07/11/2015

TheVFXfactor|TheIndianExpress

Home Entertainment Screen The VFX factor

The VFX factor

An increasing number of Bollywood films are relying on VFX to add
supplementry touches to their films, be it to recreate an era or simply
enhance the natural surroundings. Screen takes a closer look at how
VFX has become the way to go for most film-makers
Comments (0)

VFX in Kick

Director Vikram Bhatts latest venture, Creature 3D, has touched new heights in
technology, becoming the first Bollywood film to have a unique creature with
mythological roots, made completely by VFX, playing the lead. Created by
animators at the Prasad EFX Labs based in Chennai, the creature was made using
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CGI animation (a process used for generating animated images by using computer
graphics). This is the first Indian film to show and use an indigenous CGI
animation creature in 3D, without using any help from international studios or
animators. My reference for the creature was the dinosaur in Jurassic Park. We
wanted our creature to look better than that and when I met one of the artists
working on our film, he said That was 1993! Ab toh visual effects aur bhi advanced

ho gaya hain, mentioned Bhatt at a recent promotional event of the film.

With several VFX studios springing up in the country, Bollywood film-makers are
not shying away from using visual effects (better known as its abbreviated term
VFX) to enhance different elements in the film. One of the earliest Bollywood films
to use heavy VFX shots was the Harman Baweja Priyanka Chopra starrer Love

Story 2050, that used around 1200 VFX shots, but even the VFX couldnt help save
the film as it bombed at the box- office. But, it was the Shah Rukh Khan starrer

Ra.One (2011) that became the first Bollywood film to raise the bar of VFX
techniques, using as many as 2500 VFX shots in the film. Eventually, the Hrithik
Roshan starrer Krrish 3 (2013) marched ahead, with a record breaking 3500 VFX
shots in more than 50 sequences. The most recent release that had a fairly good
number was Aamir Khans Dhoom 3 (by Tata Elxsi) and Salman Khans Kick (by
Prime Focus) with 1500 and 1000 VFX shots respectively. In fact, the popular scene
where Khan confidently crosses the railway track, despite a speeding train
approaching him, was shot with a chroma key green screen in the background. The
train, obviously, was all part of the visual effects.
These examples not only point out the excellence achieved by the Indian VFX
industry, but also the increasing use of technology in Bollywood films. Before its
use became extensive in Indian cinema, VFX studios based in the country were
mostly busy catering to Hollywood projects and a few feature length films where
the plot required extensive VFX. But, the scenario is not the same anymore, with
almost every modest to big budget film these days requiring a minimum of 100 or
even more VFX shots (on an average). Hence, around 70 75 per cent films today
require visual effects. Pankaj Khandpur, Creative Director Tata Elxsi, the studio
that has worked on the VFX of films like Ek Tha Tiger, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and

Dhoom 3 stated, From a typical Hindi film that required 100-200 VFX shots until
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five years ago, we are now doing 1000+ shots per film. The scenario is definitely
changing. Close to 60 -70 people work in a core VFX team of any well known
studio, while the number of additional artists may range anywhere around 200,
depending on the requirement of the project.
Earlier, VFX work would come into the picture only during the post-production, but
studios are now involved in the process with film-makers in the pre-production
stage itself. Most VFX studios believe that a well researched and detailed preproduction helps in bringing out the best of the visual effect elements in films and
is a must. The VFX pre-production involves development of the concept and the
use of pre-visualisation. If VFX is an integral part of the project and the script is
ready, the process must automatically take over. It is during this stage, that we have
detailed discussions with art directors, cinematographers and film-makers, prepare
a story board and see if there are portions where the budget can be brought down
by choosing VFX instead. There is a big advantage in using VFX for certain kinds of
sequences and fortunately, Indian film-makers are finally waking up to it.
Extensive VFX may increase the budget, but it can also be economical. It is much
cheaper to create images on a computer screen, as compared to taking the entire
cast and crew to an exotic location to shoot, mentioned Viral Thakkar, Creative
Director Pixion, which has worked on films like Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and even
parts of pre-production VFX shots in Krrish 3 (the project was eventually taken over
by Red Chillies VFX at a later stage). He further added that although the VFX
department still doesnt get the respect it deserves in Bollywood, since it is quite an
integral part these days, things are slowly changing and I personally believe we are
heading towards a positive direction.
But not all films are VFX centric. Flagship VFX projects may include single scenes
that can take anywhere between four five months to work on. The trailer of

Krrish 3 alone took six months to make, while the film took more than a year. But a
few other projects, where the effects are intelligently blended into the background
or surroundings, may require a more subtle approach and lesser time. A good
example would be last years release Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, that required
simple VFX (done by Prime Focus) that was subtly integrated into the skin of the
story. The VFX of the entire film took four months to deliver. Such films have
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standard requirement of effects that include crowd multiplication, journey shots in

trains and cars, weather transitions, colour changes in the environment among
others. Even Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, that was delivered in a tight schedule of 90
days, involved a lot of VFX, that had to blend in with the surroundings and were
used to enhance the environment, create the bridge where Sonam (Kapoor) and
Farhan (Akhtar) are seen spending time together and even the stadiums, which
required maximum work, since the crowd and the ambience had to resemble a
particular era. At the end of the day, when you watch the film, one cant make out if
it is all VFX or the real footage, mentioned Thakkar.
Keeping in mind the endless possibilities that VFX can offer, Bollywood film-makers
today know that it is their biggest trump card. Earlier, they would make do with
stock shots that a studio would have, but that concept is fast becoming extinct. We
have never used stock footage in any of our projects. Every VFX shot is custom
created and that is the need of the hour, adds Khandpur.
But despite everything going for it, very few Indian producers or film studios are
willing to shell out more than 10 per cent of the entire films budget on the VFX.
Our technology, methodology and software is completely at par with Hollywood.
We are using the same techniques for India as Hollywood uses. In fact, we deliver
Hollywood projects as well from India. The gap is only between budgets. If you
compare the situation to that of Hollywood, a high-action or VFX-heavy film would
have a VFX budget of at least 15 to 30 per cent (or even more) of the total budget. In
Bollywood films, the ratio is much less, adds Khandpur. Thakkar is being
optimistic about the future, as he believes that with technology and infrastructure
getting better, and the ever rising demand for VFX, the budget gap may diminish in
the next five years.
Computer movements decoded

When it comes to VFX, a lot of people confuse the term with special effects and even
animation. We got Pankaj Khandpur of Tata Elxsi to decode the terms for us
*Animation:

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Typically, it displays animated characters on computer-generated backgrounds (For

example: Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Roadside Romeo among others).
*Visual Effects (VFX):
The creation/addition of computer generated (or live) elements on the already shot
real, live action footage.
*Special Effects:
It is used to differentiate from VFX (mentioned above) and generally means
physical, non computer-generated effects (For example: Real fire, actual stunts,
actual vehicles blowing up etc).

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