VFXWorld Magazine — September 14, 2017
Larger Than Life: Fall 2017 VFX Preview
With supernatural horror adaptation It now in theaters, the fall season is officially underway. VFX house Rodeo FX pulled out all the stops for the surprise blockbuster, which made a whopping $123.4 million for its domestic debut for distributor Warner Bros. and has now earned $217.8 million to date worldwide.
Based on the novel by the same name by Stephen King and directed by Andres Muschietti, It tells the story of seven youngsters, self-named The Losers, who come of age while confronting a shape-shifting evil presence known as Pennywise the dancing clown, in small-town Derry, Maine.
Produced by New Line under a budget of $35 million, the screenplay for It was written by Chase Palmer, Cary Fukunaga and Gary Dauberman. Rodeo FX created many of the most complex visual effects for the film, completing a total of 95 shots. Led by VFX Supervisor Arnaud Brisebois, the Montreal-based studio was tasked with creating a number of CG assets to either enhance or even completely replace actor Bill Skarsgård’s character, who takes multiple shapes to personify each of the kids’ individual fears. Rodeo FX was also responsible for creating the heart of Pennywise’s lair, a giant abandoned cistern where the final confrontation between The Loser’s and Pennywise takes place.