May 14, 2015

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

Director Joss Whedon’s Avengers: Age of Ultron opened theatrically over May Day weekend in North America, to near record-breaking domestic and international box office.

Director Joss Whedon’s Avengers: Age of Ultron opened theatrically over May Day weekend in North America, to near record-breaking domestic and international box office.  Whedon’s second film in the Marvel-Disney Avengers franchise, together with his first installment in the series, now holds the distinction of being both first and second-highest-grossing theatrical openings in motion picture history.  Walt Disney Pictures declared the opening weekend at approximately $191.3 million, for the US domestic market.  The cumulative worldwide box office was estimated near $627 million after 12 days of theatrical release around the world – without yet premiering in China where massive demand is expected.

Steve Scott led Technicolor’s finishing team, which included producer Mike Dillon, finishing artist Charles Bunnag, colorist assist Juan Flores, and DI assistant producers Brandie Konopasek and Laura Holeman.  Additionally, Gray Marshall and Jeff Olm served as associate finishing artists; Bob Schneider and Carrie Oliver handled editorial conform responsibilities; and Kevin Razo and Ronnie Leidelmeijer performed added colorist assist chores.

On working with director Joss Whedon, Steve Scott noted, “It was a genuine pleasure working with Joss.  He really likes to push the visual envelope, and always seems to be thrilled when you come up with something that is gutsy or surprising to him.”

Avengers: Age of Ultron was photographed by Ben Davis, whom Scott and the Technicolor team worked with on last year’s smash hit Guardians of the Galaxy.

“Ben has a strong sense of where he wants to go with what he's shot. The finishing work is like an extension of his mind. He always considers what he's going to be able to do with the material once he gets into the color-finishing suite, but he's also incredibly collaborative.”

Scott noted that the most challenging thing about the film was working with the incredibly tight deadlines his team faced.  Stated Scott, “The finishing work on Avengers: Age of Ultron benefitted greatly from recent advancements Technicolor has fostered with Autodesk on the Collaborative Creative Environment suite of tools that marry the finishing touches on color, visual effects and editorial aspects of the project.  This suite of tools and workflows is incredibly efficient in the real-time pressurized environment of the color-finishing suite.”

The film was released theatrically to the international market one week in advance of the North American premiere, with international deliverables consisting of 2D DCP’s, digital negative, 3D DCP’s and 3D IMAX versions.  Technicolor’s in-house VFX team provided aesthetic fulfillment work on approximately 200 shots for the show.