Steve Preeg Talks 'Tron: Legacy' Blu-ray and DVD

The head of animation on Disney's high-powered sequel discusses the making of this sci-fi classic.

Steve Preeg Talks Tron: Legacy Blu-ray and DVD

The head of animation Steve Preeg discusses the making of this sci-fi classic

After a successful theatrical release, Tron: Legacy hits the shelves on DVD, two-disc Blu-ray/DVD, four-disc Blu-ray/DVD/3D Blu-ray, and Tron: Legacy/Tron: The Original Classic five-disc Blu-ray on April 5. One of the more integral parts of this effects-heavy production is the head of animation, Steve Preeg, who won an Oscar for his visual effects work on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Steve Preeg recently headed up a "virtual roundtable" session where he discusses the making of Tron: Legacy. Here's what he had to say below.



What was it like working with a first-time director like Joseph Kosinski contrasted with working with a veteran like David Fincher?


Will there be a sequel and if there is will you be involved in it?

Steve Preeg: I haven't heard for sure one way or another if there will be a sequel, but it would be a great opportunity to work on it if they do make one.



What was the biggest challenge in making Tron: Legacy?


What in particular are you the most proud of in terms of pushing the envelope of effects?

Steve Preeg: I think we are all proud to have made a film that paid appropriate homage to the original film. It was a daunting task and for the most part our work was well received, which was a great relief for us.

Aside from the biggies of IMAX and 3D, what else was different about working on Tron: Legacy than other projects, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, for example?

Steve Preeg: One of the big differences for us was that it was shot in 3D. This presented a whole new set of challenges and workflows to work with footage from two cameras. We had to be far more accurate and aware of how everything we did would affect the depth of the scene.



Have fans of the original 'Tron' been supportive of the visual effects that you included in Tron: Legacy?


Considering the intricately detailed effects work you put together, what's your take on people watching movies on small mobile devices like iPhones? Do you feel like your work gets lost in that kind of portable compression compared to what people could experience in a theater?

Steve Preeg: There is no question that this film was meant to be seen on an IMAX screen. Joe designed a lot of the film specifically to be seen that way. I strongly feel that people watching this on a mobile device are missing a huge part of the thrill that is Tron: Legacy.

What's your favorite aspect of the work you do?

Steve Preeg: With this industry being both an artistic and technical field, we get to work with a wide variety of people from all over the world. I think for me it is interacting with all of those people, directors, software engineers, animators, etc.



Do you think that digital actors could replace human actors? What about recreating digital personalities for a movie, like Elvis Presley, Humphrey Bogart or Marilyn Monroe?

Steve Preeg: That's a tough question. In general we rely heavily on the performance of the actor to give us a character. We aren't really out to replace human actors since they are the ones that breathe life into our digital characters. As for bringing someone back from the dead, you can never really get a dead persons take on a role, all you can try to do is mimic what you think they might have done. It may be believable to an audience, but in the end it is not really that persons performance, it's just a copy.





You received an Academy Award for achievement in visual effects for your work on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Has this win given you more creative freedom on the films you have worked on since then?

Steve Preeg: The creative freedom on a film is largely dependent on the director you are working with. Joe was great about hearing ideas and he collaborated with us in a way that made it a real treat to work on his film. However, in the end our goal is to make the directors vision come to life.


Steve Preeg: Make sure you love the craft. Don't try to get into this industry because you think you will get rich or meet famous people. We work really hard in this industry and without a true passion for film and the work you do, you will burn out quickly. I think maybe that's true for a lot of industries, work on what you love to do.


Steve Preeg: Most films we work on require some new tools to be created, we never get a director that comes and says, "just make what you did before." They always want to push it to the next level. On Tron we had to write new tools for the 3D part of it, as well as a new facial solver for the type of data we were receiving from set. There were a whole host of additional smaller tools written for the different departments, and we are continuing to develop those tools for our current and upcoming shows.




Steve Preeg: They are really different tasks. On Avatar, the capture was happening with the body and face at the same time. We needed to make one person's facial performance on another person's body movement. They are both very difficult tasks, but require different methods.

Can you explain the additional difficulties that you had to solve, because the film was shot in 3-D? Did you play with 3-D effects to enhance some visual effects?



Steve Preeg: That's a tough call. I think it will depend a lot on the home market and if the box office difference stays as high as it is. I know there are some indications that it is dying down, so maybe it is on its way out, but I don't think anyone really knows.

Was there any thought to redoing any effects for the Blu-ray release? It must be tempting to go back and redo Clu with what you've learned since then.


Digital characters are more and more perfect like Neytiri in "Avatar". Actors in digital roles in the eyes of critics are not real, but we all see their fantastic performances - do you think in future actors will receive awards for their digital roles?






This massive 5-disc set may be the biggest 3D Blu-ray release to come out yet. Do you think this could be the title that really spurs growth in the 3D Blu-ray market?

Steve Preeg: I hadn't really thought of that, but wouldn't that be awesome? I haven't seen it in 3D on Blu-ray yet, but Joe says it looks amazing, so I can't wait.

Where do you see the advantages of 3D for telling stories like Tron: Legacy?

Steve Preeg: I think in a film where you create a whole new world for people to see is a great place for 3D to be used. You can really use it to give a feeling of actually being in this new place, that's where I would like to see it used more. I don't think we need to start seeing romantic comedies in 3D, but that's just me.

Any final thoughts on Tron: Legacy as we close this virtual roundtable?

Steve Preeg: Well I just hope people enjoyed our work and the film itself. It was a real pleasure working on it as well as sharing some insight with all you guys. Thanks for reading all my ramblings; I hope you enjoyed it too.



Sources: Brian Gallagher

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Comments (1)

  1. CUPID

    This movie was awesome:P

    4 years agoby @cupidFlag