MAPING OUT UNCHARTED
Uncover the mysteries behind the visual effects created by DNEG
WORDS BY TREVOR HOGG
This 2022 movie adaptation is based on the original actionadventure video game series developed by Naughty Dog
Considered to be one of the most acclaimed video game franchises, Uncharted leavesbehind the wilderness of Hollywood development hell to have Tom Holland portray treasure hunter Nathan Drake, Mark Wahlberg take on the role of mentor Victor ‘Sully’ Sullivan, and Sophia Taylor Ali play hired thief and potential love interest Chloe Frazer. The trio seek to find the lost gold fortune onboard 16th century ships Trinidad and Concepción, while contending with mercenaries contracted by business tycoon Santiago Moncada (Antonio Banderas), whose ancestors funded the expedition led by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan.
In order to achieve the scope and death-defying action sequences, filmmaker Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland) partnered with production visual effects supervisor Chas Jarrett (Logan). DNEG served as the primary vendor with facilities in Vancouver and Montreal being responsible for 739 shots across 23 sequences, including the entire third act which unfolds in the South China Sea.
SURVIVING THE DAISY CHAIN
Robot arms were creatively utilised to practically shoot a signature aerial action sequence
Crates were placed on KUKA robot arms, which were situated on top of a moving gimbal and object tracked. “Then we had a full CG version of the entire daisy chain,” explains von Overheidt. “We would examine what had been shot and block it out in layout and present it to Chas to discuss what else we want to do with the shot. We’d explore modifications to the practical elements up to a certain point before it breaks in terms of the perspective, and then decide whether a shot would become full CG. But there were definitely a lot of shots where we just extended the daisy chain in the background and used the practical plates.”