Tropic Thunder tracked with boujou

13 October 2008, Oxford, UK: 2d3, a leading developer of visual effects software and part of the Oxford Metrics Group, has revealed today that it's boujou match-moving technology enabled one of Canada's foremost visual effects companies, CIS Vancouver to create a series of realistic computer-generated shots for the recently released comedy film Tropic Thunder.

Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. lead an ensemble cast in DreamWorks Pictures' Tropic Thunder, an action comedy about a group of self-absorbed actors who set out to make the biggest war film ever. After ballooning costs (and the out of control egos of the pampered cast) threaten to shut down the movie, the frustrated director refuses to stop shooting, leading his cast deep into the jungles of Southeast Asia for "increased realism," where they inadvertently encounter real bad guys.

With so many variations in background light and shade, plus a lot of movement from plants and other elements of the background, filming on location in the jungle wasn't easy. But Mark Breakspear, visual effects supervisor at CIS Vancouver, was impressed with how brilliantly boujou tracked the trickiest moving objects.

"There were around 110 shots that required tracking," Breakspear said. "There was one shot in particular with Robert Downey Jr. coming in via helicopter and it crashes. The final edit looks seamless. boujou has always been my weapon of choice, it doesn't disappoint, and delivers every time."

Despite the demanding conditions of the environment in which the movie was shot - lots of moving background detail - boujou was more than a match for film-makers' requirements.

Breakspear adds "There wasn't a single shot that wasn't suffering from the windy conditions - it looked like it was going to be nearly impossible to integrate our CG elements. Initially we'd assumed, because the gusting wind was so bad, it would all have to be hand tracked, but boujou didn't have a problem. I still don't quite understand how boujou managed it, I'm assuming a brilliant matchmove team at CIS Vancouver combined with some fantastic boujou magic!"

Nick Bolton, chief Executive at OMG said: "It's great to hear talent like Mark Breakspear speak so enthusiastically about our product. We are incredibly proud of how highly regarded boujou is within the industry. Mark and his team have done a fantastic job on Tropic Thunder and I can't wait to see it."

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