You don’t see their work, but they interfere in all the films, or almost. Discreet, perfectionist and curious, the special effects creators create the magic potion of Asterix and the crowd in The Artist. “We are asked to design what is difficult to shoot, such as blowing up a building or creating an airplane battle,” explains Marc-Thomas Cavé, 3D manager. A distinction is made between “special effects”, shot directly on set – such as a car exploding live on a set or wounds on the body – from digital visual effects, which are created in the studio. These are also called VFX for visual effects in English. Over time the generic term special effects took over. A booming sector, VFX represent on average between 10 and 15% of a film’s budget. In 2021, 90% of fiction films used it, according to the National Cinema Center. Two French pure animation schools, Les Gobelins and ESMA, feature in the world’s top 10 best animation schools. ARTFX in Montpellier, ISAT or NEW3DGE in Paris are also excellent schools specializing in VFX.
An example of success, the Parisian post-production studio Digital District has experienced a 25% increase in its permanent workforce since July 2021. The team worked for several years on The Artist, OSS 117 and the latest Asterix. Philippe Aubry, Marc-Thomas Cavé and his brother Jimmy Cavé reveal behind the scenes of their “passionate profession” in a joint interview.
“The devil is in the details.” It is with this mantra in mind that Jimmy Cavé works to create ever more realistic objects on his 3D software. It collects photos taken during filming which serve as a reference. Then, thanks to the photogrammetry technique, he can extract a first 3D model which will serve as a basis for sculpting. “We shoot the object to obtain a perfect 3D model from a point of view of precision and proportion”, he describes. A technology necessary to reproduce the object in its smallest details.
The other technique consists in looking for the references of the existing object. Jimmy Cavé, for example, worked on Éric Barbier’s film, La Promise de l’aube with Pierre Niney and Charlotte Gainsbourg released in 2017. The main character distinguished himself as an aviator during the Second World War. A colossal work then began to reproduce the planes, Flamants. “I really had to see how the plane was made, the cockpit with the references that I looked up on the Internet, he explains. I managed to find the architect’s plan for the plane, and that allowed me to really stick to reality. »
The 3D model is made up of polygons, “much like an origami” that are malleable to create the desired shapes. All of Jimmy Cavé’s work serves as a basis for the graphic designers who continue on to the next stages of production. Once the shape has been created, the 3D modeler applies “a material and a color to this object”, this is “texturing”, then ends with rendering “which reproduces a light so that the object fits well into the plan. which was shot. The preparatory work, which precisely defines the images to be created, is essential to respect the budget. “You can very well choose to model things indoors. For example, the Flamingo ends up being destroyed, so we will see the parts and the cockpit fly in all directions,” says the technician.
Digital District also works for amusement parks that ask them to create trailers. The 3D modeler worked with his brother for the Spanish Puy du Fou, on the Allende La Mar Océana attraction. It was to reproduce the Santa Maria nave, which allowed Christopher Columbus to cross the Atlantic. “We go to museums to see how the models were made, the structure, says Jimmy Cavé. You then have to do all the details of the boat, batten by batten, twisted ropes.”
Once the boat has been modeled, comes the special effects work, which Marc-Thomas Cavé, 3D manager, has looked into. “FX is a special discipline among VFX. It’s anything that reacts to the laws of physics and anything organic: fire, snow, smoke…” In the case of Christopher Columbus’ boat rising out of the water, Marc-Thomas Cavé had to take into account the heaviness of the ship, create movements in the ropes and the sails which must move for more realism. He then incorporated the water which he collided with the boat to create the final “splash”. “Our software is called Houdini, in reference to the magician. There is a whimsical aspect to Harry Potter. Like a wizard, we enter all the physical data, namely gravity, wind, intensity, he develops. The computer calculates for hours, and then we have a result where everything moves according to the data. A scene that the two brothers and their team took nearly two months to create, between modeling, special effects and returns from the amusement park.
To do this job, you have to be curious and have a great ability to adapt: “Sometimes I work on animals, then on bridges in Paris, but also on a boat dating from Christopher Columbus. We are in contact with historians, scientists, “said Marc-Thomas Cavé. Special effects are also and above all technological innovations. “Faced with the rapid pace of new technologies, we proceed with a technology watch,” he says. In an environment in high demand, graphic designers leaving school receive between 2200 and 2500€ gross. The sector is gradually opening up to women, with a 33% increase in the female workforce between 2012 and 2021 in an environment still largely dominated by men (68% men against 32% women) according to the CNC.
Like the other professions, called technical, the creators of special effects are in the shadows. “For two years, there has been a César for the best visual effects”, explains Philippe Aubry, VFX supervisor who has worked on numerous award-winning films during his 25-year career, such as La Môme and The Artist. A step forward that marks “a certain consideration and recognition of the profession according to Marc-Thomas Cavé. And it was time! There are still a lot of special effects in the movies that we’ve been seeing for over ten years!”
Across the Atlantic, the prize to reward them has existed for a long time at the Oscars. Our experts notice a big difference in treatment with their American counterparts. “In the United States, on films with big effects, they will perhaps have a year and a half to two years of preparation and they know precisely where they are going, specifies Philippe Aubry. In France, it’s more like “we’ll see in post-production”. For Marc-Thomas Cavé, the problem is elsewhere: “The trouble is that we don’t have the same budgets as in the United States, but the requirements are those of American films, which have become the reference”. A resourceful French side that seduces in the United States or Canada. But Philippe Aubry points the finger at the American special effects sector: “We have to keep the balance between craftsmanship and industry. A lot of young people dream of going to work at Marvel Studios, but right now they don’t have a good reputation when it comes to VFX because they want performance.” What will be the next films of the trio of special effects artisans? A good magician never reveals (all) his secrets.
