Trick Digital Relies on Fusion Studio for VFX on Feature Film 57 Seconds
Brie Clayton December 5, 2023
0 Comments
Blackmagic Design today announced that visual effects (VFX) house Trick Digital used Fusion Studio VFX and motion graphics software for the new action film 57 Seconds. In addition to handling the film's VFX, Fusion Studio was used to create an exciting opening sequence for the time traveling thriller.
Starring Morgan Freeman and Josh Hutcherson, 57 Seconds follows a tech blogger who thwarts an attack on a tech guru he's interviewing, only to discover a mysterious ring that allows him to travel 57 seconds into the past.
Trick Digital completed more than 200 VFX shots for the film and was also tasked with creating its opening credits, using Fusion Studio's 3D system to create stylized news and blog screens related to the main characters. VFX Supervisor Adam Clark explained, We were asked at the last minute if we could do something really cool and special with the main title and opening sequence. We needed it to support some backstory and also add something flashy to the intro of the film. We got our start in film by designing animated main title sequences, so we loved this additional request.
It was a very creative and playful process. Fusion's 3D system and node based architecture allowed us to rapidly conceptualize, creatively iterate, and execute the idea 100 percent in context of the final rendered image instead of going into a dedicated 3D app, which is how we prefer to work if we can.
One of the film's particularly challenging VFX sequences featured Morgan Freeman's character, Anton Burrell, speaking in a stadium. The stadium's seating presented a unique challenge, with limited crowd shots and occasional instances of group shots without greenscreen setups, Clark explained. Fusion's node based workflow and paint, image warping and roto tools really made this possible with relative ease. We created a crowd kit out of the people filmed with tons of roto and repainting, and rearranged people, tweaked them and ultimately created sections of the crowd using perspective and warping to set them properly in the environment.
For us, working with Fusion now for over 20 years and being fluent in it gives us creative freedom where we can work very quickly, he added. The node based workflow, aside from being ideal in production for a great number of reasons, lets us try things out without having to jump through a laborious array of timeline based flaming hoops to accomplish a novel task.
Having come from a software development background, Clark noted that Fusion Studio's scripting capabilities are a big asset. It feels very natural. I can easily write expressions to add parallax to simple point trackers to create artificial depth or use expressions to just make lights flicker. It's great to be able to create with that level of creative and technical control. Ultimately, it's just about creating great images as quickly as possible, and the more flexibility you have in the toolset, the better, he said.
Whether doing building modifications or digital prop creation and enhancements for 57 Seconds, Trick Digital relied on Fusion Studio's 3D system as the backbone for its VFX work. We're big fans of the new planar tracker and 3D camera tracking tools, explained Clark. We use them all day long, every single day for all the things you might expect, as well as others such as tracking mattes in 3D space to avoid or minimize roto, while still being able to change the points of the original shape, which is very powerful.
December 4, 2023Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures' Saw X Graded with DaVinci Resolve StudioPocket Cinema Camera 6K also used to capture the horror film's gruesome
December 1, 2023Da Vinci's Legacy Unveiled with DaVinci Resolve Studio in Stop Motion feature film The InventorBlackmagic Design today announced that The Inventor, a stop motion feature film that
I will create vast networks to generate mattes to minimize roto work, but it is unavoidable. I'm at peace with that only because Fusion's fantastic roto and paint tools make a process that's normally the bane of my existence one that I can zen out to.
Enjoying the news? Sign up for the Creative COW Newsletter! Sign up for the Creative COW newsletter and get weekly updates on industry news, forum highlights, jobs, inspirational tutorials, tips, burning questions, and more! Receive bulletins from the largest, longest-running community dedicated to supporting professionals working in film, video, and audio.
Enter your email address, and your first and last name below!
-- Sign up: * indicates required
Email Address *
Name
--
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
14/06/2026
HBO Comedy Rooster Shot with URSA Cine 17K 65
Brie Clayton June 14, 2026
0 Comments
Large format brings viewers intimately close to characters.
Black...
13/06/2026
Latest expansion pack includes 252 presets
Devious Machines have recently introduced another expansion for their powerful multi-effects plug-in, Infiltrator...
13/06/2026
Create custom DAW/plug-in controllers using prompts
MetaGrid have recently introduced an all-new AI Builder function to their touchscreen-based control surf...
13/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
YES Network and The Gotham Sports App will air seven Athletes Unlimited Softball...
12/06/2026
The United Football League will host its FAST Innovation Suite at the 2026 United Bowl presented by Credit One Bank on Saturday, June 13 at 3:00 p.m. ET at Audi...
