Interview mit dem Visual Effects Supervisor von TRON: Legacy Eric Barba

TRON prägte mit seinem bildgewaltigen Computer-Universum eine ganze Generation. Und die Geeks waren sich sicher: Flynn lebt! Im Januar 2011 kam mit TRON: Legacy endlich die Weiterführung der Geschichte um reale Personen in digitalen Systemen als ein 3D-Kinohighlight auf die digitalen Leinwände und spielte weltweit über 400 Mio. Dollar ein. Der Actionkracher beeindruckte vor allem durch das fantastische Filmdesign, die bombastischen Animationen und der kongeniale Daft Punk-Soundtrack.

TRON: Legacy erscheint am 1. Juni 2011 auf DVD, Blu-ray und natürlich auch als 3D-Blu-ray. Zudem ist der Klassiker TRON erstmals auf Blu-ray zu haben.

Zum DVD und Blu-ray-Start konnte ich in einem Interview mit Eric Barba, dem Visual Effects Supervisor von TRON: Legacy, über seine Arbeit an den digitalen Effekten, den trickreichen Herausforderungen und dem Einsatz von stereoskopischem 3D sprechen.

Seit 14 Jahren gehört Eric Barba zum Team der Effektschmiede Digital Domain und arbeitet gleichermaßen für Filme und Werbespots. Bei Luc Bessons Sci-Fi-Hit „Das fünfte Element“ war Barba erstmals für Digital Domain tätig, stieg dann bei Walter Hills problembelastetem Sci-Fi-Projekt „Supernova“ vom Digital Artist zum Computer Graphics Supervisor und schließlich bei David Finchers Thriller „Zodiac – Die Spur des Killers“ zum Visual Effects Supervisor auf. Für seine Arbeit am Film “Der seltsame Fall des Benjamin Button“ wurde er mit dem Oscar® ausgezeichnet.

DigitaleLeinwand:  Eric, what movie has influenced you the most?
Eric Barba: I have to say Star Wars. It made a mark on my creative inner child.

DigitaleLeinwand:  What is your favorite special effects shot of all time ?
Eric Barba: This might sound self-serving, but I think the shot in „Benjamin Button“ where an old Brad Pitt flexes in the mirror marks a particular spot on the timeline of film. But that’s just me.

DigitaleLeinwand:  Were you a fan of the original Tron?
Eric Barba: I was a huge fan of the original. I remember seeing it in theaters, and being totally blown away.

DigitaleLeinwand:  How do you feel about the original film?
Eric Barba: The original film has a very warm spot with my inner child. It will always be that way. And of course getting to meet and work with Steve Lisberger was pretty great.

DigitaleLeinwand:  Did you feel a lot of pressure because of the original film?
Eric Barba: Yes, we felt a huge burden of living up to what all the Tron fans would want this movie to look and feel like. It was constantly on my mind. The first film made an indelible mark on me, and that was a tall order for us to live up to.

DigitaleLeinwand:  What was it that inspired you to get your line of work in the first place?
Eric Barba: Like a lot of artists in the visual effects world, I was inspired by everything from Star Wars to the original Tron film. But what got me intrigued with visual effects, was the idea that computers could be used as art and design tools to help make things that we hadn’t seen before.

DigitaleLeinwand:  How did you get involved with TRON: Legacy?
Eric Barba: I had worked with Joe on a few commercial projects before, and we both kind of shared a mentor in David Fincher.

DigitaleLeinwand:  Did the look of the original movie limit you in your creativity? How did you visually tie the original film and the sequel?
Eric Barba: I don’t think the original film limited Joe. I think Joe had a really clear vision of what he wanted to do and he embraced the evolution of the grid.

DigitaleLeinwand:  Did you feel constrained by the look and world setup by the first movie?
Eric Barba: I never felt constrained, but it did take me a bit to figure out what the world should look like once we had the live action plates. There was a balance in Joe’s vision that had to be worked out from art work to finished shot.

