Guardians of the Galaxy VFX | Visual Effects Breakdown

I watched Guardians of the Galaxy when it was released in SA and now im watching it again at home and I’m getting all geeked out by the Marvel universe, the characters and of course the visual affects. This sent me on a hunt to find all the VFX breakdowns I could find and any other interesting info on the planning for this awesome movie and its characters.

What was really interesting while hunting for info was that the Marvel Studios team picked two studios to work separately on Rocket and Groot. MPC created the effects for Groot and Framestore created Rocket, equally tough jobs in my opinion. I also found a reel on Method Studios Environmental design work and how the visual effects team used life size models for different scenes. More below!

Rocket and Groot VFX

What I really appreciated was the thought and effort MPC and Framestore put into planning and creating Rocket and Groot (as well as some other spectacular scenes). There are some great interviews on the creations so be sure to have a look.

Rocket:

Instead of mapping out a section of hair and cloning it they literally simulated every single hair on his body so that it would give a realistic look to it. This method also allows each hair to interact with the hair around it, making it a lengthy but rewarding route. (Click images for high resolution)

Groot:

MPC had to create a character which was both gentle and tough (which already is a tough character creation on its own) and they modeled and rigged each branch on Groot’s body individually. (Click images for high resolution)

Props for VFX visualisation

The other interesting tidbit was that the special effects makeup designer (David White) made a Rocket Raccoon life size version and a Groot headpiece to visualise scenes, lighting and visual effects.

Methodstudios VFX Breakdown of Guardian of the Galaxy Digital Environments

and a few images:

Read more about Methodstudios work and several digital environments they had to create for Guardians of the Galaxy.

And then finally, here’s a dancing Groot! Hope you enjoyed the read 🙂

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