12/06/2026
PTZOptics and LayerJot will present live demonstrations at InfoComm 2026 showing how natural-language AI prompting, robotic camera control, and on-device comput...
12/06/2026
MultiDyne Video and Fiber Optic Systems will exhibit at InfoComm 2026, featuring...
12/06/2026
Ateme has announced that Eurovision Services is using Ateme's software-based frame-rate conversion technology for international live event workflows. The de...
12/06/2026
Bitmovin and Simplestream have announced a partnership with Xperi to simplify the launch of OTT streaming services on TiVo OS smart TVs and devices. The collabo...
12/06/2026
Net Insight has announced that a multinational technology company is deploying a...
12/06/2026
MLB Players Inc., the business arm of the MLB Players Association, has announced a partnership with Athletes First to develop and sell brand partnerships across...
12/06/2026
Guntermann and Drunck (G&D) and VuWall have announced the CommandKeyboard-Advanc...
12/06/2026
Comcast Smart Solutions announces a new smart technology deployment with Major L...
12/06/2026
Elevation Worship completed the initial leg of its Elevation Nights 2026 tour ...
12/06/2026
AJA Video Systems has announced KONA IP25 support for Colorfront Transkoder and ...
12/06/2026
Audinate Group Limited (ASX: AD8) will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth C7321, Ce...
12/06/2026
Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould has announced the appointment of Scott Adametz as Chief Technology Officer. The Pac-12 describes the hire as the first CTO appo...
12/06/2026
Grass Valley has announced AMPP Edge Live, a production system combining Grass Valley hardware, NVIDIA Blackwell GPU acceleration, and AMPP OS in a single platf...
12/06/2026
At one time a trailblazer with the launch of the Longhorn Network, the Universit...
12/06/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press rel...
12/06/2026
Chyron has announced PAINT 10.4, an update to its illustrated replay and sports ...
12/06/2026
SVP, Production, Mark Gross: With the new schedule, with not having every Sunday night, it has given us an opportunity to take a step back and reimagine what o...
12/06/2026
For Televisa Technical Engineering Manager Roberto N nez Ibarra and the small team of 12 technicians and two production personnel at the IBC things are already ...
12/06/2026
Simple Steps to Better Acoustics - Taming The Small Room
Most of us mix in spare rooms and small spaces, where the acoustics fight us at every turn. At Gear...
12/06/2026
Latest addition expands vintage-inspired effects palette
Meris' Ottobit pedal range draws its inspiration from vintage gaming consoles, and the latest a...
12/06/2026
Soundbox-based chamber strings series expanded
Sonora Cinematic have just announced the launch of the second instalment in their Soundbox-based chamber stri...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
AJA Announces KONA IP25 Integration with Colorfront Software
Brie Clayton June 12, 2026
0 Comments
Collaboration enables uncompressed SMPTE ST 2110 I/O ...
12/06/2026
URSA Cine 12K LF Used to Create Visuals for STUTS' K-Arena Concert
Brie Clayton June 12, 2026
0 Comments
Organic visuals projected on a giant scre...
12/06/2026
MTI FILM Acquires Mango New Edit, Expanding its Global Post-Production Services ...
12/06/2026
AI Point Tracking Speeds Up Complex VFX Tracks in Mocha Pro
Jessie Electa Petrov June 12, 2026
0 Comments
The 2026.5 release adds automatic point trac...
12/06/2026
Bitmovin, a provider of video streaming solutions, has partnered with Simplestream, a provider of OTT and broadcast solutions, and technology provider Xperi, to...
12/06/2026
Leostream Corporation, creator of the world-leading Leostream Remote Desktop Access Platform, today announced Jigsaw24, a leading B2B IT solutions provider wit...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
How Aussie indie games and screen are levelling up with IP 11 June 2026
Ari Harrison, Pro Jank Footy
Head of Games Joey Egger and Ari Harrison of Umbrella sha...
12/06/2026
AgentPerf from Artificial Analysis, the industry's first agentic AI benchmark, gives developers, enterprises and infrastructure providers a clear way to com...
12/06/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils First-Look Images from Villaflor, Santiago Mitre's New Film
Entertainment
12 June 2026
GlobalArgentina
Link copied to ...
12/06/2026
Back to All News
Cross the Boundaries of the Real World into the Spirit Realm i...
Trick Digital Relies on Fusion Studio for VFX on Feature Film 57 Seconds 
