INDIANAPOLIS STAR -- The movie’s breathtaking catalyst — a grizzly bear that mauls an explorer portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio — was brought to cinematic life by Carmel High School grad Matt Shumway and North Central High School grad Rich McBride.
Shumway and McBride, who work for famed visual-effects company Industrial Light and Magic, said Inarritu wanted the mauling to replicate what happens in nature rather than what’s often seen at the multiplex.
McBride was in charge of all visual effects, ranging from animation to a mechanical horse that appears to go over a cliff. The goal, he said, was to seamlessly incorporate the work into the film’s wilderness setting. “We really were hoping that visual effects would be the last things that audiences would think about when they’re watching the movie,” McBride said.
McBride studied filmmaking at American University in Washington, D.C., and at San Francisco State University, where he gravitated to a small group of hand animators.
Image courtesy of 20th Century Fox