'The Martian' VFX Reel Reveals How Mars Came To Life On The Big Screen

Lauren Keating, Tech Times 25 January 2016, 02:01 pm

In celebration of Ridley Scott's film The Martian receiving an Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects, the VFX company responsible for bringing Mars to life on the big screen released a new highlight reel that showcases just how it did so.

VFX company MPC released the the reel on Monday, and it shows that, with a little help from computer-generated graphics, audiences were able to follow Matt Damon on his journey of survival on the Red Planet.

The Martian was actually filmed in a desert in southern Jordan to mimic the dry and barren terrain of Mars. However, in order to really bring that beautiful landscape to life, Scott would need to enhance the scenes with CG and visual effects. As a result, the reel is a testament to just how good technology is at creating a world moviegoers can only imagine.

The reel reveals that MPC tweaked the color in some scenes and added in debris and other small things that might have gone unnoticed, like Damon's reflection in his helmet, which are important to bringing that realistic element. Anyone who has seen the film already knows how real the time on Mars seems to be.

That is mostly due to Damon's acting as the stranded astronaut Mark Watney. The VFX reel shows Damon in front of a green screen at times. In other scenes, Watney is seen transforming from just a computer graphic to how we see him in the film. This is especially important in later scenes in the film, where Watney loses a significant amount of weight. Damon previously stated in an interview that Scott would not allow him to drop the weight, therefore, his thin frame was created all thanks to the CGI.

One of the best parts of the reel is seeing the created massive storm that leaves Watney stranded on Mars. With a little movie magic, Watney can be thrown into the air as debris surrounds him and smoke is released from the spacecraft.

Of course the VFX reel does give away some spoilers, so make sure only to watch after you have seen the Oscar-nominated film. For those who have, check it out in the video below.