CASE STUDIES

REPLICAS - LIONS GATE FILMS

The making of the science fiction thriller film, Replicas, involved a tremendous amount of technical work to bring the story to life on screen. One of the key contributors to the film's visual effects was the VFX crew from Actor Capture, who handled the motion capture and animated the previz for the feature. 

During preproduction, Actor Capture visualized the stunt scenes for the film, helping the filmmakers save time and money when it came to filming the stunts for real. By creating a virtual version of the scenes, the team was able to plan out and optimize the action sequences, resulting in a smoother and more efficient filming process.

Keanu Reeves' motion capture work in the movie was also handled by Actor Capture, allowing the team to capture his actions and movements with precision. This provided a more realistic and nuanced performance from the actor, which was then incorporated into the visual effects during post-production.

The movie casts Reeves as Will Foster, a scientist who takes extreme measures to bring the family unit back together when his wife and children are killed in a freak car accident. In addition to a pivotal crash sequence, the movie sports scenes in which Foster utilises an augmented reality device to implant human consciousness into artificial brains, plus a star turn from a volatile humanoid robot by the name of 345. All three key sequences were brought to the screen by director Jeffrey Nachmanoff.

Fans of hard-edged sci-fi have long appreciated Keanu Reeves’ talent for sniffing out seemingly left-field film projects with dystopian and/or cyberpunk edge. The Matrix trilogy provides the best-known example, but even as far back as 1995, Reeves was introducing audiences to VR and biomechanics in an adaptation of William Gibson’s bestseller Johnny Mnemonic. Now comes REPLICAS, a high concept morality tale touching on cloning, robotics, and augmented reality technology that - as with Reeves’ previous forays into sci-fi - is underpinned by innovative behind-the-scenes visual effects work.

The creation of the robot, 345, was also a collaborative effort between the Actor Capture team and the film's stunt actors. The robot's motion was based on the motion capture of stunt actor Daniel Salinas González, resulting in a character that moved and behaved in a lifelike manner.

Throughout the duration of filming in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the Actor Capture team was on location for previz, motion capture, and postvis. This allowed for a more cohesive and collaborative effort between the team and the filmmakers, resulting in a final product that is visually stunning and engaging.

Overall, the work of the VFX crew from Actor Capture in Replicas showcases the power of technology in modern filmmaking. Their attention to detail and collaborative approach resulted in a final product that truly captures the essence of the story, and sets a new standard for visual effects in the industry.