Superheroes are conceived for the realm of myth and might. This is especially true for the masked character Dr. Obsidian, a comic-book hero created by Mark Kochinski in hopes of captivating movie audiences.
Shot in a variety of styles-from film noir to psychedelic sixties to high-def-the forthcoming movie Lost Hero: The Search for Dr. Obsidian includes numerous CG shots created with LightWave 3D software.
The plot to the film, which Kochinski is creating, directing, producing, and writing, is that the character's popularity got its start in the late 1930s. Production for a sequel began immediately overseas, but a ship carrying the film seemingly was lost at sea as war broke out. Afterward, financial issues prevented Brazen Pictures from re-establishing the character. With the introduction of television, Brazen planned to resurrect the property some year later, only to have the plans thwarted by scandal involving one of the actresses. A campy, psychedelic version almost made it to television during the 1960s. Then, during the comic-book craze in the 1990s, the property was optioned and now appears ready for a near-future return to the silver screen, this time under the direction of a big-name VFX master and a team of CGI Jedis.
By harnessing the power of LightWave 3D - Kochinski is making his Dr. Obsidian dream a reality. We had to crank out the effects at a high rate of speed and at minimum expense, and LightWave enabled us to do that, he says. So when it came time to create Dr. Obsidian's backstory - and the premise of the film - there was no question that LightWave would play a major role in the production.
A Matter of Style
According to the filmmaker, it was crucial to have the film reflect the period it is supposed to have been shot in. Because a large part of Dr. Obsidian uses the 1930s back-and-white style, the film has to appear aged and broken down. This includes many greenscreen sequences in which the actors had to be inserted into CG sets built in LightWave or, occasionally, into photographs of old sets and locations.
A large portion of the action was filmed against greenscreen, so virtual sets were important, many of which were created within LightWave. One of the first and the biggest CG backdrops is the interior of a zeppelin, which serves as the villain's command center. In all, approximately 30 to 40 percent of the imagery is, or will be, CG.
For constructing the buildings, sets, and futuristic weapons and aircraft in Dr. Obsidian, Kochinski used the LightWave Modeler. Modeling in LightWave has always been superb, he says. I have been building spaceships for Star Trek to Babylon 5, and now for Dr. Obsidian, in LightWave. The rendering out of the box is excellent, especially if you know how to use it properly. It is a very powerful tool. You can get really fantastic photoreal effects.
According to Kochinski, there are many features in LightWave that have always kept the software in the forefront of Hollywood content creation. It is a tremendous piece of software, he says, and if a good artist is using it, a lot of work can be done in a fraction of the time it seems to take with other software pipelines.
Kochinski likes LightWave's intuitive interface and the fact that everything is logical and where it should be. It's a hard thing to explain when you have worked with the software for as long as I have, but it is organized in a way that makes sense. The fact that the buttons have what they do written on them, as opposed to a funky little picture that you have to take time to figure out what it means, saves a lot of time, he adds.
The filmmaker also likes that Modeling and Layout are separate sections, especially because it coincides with his workflow. When starting a project, Kochinski skips the sketch-design process and dives straight into modeling in LightWave. The pipeline supports this. I design in 3D to see what works and what doesn't, so I design and build simultaneously, he adds.
One of Kochinski's favorite features within LightWave is the Edge Bevel tool. Adding beveling properly adds a lot of realism to what you are doing, he says, noting that the Cloning tool also works well for the art-deco look of the sequences in Dr. Obsidian. I am doing a lot of beveling and cloning, and repeating of geometric shapes, adding hierarchies to get the effects I need.
Most of the digitally enhanced sequences are from the 1930s scenes, so Kochinski used bump maps for the textures. They are almost all procedural textures at this point, he says. We are talking about flat, painted surfaces that are shades of gray. So when we do photorealistic renders [inside LightWave], they tend to look pretty good.
