September 1st, 2010
Montreals Modus FX recently delivered all of the visual effects for Anton Corbijn'sThe American. The thriller, which stars George Clooney, tells the story of a man who makes weapons for assassins trying to escape from his past. Set in Italy, where the protagonist has come for his final assignment, the film features lush landscapes and evocative small-town settings. In all, Modus completed 125 shots for the film, many of which were technically and artistically demanding.
At first glance,The American seems an unlikely candidate for high-end CG work. When we started talking about the project, Anton felt unsure about using visual effects, recalled VFX supervisor Louis Morin. He is famous for using only natural light in his cinematography. He is all about shooting 100% naturally.
Corbijn's background as a photographer is apparent throughout the film. I've never worked with such beautiful images, said Yanick Wilisky, VP of production and VFX supervisor at Modus FX. Every shot is stunning.
Cinematographer Martin Ruhe's shooting style and Corbijn's reliance on natural light lend the images a powerful sense of immediacy. It feels like you are there in the scene when you look at these shots, commented Wilisky. Imagine a summer day with the light shining through the trees and the wind rustling the leaves. That's the feeling I get from this film. You feel like you are in Italy.
The many long shots inThe American build an atmosphere of tension, especially as they are juxtaposed with close-ups of George Clooney's eye. The stillness and beauty of the surroundings contrast with the constant watchfulness of the main character. Anton had very exact ideas for the images, and we were asked to tweak the focus on certain shots to make sure they were just right, noted Wilisky.
Modus on The American
Modus was originally hired to complete two key visual-effects sequences in the film. The first involved digitally restoring a church tower, which had been damaged in the 2008 earthquake in Italy. The second sequence featured a CG butterfly.
Work on the church required digitally removing elaborate wooden scaffolding and replicating the pre-earthquake state of the structure. Modus created a 3D model of the tower. That made it possible to use additional instances of the model when new establishing shots of the tower were added later during editing on the film. The photo-real CG butterfly appears in a number of shots, including several where it is expertly composited onto a fuzzy cashmere sweater.
The director and the studio were delighted with the results of the work on those two sequences and Modus began receiving new shots, which the director wanted to fine-tune in various ways. Soon they were coming to us every few weeks with two or three new shots, each with a different challenge for us, said Wilisky. It was a lot of fun!
In one scene, two of the characters are shown leaving a building after a snowfall. We were asked to remove the extra sets of footprints from previous takes, explained Wilisky. The difference was subtle and might not have been noticed by a theatre audience, but it is an example of Anton's attention to detail. Taken all together, these little touches have a huge impact on the story.
In another sequence, Modus removed a number of small buildings surrounding the main character's cabin, emphasizing the inner and outer solitude of the protagonist. The emptiness is ominous, and crucial for the mood of the film.
Other shots included removing overhead electrical lines, or repositioning an open window to modify the sequence of events in another scene. In an accident scene, Modus moved a scooter closer to the car in order to heighten the intensity of the crash.
There was one scene where it had started raining during the shoot, recalled Wilisky. We had to recreate the background in CG to eliminate the rain. We even had to remove individual raindrops in front of George Clooney's character. That was one of the most challenging assignments on this project.
It was very exciting to work with Anton on this film, said Wilisky. He has such a good eye; he sees everything and his standards are very high. Every time we got final approval of a shot, we felt a real sense of accomplishment. He made us better and it was a great experience for everyone. We still talk about it here.
Focus Features' The American opens in North American Theaters on Sept. 1, 2010. The film stars George Clooney, Thekla Reuten, Irina Bjrklund and Paolo Bonacelli, and is based on the book A Very Private Gentleman by Martin Booth.
Most recent headlines
03/01/2026
A still from OBEX by Albert Birney, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance...
02/01/2026
Freezing Florida: NHL's EVP, Entertainment Bob Chesterman on Taking the Wint...
02/01/2026
NHL Winter Classic 2026: TNT Sports Prepares for First NHL Outdoor Game in Sunsh...
02/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
02/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
02/01/2026
Any Given Day: Cork University Hospital premieres Wednesday 7 January on RT One and RT Player at 9:35pm
RT will debut a powerful new six-part documentary se...
