MPC (Moving Picture Company), the VFX and animation studio behind Transformers Rise of the Beasts and many other titles, have given MovieWeb an exclusive look at some of the concept art designs their team created for the movie.
These exclusive images detail the imaginative work that went into bringing to life some of the franchise’s best characters and the designs of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, which is now the favorite film of the Transformers franchise among audiences, according to Rotten Tomatoes’ audience scores. You can check out the images below and learn more about the artistry of MPC and Art Director Leandre Legrange’s team.
Character development in the latest Transformers film all began with the concept art created by the production’s art department, with some designs worked on further by MPC. Lagrange and a team of six artists worked on concepts for volcano environments, details of Unicron’s design, Arcee’s face design, Optimus Prime’s weapon, and various holograms including Arcee’s scan hologram.
For the transformations, MPC developed a new proprietary tool which allowed animators to slice, separate, and transform geometry on a model, in any given shot, on any asset. The success of the transformations was a joint effort between multiple departments including R&D, animation mechanic TDs, and CG lighters. The result? Some of the best visual effects of the entire franchise. Check out the fascinating concept art in the gallery below.
MPC Concept Art Reveals the Depth of Transformers VFX Work
Lagrange shared more about how the MPC team cape up with their designs and concept art. “The director was a big fan of G1 Transformers,” said Lagrange. “He loved the designs, and so we had to figure out a design language where the technology felt more in line with that era. We used Moiré patterns to achieve the hologram effects in these designs.“ He continued:
For Arcee’s face, the filmmakers had a basic design that needed more refinement and personality brought to it. They asked us to find the details and cutlines in the face so she could be more animated, as well as to give her a more endearing, feminine appearance.
The press release further details the daunting and meticulously detailed visual effects work that MPC and the production team put into Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. MPC’s Environments team had multiple large scale full CG and digital set extensions to build, from jungle environments, to mountainous, to built-up cities. One of the largest was to change the present-day New York skyline back to 1994.
“It was really interesting to see how much Manhattan has changed over the last 30 years.” said MPC VFX Supervisor Richard Little. “We created a huge CG build of Manhattan based on images from photography and footage gathered from the early ’90s. We had some incredible images of the skyline, given to me by New Yorkers I worked closely with on the shoot in Manhattan. Some of these images came from their family’s personal photography collections.”
The great Visual Effects Supervisor Gary Brozenich (Pirates of the Caribbean, Edge of Tomorrow, Terminator Genisys) elaborated about MPC’s work. “MPC’s creative teams and supervisors were excellent collaborators for us on the film. From asset creation and design to the creation of highly complex full screen environments, the teams nailed the brief with flair. The robots were exceptionally crafted and animated. I was pleased to uphold the legacy of the franchise with them.”
Ultimately, MPC did all the work in the film (including creating 18 of the characters) aside from the final battle sequence, which was done by Weta (which, however, utilized the character assets created by MPC). It’s an impressive collection of industrial designs and almost Cubist imagery that adds to MPC’s incredible pedigree, which already includes Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, The Little Mermaid, and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania this year alone. It’s yet another banner year for the company, and one hopes they return for the follow-up to Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.
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