Andrew Whitehurst, Production VFX Supervisor for ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,’ discusses his approach to the diverse effects in the film and managing the production with multiple providers, including The Yard VFX, in an interview with Art of VFX.
Around 2,350 VFX shots were meticulously crafted to bring the final chapter of the iconic ‘Indiana Jones’ franchise to the screen, as revealed by Andrew Whitehurst in an interview with Art of VFX discussing the production of ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.’
In the article, Whitehurst shares details about his collaboration with director James Mangold and VFX producer Kathy Siegel, a duo with whom The Yard team had the great pleasure of working on ‘Ford v Ferrari.’
He also provides insights into the extensive work involved in creating visual effects and collaboration with multiple VFX vendors, including The Yard VFX.
Jim wanted to get as much as possible in-camera. The Indy films have always featured exciting locations around the world and elaborate set builds and there was no desire to do anything differently this time. With that said, Jim is no luddite, and he was keen to choose the right tool for every job, so when VFX looked to be the best approach he was fully supportive of that.
The interview covers various specific sequences, including the recreation of a young Indiana Jones and the use of technology like ILM FaceSwap, as well as the challenges faced in particular sequences (such as the opening, the tuk-tuk sequence and the Siege of Syracuse).
Whitehurst notably elaborated on the extensive environment work in the film, given the great variety of locations represented.
Our overall approach was to scout potential locations then LiDAR and photograph them. Many of these locations were places we were actually filming in, like Sicily or Morocco, but there were some places that we shot VFX plates and scanned alone, such as the Austrian Alps for the opening sequence. As the film is set in the past we also, in collaboration with the art department, did a lot of research through the archives to get as much reference imagery of the locations in 1969 as possible. From this reference we were able to present Jim with a range of options on buildings, textures, signage and so forth that we could then work into the asset builds.
The Yard team was responsible for enhancing the charming town of Tangier from various perspectives and bringing the late ’60s to early ’70s look to the sequences
Have a look at the work of our team by watching The Yard’s VFX showreel below:
The Yard’s team was thrilled to contribute to bringing the latest Indiana Jones film to the screen and collaborate with major VFX studios in the industry.
The VFX work on ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny‘ has received nominations at the 96th Oscars, the 2024 VES Awards, and France’s Genie Awards in multiple categories