Unveiling the Production Process Behind Everything Everywhere All At Once
In a Boris FX Live event, Zak Stoltz, Jeff Desom, Ethan Feldbau, Matthew Waukonen, and Benjamin Brewer (who was unavailable) were interviewed, shedding light on the production of the critically acclaimed film Everything Everywhere All At Once.
The film, known for its otherworldly creativity and DIY approach, has become an inspiration to filmmakers. One of the key elements that contributed to its visual effects (VFX) was the use of Mocha Pro and Continuum plugins. These tools played a significant role in the film's VFX, enabling advanced motion tracking, rotoscoping, and creative image distortions, primarily integrated through Adobe After Effects during the editing process.
Mocha Pro was utilised for planar motion tracking and rotoscoping tasks, which are essential for isolating and manipulating elements within shots. The Power Mesh feature of Mocha Pro allowed for sophisticated face and body distortions, such as in the "bagel scenes." Continuum plugins, on the other hand, were used with After Effects for effects like prism distortions, enhancing the surreal visual style of the film.
The small independent VFX studio, Pretend VFX, relied on these tools alongside others like Blender and Cinema 4D to achieve complex effects. Remarkably, they worked remotely using consumer-level hardware, demonstrating the software's efficiency and flexibility. The Wacom tablet was also instrumental in the rotoscoping and painting tasks, making detailed manual adjustments easier than using a mouse.
Nick Harauz, Continuum's director of product marketing, demonstrated how to recreate the broken mirror look inside an Adobe After Effects workflow during the same event. The Boris FX Live event left attendees feeling creatively energised and wishing they were part of the visual effects team for Everything Everywhere All At Once.
Everything Everywhere All At Once used Mocha Pro and Continuum plugins in its production. The visual effects team's work left an undeniable mark, although they weren't directly nominated for their work. However, Paul Rogers, who has edited only two films, won an Academy Award for Film Editing for Everything Everywhere All At Once.
A free trial of Mocha Pro and Continuum is available for those wanting to get creative with the same tools used in Everything Everywhere All At Once. The visual effects team for the film consisted of a small group of VFX artists/directors, led by Zak Stoltz, who acted as a first-time VFX Supervisor.
Everything Everywhere All At Once is a feel-good story about a group of talented friends coming together to create the right movie at the right time. The goal of the film was to leave audiences with a greater sense of empathy, a mission that has undoubtedly been achieved.
In summary, Mocha Pro and Continuum plugins played a crucial role in the VFX of Everything Everywhere All At Once, enabling efficient collaboration and flexibility, even in an independent, resourceful production environment. The tools were part of the primary workflow in Adobe After Effects for shot compositing and visual effect creation, contributing to the film's unique and captivating visual style.
[1] Source: Art of the Cut and Boris FX
Additional Fact:
- The Daniels (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert) are the writers and directors of Everything Everywhere All At Once.
Additional Fact:
- Paul Rogers' role as an editor involves being a barometer of truth and empathy was discussed extensively during the production of Everything Everywhere All At Once.
Additional Fact:
- The goal of Everything Everywhere All At Once was to leave audiences with a greater sense of empathy.
Additional Fact:
- The visual effects team used Mocha Pro for motion tracking and roto needs during the production of Everything Everywhere All At Once.
Additional Fact:
- A top ten list of quotes from Paul Rogers' Art of the Cut interview provides insights into the editing process of Everything Everywhere All At Once.
Additional Fact:
- Paul Rogers has a unique friend meet-cute story with the Daniels.
Additional Fact:
- Everything Everywhere All At Once won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Directing, Film Editing, Actress in a Lead Role (Michelle Yeoh), and Actor in a Supporting Role (Ke Huy Quan).
Additional Fact:
- Five main artists tackled over 80% of the visual effects shots from beginning to end inside Adobe After Effects.
Additional Fact:
- Everything Everywhere All At Once is a feel-good story about a group of talented friends coming together to create the right movie at the right time.
The film, Everything Everywhere All At Once, leveraged Mocha Pro and Continuum plugins for its visual effects, enhancing the surreal visual style and enabling efficient collaboration in the production process. These tools are now accessible for creative exploration in a free trial, opening opportunities for movie-and-tv and entertainment industry enthusiasts to experiment with technology.
