Image Credit: Photo: Courtesy of Sony Pictures
It’s officially “spooky season”, so it is only right to start off October by spending time with the VFX experts behind the new “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” movie. Join us as we sit down with Sony Pictures Imageworks VFX Supervisor Jason Greenblum and discuss how this next edition in the historic Ghostbusters franchise came to be.
SIGGRAPH: Since the first Ghostbusters movie debuted in 1984 to today, the world of VFX and computer graphics has changed significantly. Can you talk about the process of how you kept that classic Ghostbusters touch with a variety of new tools to use?
Jason Greenblum (JG): In every aspect of the VFX in “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire”, we always tried to look at the effect we were creating through the lens of how it would have been achieved back in 1984, but we built it using current technology. With our CG character Garraka, for example, we used muscle systems like Ziva but tried to implement it with an eye toward emulating an animatronic creature built in a creature shop rather than a human. We looked at how silicone layered over an internal structure would flex and move versus looking at human skin over soft tissues and muscles. When creating the “Ominous Cloud” effects in the freezing over Manhattan, we looked at cloud tank references similar to what they used in the 1984 film, but Naoki Kato, one of our FX leads, used a proprietary plugin created at Imageworks called Inferno, which is a wrapper around Houdini’s pyro simulator to achieve the effect. In some instances, like the Library Ghost scene, we actually re-scanned original film plate elements from the first film to bring into our shots. Another example would be the way we implemented the character Slimer. We had a full CG version of Slimer that we rendered and comped in, but instead of trying to create the dimensionality that could easily be achieved with a CG asset, we kept the layers flat and composited them more like an optical comp from back in the OG Ghostbusters days. It was a fun challenge to keep our normal inclinations to always push the fidelity to 11 in check and, instead, focus our attention on honoring the feeling of that 1984 film that is so beloved.
SIGGRAPH: You mention developing artistic and technological innovations for this highly anticipated feature. Can you speak about some of those innovations and what roles they played in your work?
JG: A lot of the innovation on “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” was focused around efficiency and flexibility. We knew that we were going to have a lot of shots to get through and not a lot of time, but we still wanted to give the director as much room to be as creative as possible. As Ben Aguillon, associate VFX supervisor, mentioned in his section of our presentation, we built a system for the pyro effects on Melody to allow for fewer FX artists to manage more shots, providing multiple layers that could be sculpted in Comp to accommodate changes without having to go back up the pipe and waiting days for new renders. This proved to be invaluable in the process.
SIGGRAPH: The Ghostbusters franchise is iconic. What was your favorite part about working on a project that resonates across generations of fans?
JG: Honestly, I loved being on set with the OG Ghostbusters, Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd. When Dan Aykroyd wrapped his part on set, he literally did a “Wrap Rap” that had the entire crew cheering and clapping for more. What a treat that was. As far as doing the post, it’s really what you said above. Being a part of a film that has so much history and fandom and knowing that we were adding to that lore was inspirational, and it really kept us enthusiastic throughout the process.
SIGGRAPH: What inspired your team to submit this work to the SIGGRAPH 2024 Production Sessions program? Why was it important to share this message in this space?
JG: We felt, in this time of “no CGI was used in the making of…”, we wanted to showcase how helpful to the creative process CG can be. Particularly when implemented to carry the story and support the narrative. Even “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” has some “fantastical” effects that we all know have to be created in CG. It wasn’t CG for the sake of CG but rather always there to carry the story or to support our characters. Our main focus was always to be a creative tool in the filmmaker’s tool chest that allows for the best version of the story to be told.
SIGGRAPH: What do you hope the SIGGRAPH 2024 audience took away, personally or professionally, from your Production Sessions contribution?
JG: I hope the audience took away from our session that at the end of the day, the essence of the VFX process is a collaboration between our clients and the incredibly talented and dedicated artists crafting the effects. As technology advances and we get better and faster and more efficient at creating FX for films, the quality of the work that ends up on the screen always boils down to that … the artists and production team’s passion and dedication to the art.
While SIGGRAPH 2024 may be over, SIGGRAPH 2025 will be here before you know it! Be sure to save the date for SIGGRAPH 2025, taking place 10-14 August in Vancouver, and bookmark the SIGGRAPH 2025 website to stay in the loop as more information becomes available.
Jason Greenblum is a VFX supervisor at Sony Pictures Imageworks. He most recently supervised GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE for Columbia Pictures, Marvel’s ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA, IN VAULTED HALLS ENTOMBED, an episode of the Netflix animated anthology LOVE, DEATH + ROBOTS VOL. 3, presented by Tim Miller and David Fincher, and JUMANJI: THE NEXT LEVEL.
Previously, Greenblum served as DFX supervisor on THE MEG, SMALLFOOT, THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2, HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 2, and GHOSTBUSTERS.
Additional Imageworks projects include: OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL, GREEN LANTERN, DUE DATE, G-FORCE, BODY OF LIES, I AM LEGEND, SPIDER-MAN 3, GHOST RIDER, SUPERMAN RETURNS, and the Academy Award ®-winning SPIDER-MAN 2.
Greenblum previously worked at Method Studios as a compositing supervisor on LET ME IN and A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. He was at Weta Digital serving as a compositing sequence lead on THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING and senior compositor on THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS.
Earlier credits earned at Rhythm & Hues include STUART LITTLE 2, MEN IN BLACK 2, HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE, CATS & DOGS, HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS, BEDAZZLED, BATTLEFIELD EARTH, and STUART LITTLE. At Digital Domain he contributed to SUPERNOVA and THE FIFTH ELEMENT.
Greenblum was awarded a BFA from the University of Georgia.
