In order to get a more 3D-looking shot, smoke was diffused through the room. The final composite is in Adobe After Effects®, including a heavy colour-correction that has been done to the helicopter to match it to the exterior. The helicopter's volumetric influence on the smoke-filled room was created with help from MetaCreation's LightBurst effect plug-in. What this means is that when the helicopter flies into the frame, it causes there to be a lot less light in the room, which needs to be accounted for. Puffin's Composite Wizard plug-ins proved helpful too, particularly Light Wrap and Edge Feather.

The apartment in question actually did belong to Stewart. On the day of the filming, the smoke that was used to add depth to the room caused a fire alarm to go off.

"It was ok, though," says Stewart, "since I live around the corner from a fire station."

Apartment shot:

Here is the basic film plate, with Stewart staring out the window and nothing there. They show the scenes with smoke in the room to create a less video-like look. Maschwitz also was very careful to take measurements of the window, room, and camera to allow him to recreate the scene in 3D.

Bluescreen shot:

Although green screens actually yield better with matte extractions in digital filming, The Orphanage got use of this studio for free, so they weren't complaining. The two pilots are sound designer Julian Kwasneski and one of the film's composers, David Levison. Notice that the two are carefully checking addresses to make sure they get the right guy.

Helicopter shot:

The helicopter came from Viewpoint (U.S) library. It's a Huey UH 60, a Vietnam era helicopter, whose ratty, rusty look was lovingly painted with Adobe Photoshop. The model was touched up in Form Z, where the guns were also custom made and added. "It's supposed to be straight from Joe and Al's brutal assassination service," says Maschwitz. The model was animated in Electric Image, which also handled the motion blur on the blades.

To get the pilots in is a common trick of computer animators. Maschwitz extracted them from Blue Screen in After Effects using the Puffin Primatte Keyer. Then, since the extraction is only 2D and the helicopter is being animated in 3D, the pilot film is actually texture-mapped onto a flat "card" inside the helicopter.

Notice as a particularly professional touch that the model shows reflections from nearby buildings as well as shadows from power lines.