — Live
Soul — Chicken Soup
Wolfwalkers — Hope

Best Summer 2021 Blockbuster Trailer

Black Widow — Home
Cruella — Bad Things/Evil
F9: The Fast Saga — Path
Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard
The Suicide Squad — No Problemo
The Suicide Squad — Rebellion
Top Gun: Maverick — Elite

Best Teaser

Antlers — Escape
Cruella — Roar/Sorry
Death on the Nile
Dune — Test
JoJo Rabbit
The Batman — Justice
Top Gun: Maverick — Service


E' stata nominata per due People's Choice Awards:

Drama Movie of 2021

A Quiet Place: Part II
Cruella
Dune
Fatherhood
Halloween Kills
In The Heights
Old
Respect

Drama Movie Star of 2021

Anthony Ramos — In the Heights
Emily Blunt — A Quiet Place: Part II
Emma Stone — Cruella
Jamie Lee Curtis — Halloween Kills
Jason Momoa — Dune
Jennifer Hudson — Respect
Kevin Hart — Fatherhood
Timothée Chalamet — Dune

[theprinceisonfir...]

Cruella vincerà molti premi, pur non essendo un film eccelso rappresenta sicuramente l'apice dei remakes live action disney a livello di qualità; per i costumi mi aspetto l'oscar, per Emma Stone e Emma Thompson una nomination ai golden globes è possibile, mentre la colonna sonora potrebbe essere premiata in svariate cerimonie minori.

[Under the sea]

Secondo me sicuro riceverà l'oscar per i migliori costumi.
In ogni caso per me l'apice live action l'ha raggiunto cenerentola,li sia i costumi piuttosto che le sceneggiature piuttosto che la scrittura piuttosto che il cast erano tutti perfetti!

[-Scrooge McDuck-]

Sinceramente Ho trovato Dune molto più convincente come costumi.
Magari verrò smentito, ma l’Oscar per Crudelia non lo darei così per scontato