Life is a terrifying sci-fi thriller about a team of scientists aboard the International Space Station whose mission of discovery turns to one of primal fear when they find a rapidly evolving life form that caused extinction on Mars, and now threatens the crew and all life on Earth.
ILM worked on two key sequences, one of which incorporated a 10,000-frame shot that focused on showing the astronauts at work in zero gravity inside the International Space Station. This 5-and-a-half-minute-long shot served as the opening sequence of the film. To create the shot, ILM’s effects team seamlessly stitched together 17 disparate live-action plates, adding many strategic floating items along the way. The team also did extensive wire removal and plate reconstruction throughout.
The second sequence was dominated by a 1,000-frame shot where the camera reveals the ISS in low Earth orbit. ILM’s visual effects team generated lens flare elements to stand in for the sun, and a detailed matte painting completed the illusion.
