The special effects creators of the film "Rivals" demonstrate how they made the scene from the perspective of a tennis ball
The film Challengers, starring Zendaya, Mike Faist and Josh O'Connor, features some amazing visual effects. One of the most interesting moments is a 24-second exchange of blows between the two protagonists, shown from the perspective of a tennis ball.
Here's What We Know
As visual effects supervisor Brian Drewes revealed in his X account, the live action sequences were shot using an Arri Alexa LF camera on a 9-metre technocrane for five hours with stunt doubles. Ultimately 23 separate shots were stitched together to create the final scene.
Love it or hate it, you have to admit, it's a new way to see tennis!
- Brian Drewes (@BrianVFX) May 23, 2024
I oversaw all the VFX on Challengers and thanks to great direction from Luca and amazing artists @ZeroVFX it's unlike any sports movie ever made!
More breakdowns to come. Go watch the film on Prime!!! pic.twitter.com/eu4lnlnhaD
Detailed LiDAR scans and photogrammetry of the tennis court were conducted to help create the final models. Over 100 actors and extras were also scanned to fill the stands in the CG environment.
Computer graphics were then used to smooth out camera movement and correct for time-of-day changes. The faces of the stunt doubles were then replaced with a combination of fully computer-generated heads and additional photography.
All of this was done to convey the speed, chaos and passion in the sport, consistent with the overall themes of the film. It's also just an interesting and exciting way to show what would otherwise be an ordinary tennis match.
Source: @BrianVFX
