How Visual Effects Helped Shape “The Divergent Series: Insurgent”

I’m often, if not always, amazed to read about all the work that goes into making a movie, from start to end, from pre- to post-production. I recently came across an article that discussed the advantages that small VFX companies have by using a technology called cineSync and how it helps bridge the gap between them and the studios when it comes to post-production work. It especially highlights a company called Capital T which worked on films such as Iron Man 3, X-Men: First Class, and The Divergent Series: Insurgent.

Regarding Insurgent, Jamie Hallett (½ of the husband/wife and production team at Capital T) says:

“We brought our 2D experience to the fore on a number of different sequences. We did around 40-50 shots overall, which included challenging long shots and camera moves. There was a lot of wire removal requires, such as in one sequence where Tris runs up a building, and another where she’s floating in zero-g. We also did a lot of split screens, green screen replacements, clothing fixes and heavy paint and keying work. It had the whole gamut of 2D work, really.”

He went on to say:

“In one sequence where Shailene Woodley was hanging, she had four really big, gnarly wires under her clothes, and you could still see them pulling on the fabric even after the wires had been removed. She had four connection points, was wearing black and rotating – we needed to know exactly where they needed us to fix that. So, having them be able to go right in on the exact frame and highlight the exact areas they needed us to fix saved us a lot of time and iterations. It made everything much easier, and we didn’t have to be physically in the same room to do it.”

According to Jamie and Lindsay Hallett from Capital T, Insurgent was “a visual effects extravaganza, featuring panoramic sci-fi environments, crumbling urban cityscapes and action sequences on par with the best Hollywood has to offer”. They also shared a few shots from the movie where they had work to do, including a couple where a green screen is very evident in the background featuring both Theo James and Shailene Woodley. Check out the gallery below and the VFX Reel at Capital T’s website.

Sources: Cinesync | Capital T