DigitaleLeinwand:  How important was the early test that was created (and shown to audiences) in realizing the final vfx and approach to the film?
Eric Barba: To me it was a starting point. But I told Joe that I wanted to go much further with everything and of course, he agreed. Tests don’t always have the resources you’d like, so it’s natural to know you can do much better if given the chance.

[Den Screen-Test kann man sich hier nochmal ansehen]

DigitaleLeinwand:  How hard was it to do these visually amazing scenes, but still keep the feel of the original film?
Eric Barba: The hard part was both technical and artistic. And it was very hard. If they are done correctly, then you only enjoy them. I’m glad you thought they were amazing.

DigitaleLeinwand:  Was this film your most difficult assignment in terms of effects? If not, what was?
Eric Barba: This film was by far the hardest thing I have ever done. It was a huge challenge. From a visual effects standpoint, so much had to be invented and live up to what we all remembered and loved about the original Tron.

DigitaleLeinwand:  Do you have a favorite scene that you worked in the film?
Eric Barba: Yes. I think for me, the Disc Game sequence is the favorite. That sequence went through a lot of changes and complex problem solving and I was very happy with the final result of the team’s efforts.

DigitaleLeinwand:  What creations in Legacy are uniquely yours?
Eric Barba: One of the cool parts of my job is working collaboratively with everybody. Joe was great with everybody and I would throw out ideas and show him things to see what he thought. Most of the time he did like what we brought to the table.

DigitaleLeinwand:  What percent of TRON Legacy was visual effects? Would you say the movie was 90% your work?
Eric Barba: I would say that probably 85 percent of the film had a visual effects component.

DigitaleLeinwand:  What was, for you, the hardest part of the visual effects in Tron: Legacy? Clu 2 doesn’t count. 😉
Eric Barba: Establishing the look of the Grid. When you look at the art work, you would think it would be easy but once you get the live action and a moving camera, it’s actually a challenge to make everything work visually and still be interesting.

DigitaleLeinwand:  What was the hardest thing you had to design for the film?
Eric Barba: The hardest thing (other than Clu) was the look and feel of the Disc Game sequence. It was a huge challenge, and I’m happy with how the team rose to the challenge.

DigitaleLeinwand:  What was the most time consuming scene when it comes to special effects?
Eric Barba: The shots that involved Clu were the most time consuming. If I had to pick a particular scene, it was probably the scene where Sam meets Clu. The lighting in that scene provided challenges and we spent a lot of time making all of it work.

DigitaleLeinwand:  Now that TRON: Legacy has been viewed by the masses, how was the reception of Jeff Bridges’ rejuvenation?
Eric Barba: The overall reception to Clu was good. We had all types of reactions of course, but most enjoyed the character.

DigitaleLeinwand:  The facial expressions on Jeff Bridges were more realistic in the grid than in the Real-World-Sequences. Is facial animation and replacement of characters easier in fully animated exteriors?

Eric Barba: All of the facial expressions were driven by Jeff, and made from his facial movements. Facial animation at the photo-real level is incredibly difficult for many reasons.

DigitaleLeinwand:  Did you also create „invisible effects” in the film, for example to erase or correct things we should not see? Can you cite some specific examples?
Eric Barba: There are plenty of invisible effects in the film. One good example might be that Jeff Bridges did not sport his natural beard for the shoot and there were digital retouches to the fake beard.

DigitaleLeinwand:  Which movie was harder to do as far as de-aging its stars? The process seemed to work better with Button so I was wondering if that was due to the way it was captured.
Eric Barba: Tron was far harder. The de-aging in „Button“ was not nearly as big a leap, and certainly not in 3D.

DigitaleLeinwand:  How does 3D affect your approach to your work?
Eric Barba: 3D affects a lot of the up-front planning. Traditional techniques for tracking, roto and compositing were much more difficult. Then on the back end, finishing a shot in 3D means it has to work with the shots around it. And has to work on a fifty foot screen in a two hour movie. A lot of thought went into the stereo 3D on every shot.

