It’s common knowledge in the quality/time/price triangle that you can have only two of those things at the same time, that one must always suffer in the service of the others. Common in all things except in VFX, where that notion that the best work can be delivered in no time and cheaper than ever pervades the industry. In our recent travels of California it has come up again and again that several of the best VFX films of the year made little or no money for the facilities involved “because of the massive amounts of OT”. Of course the answer is never “demand more time” but always “we gotta get rid of OT, you know, like London”.
I was thinking about this watching “Life of Pi” yesterday, the film surely to win this year’s VFX Oscar – truly a new standard in the depiction of animals, fur, water, and animation. I’m not surprised that they pulled it off – Rhythm and Hues has been refining this type of work for years (not to mention MPC and several others); what I can’t get my head around is how they did it without breaking the bank, as I can imagine they did not have a lot of money to throw at it (perhaps I’m wrong, but Life of Pi is not an Avengers-style blockbuster). Maybe they had a long time, but still… my mind couldn’t wrap my head around it. Really Juan – my mind couldn’t wrap my head?? What kind of writing is that! I need more time!! AND SPACE.