Alita: Battle Angel hits the big screen

Let’s look back at the second project I had the chance to work on during my assignment at Weta Digital in New Zealand: Alita: Battle Angel.

So what is this film?

Alita: Battle Angel is the adaptation of the manga better known as Gunnm. In short, we follow the adventures of an amnesiac cyborg, Alita in the film, who is trying to understand where she comes from. All of it set against the backdrop of Zalem, a floating city reserved for the elite, with the Earth below serving as its scrapyard.

The adaptation is brought to the screen by director Robert Rodriguez, backed by producers James Cameron and Jon Landau. The film opens in cinemas on 13 February 2019.

Weta Digital brings Alita to life

It’s the mighty VFX studio Weta Digital that brought the character of Alita to life, entirely in CGI, as they say. Their mandate was much bigger, since they created most of the characters you see in the film, but in my case, let’s stick to Alita.

My work was pure motion editing, as on the previous project I did at the studio: Rampage. Most of my shots involved Alita. I also got to work on a few secondary characters, and some background cyborgs.

The performance had to be respected down to the last detail, especially with James Cameron producing. This experience really let me push my limits in realistic animation further, both in observing movement and in working the animation itself.

I’m delighted to finally see this project reach cinemas on 13 February 2019. Here’s hoping audiences give it the welcome it deserves!