02/01/2026
Friday 2 January 2026
All episodes of Heated Rivalry will be landing on Sky and...
02/01/2026
Sequins, chat shows, live sporting action, ground-breaking docuseries and brand-new Irish drama to kick off 2026
New Year, New Content Coming Soon across RT
...
01/01/2026
Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation Announces 2026 Noel Schajris Scholarship The scholarship will cover tuition and housing for one Berklee College of Music stud...
01/01/2026
New year, new games, all with RTX 5080-powered cloud energy. GeForce NOW is kicking off 2026 by looking back at an unforgettable year of wins and wildly high fr...
31/12/2025
Back to All News
NFL Christmas Gameday on Netflix Scores Again With the Lions-V...
30/12/2025
As the College Football Playoff Enters the Quarterfinals, ESPN Blows Out Its Meg...
30/12/2025
SVG's Best of 2025: Original ArticlesTake a look back at all our coverage of big-time productions, game-changing technologies, and state-of-the-art new faci...
30/12/2025
MELBOURNE, Fla., Dec. 30, 2025 - L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) will release its fourth quarter 2025 financial results before the market opens on Thursday, J...
30/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
30/12/2025
Your live countdown to 2026 with Inhaler, David Gray, Lyra, Garron Noone, Sharon...
30/12/2025
It marked the first civilian operational authorization for a HAPS flight in Europe, led by Space42's subsidiary, Mira Aerospace
The flight demonstrated HAP...
29/12/2025
San Francisco 49ers Strike Gold With Halftime Laser SpectacularStunning display caps $200 million renovation of Levi's Stadium techBy Dan Daley, Audio Edito...
29/12/2025
The Cup's Around the Corner: An Inside Look at Broadcast Preparations for th...
29/12/2025
SVG's Best of 2025: Longform VideoWatch the standout keynote conversations, deep dives, and panel discussions from the year for free on SVG PLAY!By Brandon ...
29/12/2025
From crisper Lossless audio and immersive music videos in beta to new Audiobooks+ plans, custom transitions between tracks, and in-app Messages, we keep levelin...
29/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
27/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
26/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
26/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
25/12/2025
Holiday lights are twinkling, hot cocoa's on the stove and gamers are settling in for a well-earned break.
Whether staying in or heading on a winter getawa...
24/12/2025
What is AI good for? Posted by MTI Film on December 24, 2025
What is AI good for?
What is AI good for?
It's been three years since ChatGPT first cap...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
RT has unveiled an exclusive first look at the new Dancing with the Stars promo...
24/12/2025
Back to All News
The Boyfriend' Season 2 Unveils Heartwarming Trailer, Key...
24/12/2025
Back to All News
Love, Fights, and Everything in Between: Badly in Love' Returns for Season 2
Entertainment
24 December 2025
GlobalJapan
Link copied t...
24/12/2025
Scripps Research study links sleep variability with sleep apnea and hypertension How consumers' digital activity trackers could enable personalized health s...
23/12/2025
How guilas Cibae as Dominican Winter League Games Are Locally Produced for Glob...
23/12/2025
BitFire's Jim Akimchuk on Supplying Scalability and Customization in the Clo...
23/12/2025
CAMB.AI Enables European Athletics to Offer Multi-Language SupportPlan is to eventually offer translation into all languages spoken in EuropeBy Ken Kerschbaumer...
23/12/2025
Analysis: As sports media values trend negative, scarcity and quality are king By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Monday, December 22, 2025 - 14:08
Print ...
23/12/2025
ESPN, Disney, and NBA Return to the Animated Altcast Fray With Second Edition of...
23/12/2025
End the Year on a High Note and Donate to the Sports Broadcasting Fund Today!By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Tuesday, December 23, 2025 - 12:25 pm
P...
23/12/2025
The year is winding down, the weather outside is frightful, and it's the perfect time to escape into a story that warms the heart. For listeners looking for...
23/12/2025
A Zeus motor is hot fire tested at L3Harris' Camden, Arkansas, solid rocket ...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Lightware will exhibit several major product innovations at ISE 2026, including the new USB-C BOOSTER-V1, Google Meet. integration for various Taurus UCX models...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
September 1st, 2010
