'Underworld' features Framestore CFC effects

'Underworld', a slick and stylish new horror film, opened in the US and UK on September 19.
Concerning a conflict between vampires and werewolves, 'Underworld' is directed by Len Wiseman, produced by Lakeshore Entertainment, and stars Kate Beckinsale and Scott Speedman.
Framestore CFC designed and created the digital VFX. When the first horror films appeared, a vampire or a werewolf was such an exotic sight on the silver screen that a whole film could be made around the existence of just one of them. Fast-forward 70 years, and the mythos has become a little more sophisticated. Imagine a world in which there are families and clans of these creatures of the night. A world, furthermore, in which a war has been raging between the two species, unbeknownst to humans, for hundreds of years.
Although Framestore CFC's involvement with 'Underworld' eventually extended to around 150 shots, of primary concern to the producers were the several transformation scenes that would occur. Rob Duncan, Framestore CFC's VFX Supervisor for the project, said: "You start off with a list, then some things get knocked off for various reasons, but other things get added. We heard that initial responses were very good at the Studio end of things, and as a result some more shots were added. We created the werewolf transformations, although our models were used by another house for one shot."
(GB)