
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
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
25/03/2026
Live match directors Sarah Cheadle (Sky Sports), Rob Levi (TNT Sports), and Andrew Swift (BBC Sport) sit down with the Premier League's Rachel Nightingale t...
25/03/2026
The senior from Upstate New York is manning the mic while also interning for the athletic department's sports-information team
In the live-sports-video ind...
25/03/2026
Synamedia has announced ContentArmor Edge Watermarking, a server-side solution t...
25/03/2026
SES has announced meoSphere, a medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellite network targeted for operation by 2030. The first phase will pair SES-developed software-defin...
25/03/2026
TVU Networks is working with Reuters on a phased migration from satellite to a c...
25/03/2026
Nielsen has announced three senior appointments. Seth Ladetsky has been named Head of Global Sports. Trevor Fellows will lead Nielsen's advertiser and agenc...
25/03/2026
Anoki and Amagi have launched In-Scene Ads powered by Anoki ContextIQ across Amagi's portfolio of in-content ad formats for Free Ad-supported Streaming TV (...
25/03/2026
Arkona Technologies will announce a series of enhancements to its BLADE//runner platform at NAB 2026 (Booth C.1808). The updates focus on usability and workflow...
25/03/2026
Daktronics has installed two tower displays and a video wall in the Lexus Club at Petco Park in San Diego ahead of the 2026 season.
Continuing to improve the ...
25/03/2026
MultiDyne Video & Fiber Optic Systems is celebrating its 50th anniversary as NAB Show 2026 approaches. The company was founded in 1976 by Vincent Jachetta, an N...
25/03/2026
IPC, a provider of integrated communication solutions, will make its NAB 2026 de...
25/03/2026
Live production categories were led by NBC, FOX, and ESPN's NFL coverage...
25/03/2026
The Atlanta Braves and Spectrum have announced a multiyear distribution agreemen...
25/03/2026
(L-R) Charlie Tyrell and Daniel Roher attend The AI Doc: Or How I Became An Apocaloptimist Premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre ...
25/03/2026
Directed By, Spotify's documentary-style series that pulls back the curtain ...
25/03/2026
BTS is so back., This week, the global pop superstars took the stage at New York City's Pier 17 for their first U.S. performance in four years.
Part of Spo...
25/03/2026
How you listen can shape what you hear. That's the idea behind the new Spotify Listening Lounge, an acoustic space at our London headquarters purpose-built ...
25/03/2026
Tape effects taken to the extreme
The latest release from New York-based developer Iconic Instruments is said to accurately recreate the saturation and comp...
25/03/2026
Launched alongside new Vocal Phrases bundle
Sonuscore's latest release has been designed specifically for composers working on fantasy TV, film and game...
25/03/2026
Latest update now live
The latest version of Steinberg's post-production-focused DAW has just arrived, and comes packed with new dialogue editing, sound...
25/03/2026
Rohde & Schwarz joins FormFactor's MeasureOne partner program FormFactor and Rohde & Schwarz advance their partnership for on-wafer RF component character...
25/03/2026
L3Harris Technologies and RFTEQ Pty Ltd signed a memorandum of understanding to ...
25/03/2026
L3Harris delivers combat-ready Torpedo Tube Launch and Recovery system, which deploys and retrieves Iver4 900 autonomous underwater vehicles through submarine t...
25/03/2026
The company expands leadership team under Chief Revenue Officer Amilcar Perez
S...
25/03/2026
Winter Olympic Games Opening Ceremony features in top 10 programmes of the month...
25/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/03/2026
Providing wide view timing visibility across the entire production chain...
25/03/2026
Continuing development drives advances in security, availability, access and connectivity...
25/03/2026
Caudalie, the renowned French cosmetics brand, has unveiled a state-of-the-art 200-seat auditorium at its new headquarters in the historic Marais district of ce...
25/03/2026
Telestream, a global leader in media workflow technologies, today announced expanded integration with Adobe Premiere, Adobe Media Encoder (AME), and Frame.io, d...
25/03/2026
Marshall Electronics is expanding its lineup of high-performance POV cameras designed for broadcast, live production and professional AV applications with the d...
25/03/2026
OOONA, a global provider of professional management and production tools for the media localization industry, announced today that it has been awarded the TPN G...
25/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/03/2026
SipRadius, specialists in secure, low-latency media transport, will drive innovation and interoperability still further with the launch of the SipMX Alliance at...
25/03/2026
QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning video production and remote contribution solutions, will showcase its award-winning StudioPro ecosystem at The 2...
25/03/2026
Alfalite, the only European manufacturer of LED screens, will once again be present at NAB Show, the leading global event for the broadcast, media and entertain...
25/03/2026
PC, a leading provider of integrated communication solutions, will make its NAB 2026 Show debut in Booth C 3341. The company will highlight the newly branded On...
25/03/2026
Open video transport network simplifies satellite transition with new partnerships and global reach as spectrum auction nears
LTN will demonstrate how its purp...
25/03/2026
Test & measurement innovator, Leader Electronics, will present the full range of Leader, PHABRIX and LeaderPhabrix T&M solutions at the NAB Show, which takes pl...
25/03/2026
MNC Software, a global leader in network management and operational support systems tailored to the broadcast and media industry, today announced the appointmen...
25/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/03/2026
Starfish highlights flexible TS Splicer releases and new Monitoring Dashboard at...