Museum of Science, Boston

Lecture [Return to listing page]
Cahners Theater
With Matt Jacobs, visual effects supervisor, Tippett Studio; Eric Pascarelli, visual effects supervisor, Prime Focus VFX. This presentation is part of the ongoing series Movie Magic.

Depicting the snarl of a werewolf, the sparkling skin of a vampire, or a handsome apparition were all in a day's work for the visual effects supervisors who worked on The Twilight Saga: New Moon. These masters of technology were charged with bringing the latest movie installment of Stephenie Meyer's bestselling novel to the big screen.

Matt Jacobs and his team at Tippett Studio created New Moon's realistic-looking wolves with computer-generated imagery (CGI), a process that included getting up close and personal with fanged timberwolves at a California preserve in order to study their looks, movements, and behavior. The task of creating most of the other visual effects in the film, including the diamond-like shimmering of vampire skin coming into contact with sunlight, fell to Eric Pascarelli and his team at Prime Focus VFX. The source of their inspiration? Greek Thassos marble.

With behind-the-scenes stories and film clips demonstrating the process, these masters of technology, both from award-winning visual effects studios in California, illustrate how creativity and science combine to convey emotion, create drama, and bring New Moon to life.

Seating is limited. Seating passes are available to the general public in the Museum lobby beginning at 5:45 p.m. on the evening of the program; first come, first served. Museum members may reserve a limited number of seating passes in advance by calling between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday the week of the program only: 617-589-3169.

Photos courtesy Summit Entertainment LLC © 2009.

Fee: Free

This program is part of Movie Magic, a series exploring the technological tricks that make films fabulous. Funding for this series provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities Fund.