Dean Wright

About
best known for his work on The Lord of the Rings film trilogy and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

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vfx_dude337 karma

All the Hobbits were awesome!!! As nice as you think they are. Viggo was so f-ing cool. In one scene, his tooth got knocked out when he got hit in the mouth, and he picked it up, shoved it back in, and said he was ready to go. (They stopped the scene and sent him to the dentist of course).

Andy Serkis (Gollum) became our best friend...

vfx_dude304 karma

I'm as opposite from Jim Cameron and Peter Jackson as I can be on this. I agree with Chris Nolan's recent comments (check out his interview at the DGA site). Movies are already 3D. When you put the glasses on, all you're doing is putting a barrier between the audience and the film, pushing them further away rather than pulling them in.

I can't say that I'll never be forced to release a film in 3D, but I can't imagine why I'd choose it.

Also - shooting on film is far superior to any digital camera currently being used. I've spent hours (years actually) working with footage from both and there's no comparison. Film has a much wider dynamic range in capturing color and contrast. Projecting digital vs film is less of a concern for me.

vfx_dude295 karma

Hmmm... Good question.... I'll come back with more - but right off I can mention that I had to paint out all the dust spots on Kate Winslet's breasts on the famous shot where she's posing nearly naked for Jack. Frame by frame....

vfx_dude236 karma

I have two (sorry - not trying to avoid):

Terminator 2 - was my first BIG feature film and it was awesome working with Jim. It was the beginning of my stumbling onto projects that would somehow always become the most difficult movies ever made (at that time).

Lord of the Rings - what an incredible experience helping make the books I loved so much come to life - plus living in NZ. But the best part - Peter let me be a 2nd Unit Director for him on The Return of the King, mentoring me while he was editing the film.

vfx_dude204 karma

Again, my first VFX job. I wondered, are they all going to be like this??

vfx_dude181 karma

I was the Visual Effects (VFX) Production Manager on Titanic. I was originally hired to help produce the miniature shoot (miniatures of course meaning 200-300 foot sections of the ship that we would crack and smash and sink in a tank we built in Acton, CA). I then moved over to help manage the digital side and had the extreme pleasure to be the person who had to face the execs at 20th Century Fox when we told them we couldn't finish the film in time, pushing the release date from July to December. (it all worked out okay!)

On LOTR, I was the VFX Producer for The Two Towers and Return of the King. I ended up moving over to the Narnia films afterwards ultimately living in New Zealand almost 7 of the last 10 yearsd

vfx_dude129 karma

I have to say that if anyone will do it right - it's Jim (and Peter). I just don't see the need for it in most films. (Avatar being an exception). Just remember - most films aren't directed by those two!!

vfx_dude124 karma

When the film was scanned, dust was picked up and needed to be painted out - or you'd see annoying pops everywhere.

vfx_dude118 karma

None that I've met!

vfx_dude118 karma

My partner, Jim R (who won 3 Oscars for LOTR), and I worked 18-22 hours a day, 7 days a week, for 7 months to complete The Return of the King in order to make the release date!