“London Has Fallen,” the sequel to “Olympus Has Fallen” is a suspense action thriller which has dialed up the visceral intensity and visual effects. Led by compositing supervisor Eric Doiron and VFX Supervisor Geoff D. E. Scott, the Intelligent Creatures team created some astonishing visual effects by mixing practical effects with full CG and everything in between.

“Working on the helicopter sequences was interesting because there was a bunch of different elements at play. Some shots were actually filmed in the helicopters, some with partial green screens, and others were full CG,” said Doiron. “Using Fusion Studio’s compositing abilities and projection mapping, we were able blend the worlds of the practical and visual effects.

“The biggest sequence we did was when Marine One is shot down and crashes through a building, eventually stopping in iconic Hyde Park. It started on a green screen but gradually became all CG. It took months to accomplish but Fusion Studio’s speed is remarkable that it really helped us speed up what would have been a much longer process. The software’s node-based architecture helped us to manage hundreds of elements and make many revisions without getting backed into a corner.”

The VFX team also used one of my favorite Blackmagic Cameras, the 2.5K Cinema Camera to help capture the streets of London. They then used DaVinci Resolve Studio to color correct the VFX plates. “For some of the most intensive sequences, we needed helicopters to fly low right over major London streets, which would never go through practical effects due to safety issues,” noted Scott. “We went rooftop to rooftop with a Cinema Camera and took footage to create the VFX plates, so that everything would be authentic to the city.”

This is what I love about a company like Blackmagic Design. Two of these three tools can be downloaded for free: DaVinci Resolve and Fusion. The Blackmagic Cinema Camera and it’s 13 stops of dynamic range can be bought new for $1995.00 for the EF Mount model. The idea behind a company like Blackmagic is to start a revolution or change the landscape. By making DaVinci Resolve and Fusion free they’re gaining new users everyday. By putting 13 stops of raw 2.5K footage in your hand they’ve taken away a barrier. The camera really shouldn’t be getting in the way of your dreams anymore.