Even though LightWave offers a virtual camera, Kochinski is incorporating subtle camera moves into the production, mimicking those used in the 1930s. He is also mimicking the period's classical stage lighting within LightWave by using three-point lighting, backfill, and key lighting. He uses the Radiosity tool quite a bit, at times using an HDR image map to start out. For more of a studio look, he will use a few dome lights and Monte Carlo radiosity to get bouncy shadows and lights, which usually generates a nice three-dimensional-looking render. For interiors, dome lights are preferred; for exterior shots, aerial lights.
The renderer is fantastic, says Kochinski of the feature in LightWave. When set up properly, you get really wonderful, photorealistic effects. LightWave's unique Viewport Preview Renderer (VPR) interactive renderer enables him to experiment with lighting, textures, volumetrics, and shading right in the LightWave viewport and get immediate feedback, thus saving valuable time. There isn't anything quite like it, and I use it a lot with the work I am doing, he says.
Kochinski is currently wo
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
06/05/2024
By Ilyse McKimmie
Now, more than ever
That's a phrase so often used in the last few years that I've come to dread seeing it in notes like this one. A...
06/05/2024
alt= class=wp-image-12099 data-lazy-src=/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Blog-Exabyte-Storage-Demand-960x540-1.jpg/> Demand for storage solutions has reached unprece...
06/05/2024
Around the world, Asian and Pacific Islander (API) artists continue to impact mu...
06/05/2024
Spotify is making it easier for booklovers to count down the days, hours, minutes, and seconds until a new audiobook releases. With Countdown Pages for audioboo...
06/05/2024
Get Ready to join Dan Hong as he hits the streets in his ultimate culinary journ...
06/05/2024
In this video, cinematographer Simon Rowling welcomes viewers behind the scenes as he lights a daytime-interior scene inside a coffee shop. Shooting on Panavisi...
06/05/2024
L3Harris is well positioned to support the complex and multifaceted nature of special operations forces in all domains through our agile and responsive technolo...
06/05/2024
OAKVILLE, Ontario As part of Emergency Preparedness Week, Alert Ready, Canadas national public alerting system, will be distributing a test alert to Canadians i...
06/05/2024
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. Horowitz Research has released a new study on the viewing and media habits of U.S. Hispanic/Latine audiences that shows a dramatic decline in...
06/05/2024
RE:Vision Effects Autograph 2024.4 released! 50% Off Through May 9th
Brie Clayton May 6, 2024
0 Comments
New game-changing motion graphics & VFX featu...
06/05/2024
NBC has renewed Night Court for a third season. The courtroom comedy was on the network from 1984 to 1992, and NBC rebooted it in early 2023....
06/05/2024
ABC has revealed its summer schedule. The Bachelorette gets going Monday, July 8, with Jenn Tran the star in season 21. Celebrity Family Feud starts up Tuesday,...
06/05/2024
It's almost go-time for the Holly Springs Salamanders! The season opener is ...
06/05/2024
For years, radio stations have used on-premises servers to broadcast content and manage automation, traffic, and billing systems. As technology continues to adv...
06/05/2024
06 May 2024
AI and Big Data Take the Centre Stage in Central Asia at Beetech 20...
06/05/2024
FIRST LOOK AT JIM PARSONS & MAYIM BIALIK REPRISING THEIR ROLES FROM THE BIG BAN...
06/05/2024
NBC Sports and Churchill Downs Extend Historic Partnership, Kentucky Derby to Be...
06/05/2024
Beverly Hills Aerials, LIV Golf Make Australian-Broadcast History by Flying Live...
06/05/2024
Back to All News
Watch the Trailer for A Part of You - Felicia Maxime, Edvin Ry...
06/05/2024
Leadership in 12G-SDI for low impact migration to 4k production...
06/05/2024
Press release - 6 May 2024 07:31
STATEMENT CONCERNING EUTELSAT GROUP'S GROUND NETWORK Facebook
LinkedIn
Twitter
Download as PDF
Paris, 06 May 2024 ...
