Shooting John Wick movies no doubt takes months of physical training, stunt coordination and dedication. But did you know John Wick 3 also had a little help from VR?
Artist Alex Nice recently shared his work on the new movie. Specifically, Nice shared the below video in which VR was used to visualize one of its biggest set pieces. In the movie, Keanu (we just call him Keanu now) faces off with a pair of knife-wielding martial artists that send him flying through a glass trophy case or two.
JW3 “Glass House” Set VR Overview: Alex Nice from Alex Nice on Vimeo.
Nice used Unreal Engine to bring this Glass House to virtual life before the enormous physical set was constructed. This was just a fly-through camera, though; his work allowed users to embody a character and push minions around with a pair of virtual hands. Minions use real-time performance capture for stunt visualization, too. It’s even possible to summon a virtual camera to help frame shots before you’re shooting in real life.
It’s a pretty cool example of how VR has been put to work in the movie industry. Headsets aren’t just for watching new types of movies but helping make classic ones too. Other blockbusters like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and, fittingly, Ready Player One, used VR to similar means.
This isn’t John Wick’s first brush with VR. There was actually a tie-in game released a few years back, though it wasn’t all that. Cloudhead Games is also taking inspiration from the slick action series for its new game, Pistol Whip.
