COMMENT

One of the world’s most beloved characters is back on the big screen as a new chapter in the Spider-Man legacy is revealed in “The Amazing Spider-Man.” Focusing on an untold story that tells a different side of the Peter Parker story, the new film stars Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Campbell Scott, Irrfan Khan, with Martin Sheen and Sally Field.

Directed by Marc Webb with a screenplay by James Vanderbilt, Alvin Sargent and Steve Kloves, its story is by James Vanderbilt, based on the Marvel Comic Book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. The film was produced by Sony Pictures Imageworks – which previously handled VFX duties on director Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy – returns to oversee the visual effects on the film. The visual effects work was overseen by Jerome Chen, an Academy Award-nominated VFX supervisor who has been with Imageworks since its founding 20 years ago. Laura Ziskin, Avi Arad, and Matt Tolmach are producing the film in association with Marvel Entertainment for Columbia Pictures. “The Amazing Spider-Man” opens in theaters everywhere in 3D on July 3, 2012.

Working with Webb, Chen and the visual effects teams created a visual style that naturally blends cutting edge live-action stunt work with CG character animation and seamlessly integrates both into extensive digital environments. Imageworks created many digital characters, environments and VFX elements including: Spider-Man, The Lizard villain, OsCorp Building including spire and extensive rooftop set, New York Sixth Avenue, Mid-Town High School hallways, library, sewer tunnels beneath New York City and Spider-Man’s new webs.

According to Chen, Webb had a specific vision for Spider-Man’s world: An organic, naturalistic New York City, a place full of dirt, scaffolding, and steam: “He wanted Spider-Man to be more physical, to really react with this environment, rather than a stylized version of the character. I loved this concept, but I knew that an organic, naturalistic Spider-Man would make the visual effects work a lot more challenging, because the CG imagery would now demand a higher level of visual sophistication. The CGI would need more textural and tonal detail in order to integrate with the photography. And, of course, the organic feel of the movie has a huge impact on how we realize our completely CG villain – who would have to feel real and be as sturdy and gritty as the rest of the picture.”

Webb’s vision didn’t just apply to the look of Spider-Man, but also to how he would move – and it would be different from what audiences might be familiar with. “What was really important to Marc was that the movement was natural and physical, in the sense that a real person could do it. Because of that, there’s a physicality of Spider-Man in the way he responds to gravity,” says Chen. “Andy Armstrong’s stunt team worked hard on suspending Spider-Man from the right geometry of wires that allowed him to swing in the correct way. We were able to mimic that – we looked at what gravity did to the real stuntmen, then simply enhanced it to give it a bigger scope.”

Webb’s previous film work – including the indie hit “(500) Days of Summer” – might not seem to make him a natural choice for a film with hundreds of visual effects shots, but according to Chen, Webb had “a very clear vision for the characters and how he would handle the love story between Peter and Gwen – that’s the heart of the movie… What really impressed me about him when I first met him was that he knew, in his mind’s eye, what he wanted the film to look like, and his direction to me about what the effects needed to be, the movement of the Lizard and the movement of Spider-Man, was very specific.”

Chen also says that Webb uses pre-visualization (or “pre-viz”) techniques in an interesting way. While many directors use pre-viz to explore, say, how much of a set should be built vs. constructed in the computer, or which camera lenses will work best for a given shot, or blocking out camera movements, Chen says that Webb had another goal in mind. “Marc uses pre-viz creatively, to explore a whole sequence. [It shows] his intentions for the physicality of movement, the energy of the scene, the emotional beats, the dramatic intent. It’s a very finished pre-viz and it becomes a great starting point for the scene.”

“The Amazing Spider-Man” was shot in 3D. For the filmmakers, this was a key choice. “3D isn’t right for every movie, but 3D was made for Spider-Man,” says producer Arad. “It is another way we have of keeping the audience immersed in the storytelling. You see the world through his eyes and you feel like Spider-Man – the exciting moments are even more exciting. But what might be surprising is that 3D makes the intimate moments more intimate as well – I can think of some scenes that are quite emotional that are even more emotional in 3D. It’s a perfect choice for this movie.”

Notes Webb: “We wanted to put people in Peter Parker’s shoes and Spider-Man’s shoes in this film, to let them experience the thrills themselves. What better way to do that to enhance the reality than through 3D. It’s the ideal format to allow the audience to viscerally experience the quality of moving through space, flying through the air, swinging through Manhattan.”

Webb referred to the “3 Vs” – “Velocity, Vertigo, and Volume” – as keystones for his approach. “It seemed to me that Spider-Man was the perfect venue for immersing the audience into the experience of flying with the character,” he says. “I like to shoot things from a subjective point of view, so in creating a connection between the camera and the character, the three dimensionality of it gives you the feeling of the sense of velocity when Spider-Man swings through the streets.”

Academy Award-nominated director of photography John Schwartzman and Sony Pictures Imageworks’ 3D visual effects supervisor Rob Engle were chosen to collaborate with Webb on lensing “The Amazing Spider-Man” in 3D. The film is the first movie to be shot in 3D using the Red Epic camera mounted on 3ality Digital’s newest, most lightweight rig. As Webb explains, “3D enabled us to capture not only the thrills of a huge action sequence, but the portable handheld rigs allowed us to capture emotionally charged, more intimate scenes, such as a scene between Peter and his Aunt May that felt palpable, real and authentic.”