LOS ANGELES — Look Effects (www.Lookfx.com) produced the visual effects for the new feature film, Draft Day. Directed by Ivan Reitman and starring Kevin Costner, the film covers the 24 hours of the NFL draft.
As general manager Sonny Weaver, Kevin Costner has the opportunity to rebuild his team by trading for the #1 pick. He must quickly decide what he’s willing to sacrifice in pursuit of perfection, as the lines between his personal and professional life become blurred.
According to visual effects supervisor Mat Krentz, Look Effects created over 250 shots that fit seamlessly into the live action. “The work we did — and solutions we offered the director — allowed them to tell the story they wanted to tell within their schedule and budget.”
Draft Day takes advantage of pre-existing footage and actual events, whichhelped save production time and costs. “They shot the real Draft Day 2013 and we replaced the banners and signs in post,” explains Krentz. “The story references a game that took place in the past. We used footage from real games and digitally changed the jersey numbers and the names of the characters. This meant the production had to shoot only the close-up shots, saving them an enormous amount of time and money.”