DigitaleLeinwand:  The 3D effects in the final film are seamless, how long did that take?
Eric Barba: Thank you so much for that nice remark. It took two and a half years from when I started till when we delivered.

DigitaleLeinwand:  Did filming in 3D make your job any harder than it otherwise would have been?
Eric Barba: Filming in 3D made everything harder. The whole 3D process was new to me and my team, and the rules had not been written, nor the tools when we started. We had to make stuff up as we went.

DigitaleLeinwand:  Where do you see the advantages of 3D for telling stories? Did you play with 3-D effects to enhance some visual effects?
Eric Barba: 3D is another tool for a filmmaker to use to help the audience feel immersed in the story. We definitely played with the 3D to help make the Grid a more immersive place.

DigitaleLeinwand:  Concerning the tools you used, what are the trends on the software- and work flow-side of films? Are there any tools you think will become a defacto standard in the near futures? And (given the choice) what are your preferred tools?
Eric Barba: We have seen Maya become the standard for 3d animation. And I think during the time Tron Legacy was in production, Nuke has become the standard for compositing.

DigitaleLeinwand:  What’s your favorite aspect of the work you do? What in particular are you the most proud of in terms of pushing the envelope of effects?
Eric Barba: I come from the artist side of things, so I really enjoy making great looking work. I have to wear my technical hat to push the envelope but I am surrounded by an amazing team that helps figure all the really hard stuff out. I’m most proud of our planting a flag on the other side of the Uncanny Valley.

DigitaleLeinwand:  What was your favorite part of working on Tron: Legacy?
Eric Barba: I really enjoyed working with so many talented artists. Everybody on the show was very motivated to make the best of their part. From Joe to every single artist, there was a sense of making something that had to live up to what came before, and we felt we had to give 200 percent. Collaboration would be the key answer.

DigitaleLeinwand:  What was the most rewarding part of this film for you?
Eric Barba: I honestly enjoyed working with so many talented artists. When you have a highly motivated team that just can’t wait to get to work in the morning that makes the whole thing fun. Then when they see the final result and are happy to have spent their time working on it, it makes it very rewarding.

DigitaleLeinwand:  If you could do something over for TRON: Legacy- what would it be?
Eric Barba: As an artist, you are never really finished. You always want to work on something, finesse or change something. But the realities of making a movie mean that at some point you have to let go or it gets ripped from your clutching fingers. So there are plenty of things I would like to take another pass at.

DigitaleLeinwand:  What are you working on right now, and what are its challenges? What experiences from Tron Legacy are valuable to you now?
Eric Barba: I’m working on a few projects with Joe Kosinski actually. I’ve learned so much over my time on „Legacy“ that all carries forward. I’m not trying to be vague, but there really is so much I learned from the experience. I like to say, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

DigitaleLeinwand:  Will you be involved with the animated series Tron: Uprising at all?
Eric Barba: No, unfortunately.

DigitaleLeinwand:  Are you involved in the new Kosinski-Project (Black Hole)?
Eric Barba: I hope to be when that project moves forward.

DigitaleLeinwand:  Do you have any words of wisdom for aspiring film makers who want to get into vfx?
Eric Barba: I always tell people who ask me that question: it’s always the basics that help the most. Learn to paint, sculpt and draw. Pick up a camera and learn the fundamentals. Anybody can learn the software, but if you don’t have the fundamentals, you won’t know what to do with it.

DigitaleLeinwand:  What would you say to an aspiring filmmaker trying to get their foot in the door?
Eric Barba: Kick the door open. Make a small movie with whatever tools you have available, tell a story, and then do it again. I tell young artists that one of the best director reels I’ve seen was a guy who shot everything in his bedroom on a hi8 camera, and he was the star. Practice your craft, and if you have talent, it will show.

DigitaleLeinwand:  Eric, thank you for this interview!
Eric Barba: Thank you all for the great questions. I hope you enjoy the Blu-ray. We had a great time making the movie and we really did put our all into it!

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