Here’s How VFX Artists Turned Neil Gaiman’s American Gods Into a Visual Feast

Starz takes a big swing starting April 30 with its eye-popping adaptation of Neil Gaiman's fantastical novel American Gods.  The eight-episode spectacle follows fresh-out-of-prison "Shadow Moon" (Ricky Little) as he partners up with ancient trickster Mr. Wednesday (Ian McShane) as he preps for battle against "New Gods" including the bratty "Technical Boy" (Bruce Langley).

Ricky Whittle (Shadow Moon), Ian McShane (Mr Wednesday). Courtesy Starz.

Shot in the hyper-crisp 4K resolution,

Beyoncé Latest Move? Creating a Formation Scholarship

In celebration of the one year anniversary of her award-winning album Lemonade, Beyoncé is giving back.

Lemonade emerged with the intent of starting a conversation, stemming from one of culture’s most influential black women. In an interview with The Credits, production designer Hannah Beachler said one of the driving forces behind the music video was the idea of putting women of color in positions of power.

How Ghost in the Shell ’s VFX Supervisor Got Cyberpunk Right

A cult hit since its manga origins, Rupert Sanders’s live-action Ghost in the Shell has had to meet high fan expectations, particularly in regard to visuals. The film is as well known for its gritty, near-future post-cyberpunk aesthetic thanks to Mamoru Oshii’s 1995 animated film, and as Paramount Picture’s Scarlett Johansson-driven feature arrived in theaters, a legion fans were more curious about what the movie would would like than the cybernetic-focused science fiction plot.

The Women’s Summit Captures a Moment for Action

The purpose of the recent Women’s Media Summit in Provincetown, which drew 114 participants from around the country and from many areas of film and media, wasn’t just to talk about the gender gap in popular entertainment. Instead, the emphasis was on concrete action.

So, after a day of presentations and panel discussions, the Summit organized attendees into working groups which hammered out specific suggestions aimed at increasing gender equity in film and TV.

Disney Parks Patent Humanoid Robot That Could Revolutionize Industry

A “great, big, beautiful tomorrow” could soon be coming to the Disney Parks, with the introduction of a new patent that could revolutionize the way guests interact with their favorite characters.

The US Patent and Trademark Office published a patent filed by Disney Enterprises, Inc. on Thursday for a “soft body robot for physical interaction with humans.”

“This humanoid robot was configured to be soft and robust during playful physical interaction with children,”

Rogue One‘s SFX Supervisor on Using a Super Powered Air Cannon & More

Special effects supervisor Neil Corbould says that he has “a big smile on my face” every day when he goes to work creating special effects for Clash of the Titans and Zero Dark Thirty. Corbould had a smile and then some when he described the new effects he created for the Star Wars prequel Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. We spoke with the SFX maestro about his work on Gareth Edwards thrilling addition to the 

The Dazzling Design of Ghost in the Shell

Freakish cyborgs look right at home in Scarlett Johansson's Ghost in the Shell sci-fi epic thanks in part to three years of ingenious design work from New Zealand-based Weta Workshop. Inspired by Masamune Shirow's visionary Manga series and 1995 anime film, co-art director Ben Hawker, who previously channeled Middle Earth critters for the Lord of the Rings trilogy, worked with director Rupert Sanders (Snow White and the Huntsman) to fashion a wild array of futuristic semi-android city dwellers.

See how they Built a Cyborg Skeleton for Scarlett Johansson in Ghost in the Shell

With Ghost in the Shell set to premiere on March 31, Paramount is sharing a lot of great stuff from Rupert Sanders adaptation of this iconic, and very surreal, sci-fi film. We’ve already shared with you the incredible work that Peter Jackson’s effects shop Weta did to create the robotic geisha masks that have been one of the most talked about images from the trailers. In fact, every new spot boasts images that show how hard Sanders and his team worked to honor the Mamoru Oshii’s beloved 1996 animated feature.

Zack Snyder Teases Aquaman Footage From Justice League

In cased you missed it, a week ago director Zack Snyder teased some footage of Aquaman (Jason Momoa) from Justice League, as a little reverse birthday gift he delivered to fans. The shot is brief but beautiful, showing the superhero in his natural element. In just five seconds, we watch Aquaman swim up to a man on a throne, which most people speculate is Willem Dafoe’s Nuidis Vulko.