06/05/2024
Tyngsboro, Mass. - May 6, 2024 - Join us at InfoComm 2024 to experience the latest advancements in live production technology. From June 12-14, 2024, at the Las...
06/05/2024
To champion global movements to protect and advance equality for LGBTQ+ communities, Apple is introducing a new Apple Watch Pride Edition Braided Solo Loop, ava...
06/05/2024
Actress Matseliso Mohale has joined Muvhango'Talented actress Matseliso Mohale has joined SABC2's soapie Muvhango' as Vhangani's lover and a c...
06/05/2024
Tonight on Smoke and Mirrors: Leroy refuses to give up fighting to bury MthethoDon't miss Monday, 6 May's riveting episode of South African soapie Smoke...
06/05/2024
Intrinsic, a software and AI robotics company at Alphabet, has integrated NVIDIA AI and Isaac platform technologies to advance the complex field of autonomous r...
06/05/2024
Cybersecurity experts at the RSA Conference this week will be on the hunt for ways to secure their operations in the era of generative AI.
They'll find man...
06/05/2024
1) What is the rationale of the transaction? What is the benefit for SES shareholders?
This combination creates a stronger and more competitive multi-orbit ope...
05/05/2024
A special evening performance by multiplatinum singer Becky G will provide a memorable conclusion to TeievisaUnivision's Casa Cultura upfront event on May 1...
05/05/2024
Giant media buyer Publicis is telling network sales executives that it does not think Nielsen's new panel-plus-big-data currency is ready for this upfront....
05/05/2024
WASHINGTON Glenn Kirschner, legal analyst at NBC News, blasted the media for referring to the New York trial of former President Donald Trump as a hush-money ...
05/05/2024
Catchy Comedy's weekend marathon sees The Beverly Hillbillies on the weekend of May 4-5. The event kicks off Saturday, May 4 at 11 a.m. ET, and runs through...
05/05/2024
NBC Sports has the 150th Kentucky Derby Saturday, May 4. The coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock and the feature race at Churchill Downs in Louis...
05/05/2024
Back to All News
Netflix Announces New Comedy Series Roosters, Starring Jeroen ...
05/05/2024
Back to All News
Showdown Alert: Baki Hanma VS Kengan Ashura' Drops Electr...
04/05/2024
NEW YORK As the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month kicks off in May, Nielsen has released an extensive new report diving into their media habits with data sh...
04/05/2024
PHILADELPHIA As National Military Appreciation Month gets underway, Comcast has announced several new initiatives to help veterans, service members, and their f...
04/05/2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. Federal Communications Commission chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has announced a tentative agenda for the May Open Commission Meeting scheduled...
04/05/2024
The Broadband Forum has announced major enhancements to key 5G convergence standards that the group said will help advance next-generation applications, improve...
04/05/2024
Spotify Wrapped Campaign Spot Graded With DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton May 3, 2024
0 Comments
Blackmagic Design today announced that Colorist M...
04/05/2024
Three Boston Conservatory at Berklee Alums Nominated for Tony Awards An additional eight alums and two current students performed in nominated productions.
...
04/05/2024
New faces and new storylines': What to expect on Izingane ZeS'thembu...
03/05/2024
An innovative learning tool to help media and civil society better understand ho...
03/05/2024
PARK CITY, UTAH - JANUARY 21: (L-R) Actors K stutis Cic nas and Greta Grinevi i t , Director Marija Kavtaradze and Producer Marija Razgute attend the 2023 Sunda...
03/05/2024
If you aren't familiar with Danny Ocean's music, it's only a matter ...
03/05/2024
Spotify has an unwavering commitment to supporting emerging artists across all genres, to helping them launch and thrive in their careers, and to connecting the...
03/05/2024
Como uno de los sonidos de mayor expansi n en el mundo, la M sica Mexicana va m ...
Superheroes are conceived for the realm of myth and might. This is especially true for the masked character Dr. Obsidian, a comic-book hero created by Mark Kochinski in hopes of captivating movie audiences.
