The Morning Watch: Analyzing Explosions In Movies Like ‘The Dark Knight’, ‘Chernobyl’ VFX Breakdown & More
The Morning Watchis a recurring feature that highlights a handful of noteworthy videos from around the web. They could be video essays, fanmade productions, featurettes, short films, hilarious sketches, or just anything that has to do with our favorite movies and TV shows.
In this edition, an explosive engineer and special effects expert review some big explosions from movies likeThe Dark Knight, Rush Hour, Desperadoand more. Plus, check out a visual effects breakdown from the award-winning HBO miniseriesChernobyl, and listen asGuy Pearcebreaks down some of his most memorable roles, includingMemento, Iron Man 3and more.
First up,Vanity Fairhad explosives engineer and professor Paul Worsey and special effects supervisor Tassilo Baur take a look at explosion scenes from movies to analyze them from both an engineering perspective and a filmmaking perspective. For example, did you know that shrapnel and frag are two different kinds of explosive debris used in grenades? Find out more interesting facts as they look atThe Dark Knight, Rush Hour, Desperado, Batman Returnsand more.
Next up,DNEGwalks us through the visual effects work they did on the HBO seriesChernobyl. The VFX supervisor Max Dennison guides us through some of the 550 shots they created for the series, including the design ofthe reactor #4 building inside and out, developing complex destruction and smoke simulations, creating CG vehicles like cars and helicopters, and animating crowds.
Finally, Guy Pearce can currently be seen inBloodshot(coming soon to VOD far ahead of the usual schedule), so he sat down withGQto look back at some of his most memorable characters. Listen as he reminisces about starring inThe Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Christopher Nolan’s Memento, LA Confidential, The Hurt Locker, Iron Man 3, Prometheus, and more.
