VFX artists break down the visual effects in Brad Pitt's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. The 2008 epic fantasy drama follows the titular character who is born in the physical state of an elderly man and ages backward. Directed by David Fincher, the movie features a leading cast of Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Taraji P. Henson, Tilda Swinton, Julia Ormond, and Elias Koteas. It was nominated for multiple Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best ing Actress, and Best Directing.

Now, the Corridor Crew offered their assessment of the VFX in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. The artists started the conversation by addressing the photorealism of Benjamin's human face in the movie.

Niko: Benjamin Button, in my opinion, is the first film to have a photo-real human face.

Clint: So wait, out of context, you would think this man is real old man baby?

Niko: Out of context, I might think he's wearing a mask maybe.

As the artist watched one scene of Pitt, each artist was amazed by the visual effect, leading to comments like "good," "flawless," and "wow." Even one analyst talked about the beard looking super realistic.

Clint: What? That looks so good!

Niko: Yeah, that looks perfect. It still holds up, it's flawless.

Clint: The beard scruff, I feel like I can cut my hand on his beard. And like dude, the lighting.

Jordan: Literally, that hand touching the face.

One of the analysts, Niko, explained how light stimulation is key to making the scenes look real, particularly with Benjamin's older form. Read his explanation below:

So we were just talking about how, when you get it all in the render with light simulation, it can look really photo real. And I think we're seeing that with his old man head here. Because it looks amazing.

We go later in the film, and we start de-aging Brad Pitt. We're enterting the realm of compositing now. I mean there's a little like "huh, what?"

The VFX artists then watched another scene where Benjamin looked much younger and de-aged, but one analyst noticed the shadowing to hide some of the visuals that were not working. This is followed by another commentator explaining the use of compositing.

Clint: They got him in shadow. I mean they're trying to hide what may not be working, right.

Niko: What do I mean by compositing for deaging? I mean, you film Niko Pueringer in real life, going wah wah wah wah, and I'm like alright, make me younger. They track a 3D model to my head, so that you can then get the video data of me, so that you can then go into your program like photoshop, to paint out wrinkles, and things like that off the video, which you basically tone down to a texture applied to a 3D model.

Yeah, this is all the compositing work going in, tracking, and removing wrinkles. Not just wrinkles, but shadows, so as to change the form of the face. Like the cheekbones here, they're going to actually make it all brighter, because whether or not they actually change dimensionality doesn't really matter. It's your eye's cue a dark spot is giving things volume, so you just track in white splotches onto the face. And you got deaging.

The commentators then continue to share their amazement at the visual effects, particularly with the consistency and cleanliness.

Clint: It is very clever. How do they keep that consistent?

Niko: That's pure craftsmanship right there. Like, that's going in and being a true artist.

What The Corridor Crew's Analysis Says About Benjamin Button

Benjamin Button Was A Visual Marvel At The Time

One of the more fascinating elements of the Corridor Crew's breakdown of the acclaimed The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is the explanation of de-aging. The group explained that this process begins by filming a person's movement and then applying a 3D model to their face or body. This model is then put into a "program like Photoshop," which would "paint out wrinkles," and change other textures to make the person appear younger. The technology combined with opportune lighting was employed for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

It's not surprising that The Curious Case of Benjamin Button won an Oscar for Best Visual Effects, alongside Best Makeup and Best Art Direction. The Corridor Crew praised how photorealistic the face was, coming 16 years after the movie was released. This speaks to how The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was visually ahead of its time, but according to this analysis, it has also stood the test of time.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button's Technology Is More Ubiquitous Now

De-Aging Is Used In Many Films

While The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was far ahead of its time, the use of de-aging technology is far more standard practice now. De-aging technology is employed in several major films, including Martin Scorsese's film The Irishman. While it was impressive in the time of Benjamin Button, the use and skill of some de-aging is often pointed out now. I do agree with this assessment in films like The Irishman, where there is not the same kind of age-related emphasis as Benjamin Button. Still, it is fascinating to reflect upon how Benjamin Button changed the game visually.

Source: Corridor Crew