Creating the Futurescape for the Fifth Element [2019]

6 hours ago

Digital Domain created over 220 visual effects shots for Luc Besson's 'The Fifth Element', blending miniatures, CG, and digital matte paintings.
The film's visual style was influenced by 1970s French comic books, offering a utopian, whimsical vision of the future, distinct from dystopian works like 'Blade Runner'.
Key effects included the Mondoshawan spaceship (an 8' miniature), the destruction of the mothership using pyrotechnics and CG, and the 'Evil' entity realized with Renderman and proprietary software.
Innovative techniques like backlit UV matting were used for miniatures, such as the Fhloston Paradise spaceship, to handle reflective surfaces and create clean composites.
Pre-visualization with Prisms software helped plan complex sequences like the New York City chase, allowing camera moves to be translated to motion-control stages and guiding miniature construction.
The New York Cityscape was built at 1/24 scale with miniatures up to 24' tall, extended with digital matte paintings and CG to create endless grid-like perspectives.
Challenges included shooting miniatures in broad daylight, using a 'fractured light' approach for depth, and managing greenscreen elements with reflective costumes.
The film's cinematography emphasized symmetrical, center-weighted shots, often using Super 35 format and Arriflex cameras to accommodate visual effects demands.

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