Screencap via the author
Though few may agree, Steven Spielberg’s War of the Worlds is—after A.I.: Artificial Intelligence and Minority Report—one of his better blockbuster science fiction films. Sure, Tom Cruise’s deadbeat dad was a little annoying, but as far as big budget sci-fi goes, the filmmaking, from the cinematography and acting, all the way to the VFX, was great. And the effects work really took center stage with the Martian tripods that loomed over the increasingly charred and bloodied Earth.Inspired by the film, VFX artist and animator Konstantin Kovalenko (a.k.a., eistan) had a go at creating a tripod. But it’s really the found footage here that makes Kovalenko’s CG work look great. After seeing a YouTube video showing a panorama of a rainy Novosibirsk, Russia, with the city’s emergency alarm sounding, Kovalenko couldn’t resist the temptation of placing a tripod in the scene. The rain, fog and ominous alarm do a ton of the atmospheric work, allowing Kovalenko to create an equally ominous tripod. Watch eistan's War of the Worlds unfold here, and check out the original video below:Tripod in Novosibirsk from eistan on Vimeo.Click here to see more of Konstantin Kovalenko’s work.Related:How to Create the 'Star Trek' Teleporter Effect for Your Own Sci-Fi FilmExplore a Car Crash Suspended in Time in this Short FilmField Trip to Mars in a Real-Life Magic School Bus
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