We go over what Scene 38 is, how it was created, and why ActionVFX was crucial to the production.
The Viral Reimagining
ActionVFX Assets were used a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away! The increasingly popular YouTube channel FXitinPostreleased the much anticipated unofficial short scene "Star Wars SC 38 Reimagined". This reimagined scene involves the final confrontation between Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope.
If you have not watched this brilliant and imaginative retelling of the scene yet, you're doing yourself a disservice! The video has 8 million views and has gone viral all over social media and the web.
Watch it below! Can you spot our products?While you're at it, let us give you what you came here for. Check out the VFX breakdown of this powerful reimagining.
Scene 38 Is Born
We were able to catch up with Chris Clements, VFX Producer at FXitinPost, to take a peek behind the scenes of the making of SC 38.
While talking with Chris, we found out that this isn't his first Star Wars rodeo.
"Funny enough, my interest in VFX actually began when I decided I wanted to create a Star Wars fan film for the LucasFilm Star Wars Fan Film competition in 2009."
After years of playing around with the ideas of lightsabers and force lightning and posting them on YouTube, someone asked him to help out with some more Star Wars VFX. At first, Chris was reluctant to join.
"I was a bit over lightsabers at that point, so I gave a few tips and left it at that. A few days later, the same guy hit me up again saying he really needed help. I happened to have a little bit of free time that day, so I said sure I’d help out."
Once Chris jumped aboard to help the person that reached out to him, he was surprised with what happened next!
"I found out that it was a PreVis for stunt choreography for the new Star Wars Trilogy. I knew it was a huge opportunity, so I worked my butt off for two weeks and got all of the VFX done. My career took off from that project."
In January of 2017, Director Philip Silvera (who is also prominent in the stunt industry) asked if he would be interested in doing a Star Wars short film. Thus, Scene 38 was born. What made Scene 38 so popular? It was the pure anger you see Darth Vader fight with. Anger that you see at the end of Rogue One, and that's what they successfully displayed.
As you can tell in the GIF below, their PreVis and choreography nailed it. From the flames on Vader's suit to Kenobi turning back the clock of his old age to duel, it's a joy to watch.
How ActionVFX Products Helped
Chris has followed our company since we posted on Reddit years ago looking for feedback on what the VFX community wanted! ActionVFX was his go-to VFX stock footage to finish the scene.
"I used everything I could! I'd say the products I utilized the most were the Atmosphere Smoke & Fog and all of the Spark and Ember packs. It was vital for us to feel the impact of the clashes between Kenobi & Vader. This may be oddly specific, but Spark Hit 6 and Spark Hit 8 were my favorite for lightsaber clashes. They have a lot of character but also fall in such a way that they can be tracked into a scene and still look natural."
ActionVFX Elements are shot at varying resolutions to match what your scene needs. Scene 38 integrated various resolutions of VFX stock clips when needed.
"I think one of my favorite aspects in working with ActionVFX elements over other assets would be the ability to choose between the different resolutions. I tried to roll with 2K assets as much as possible, but there were times where I needed a lot of detail, and having 4K or even 6K options available was fantastic."
There is a shot at the beginning of Scene 38 where we see Vader walk directly through our Atmospheric Smoke assets that wouldn't have worked if it wasn't for the optional 4K version.Star Wars has been a part of Chris' life since he watched it for the first time with his dad, and now being able to create and reimagine tales from the galaxy far, far away with our products is an honor.
In one final question, which was my favorite of all, was "If you could wrap up SC 38 Reimagined into five words, what would they be?"
Like a champ, he responded, "Insomnia, Coffee, Humility, Awe, and Lightsaber."
If you're interested in seeing what other customers are doing with our products, you can check them out over at the Customer Projects section!
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