See how They Built the Epic Brawl in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

We recently shared with you the incredible before-and-after video of how the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice VFX team built the film’s dark, layered look. While director Zack Snyder’s movie took some hits from critics, nearly all agreed that the film’s visual style was arresting. To help give Gotham and Metropolis this gritty, gorgeous look, the film needed more a lot of help. In this new video,

See Behind the Robotic Geisha Mask in Amazing Ghost in the Shell Video

In what we’ve seen thus far from the live-action adaptation of the iconic manga Ghost in the Shell, director Rupert Sanders and his team have gone all out to do the source material justice. While many people might not be familiar with Mamoru Oshii’s 1996 animated feature, those that are remain the toughest test for Sanders, star Scarlett Johansson and the rest of the cast and crew. One of the ways in which the filmmakers have given their all is by letting the wizards at Weta Workshop make the story’s surreal,

This Doctor Strange VFX Reel is Appropriately Mind-Bending

The visual effects company Framestore spent 11 months creating over 365 shots for Doctor Strange, which went on to be nominated for Best Visual Effects in the 2017 Academy Awards.

Framestore (which has also done VFX work for Beauty and the Beast, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and Arrival) touched on a wide range of visual effect and animation work to create a variety of visuals for the film that didn’t exist while filming: everything from larger-scale environments to the fire-y sparks of Doctor Strange’s Eldritch magic to creating the look of the “astral form,”

Our Complete 2017 Oscars Coverage

And here it is, the complete guide to our 2017 Oscars coverage. Our annual "Know Your Nominee" series once again looks at every category, giving you the information you need to conquer your Oscars pool.

See How They Obliterated Jedha in Killer Rogue One VFX Video

The Oscar-nominated visual effects of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story were, inarguably, the most talked about of the year. First was the fact that the film recreated the late, great actor Peter Cushing through digital effects and motion-capture performance, making his Grand Moff Tarkin a major character in the film. Then there was that incredible ending, which (spoiler alert) saw the Death Star Plans handed to a 19-year old Princess Leia (the late,

See how Visual Artists Created Those Fantastic Beasts

It’s no big secret that Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them utilizes a fair bit of computer generated effects. Over 20 “fantastic beasts” alone were featured in the film, and that doesn’t even begin to take into account the magical effects and large-scale scenery.

Even after considering all three of those categories, it’s still amazing to realize just how much of the film exists because of work by visual effects artists.

Know Your 2017 Oscar Nominees: Visual Effects

We’ve gone big for our Oscars coverage this year. Our annual "Know Your Nominee" series once again looks at every category, giving you the information you need to conquer your Oscars pool. Learn more about the nominees for Lead Actor, Foreign Language Film, Costume Designers, Documentary Short, Editing, Live Action Short, Actress in a Supporting Role, 

See how Batman v Superman‘s Dark, Visually Layered VFX Were Created

With countless films showcasing explosions, car chases, and other unnatural occurrences, we’ve grown accustomed to watching movies with visual effects and CGI. However, we oftentimes forget the amount of work and the sheer talent that comes with creating credible and powerful visual effects.

Director Zack Snyder recently tweeted a link to a nearly twelve minute long video to a Before & After video showcasing the visual effects of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Secret History of Rogue One‘s Aliens Revealed

One of the many delightful aspects of Rogue One was the films' treatment of the many aliens Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) comes into contact with. Some of the aliens are recognizable to any Star Wars fans—who among us didn’t delight in seeing Admiral Raddus, a member of the Mon Calamari race, supporting Jyn and the rebels' mission to the steal the Death Star plans? You may be forgiven for assuming on first blush that Admiral Raddus was,

The Sci-Tech Awards Honor the Industry’s Wizards

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences just announced the recipients of its 2017 Scientific and Technical Awards. Among the thirty-four individual winners and five organizations honored are some of the tech brains behind several of our favorite films of the prior year. Having pioneered the CGI Studio renderer at Blue Sky Studios, Carl Ludwig, Eugene Troubetzkoy, and Maurice van Swaaij are included in the Technical Achievement Award winners — Blue Sky, it should be noted,

Passengers‘ VFX Supervisor on Creating Zero Gravity Mayhem

A serene, unusual spacecraft drifts through space. The Avalon is on a 120 year course, carrying 5000+ passengers to a new colony, plant-like and twinkling on its exterior, silent and gleaming on the inside. Its well-stocked and highly-designed but empty chambers are reminiscent of another era’s grand hotel, devoid of guests, ready to close for the season, And then a hibernation pod malfunctions, and passenger Jim Preston (Chris Pratt) wakes up 90 years early. He will grow old and die before anyone else on the ship awakes,