Luma Pictures Adds Zip to Paramount's "The Dictator"

May 16th, 2012 — Santa Monica CA — Visual effects stronghold Luma Pictures had the opportunity to get close and very personal with Sacha Baron Cohen's General Aladeen character in the new Paramount Pictures comedy, "The Dictator." Luma performed extensive set extensions and greenscreen work to create a New York skyline and enable a hilarious zip-line failure ten stories above the street.

Luma's effects work in the film centered on solving particular filming challenges. Each scene supported the story, and allowed an image to be put on screen that would have been difficult, dangerous, or impossible to capture. Luma seamlessly integrated greenscreen composites of New York City and establishing shots of specific locations into the film over the course of the project.

"In comedies and dramas, visual effects are more often a narrative device than a spectacle like in summer blockbusters," said Payam Shohadai, Executive Visual Effects Supervisor and Co-Founder at Luma. "On occasion they require high end work for a gag or effect even though a commensurate budget can be difficult to justify from the studio's perspective. While shots on films that aren't driven by visual effects tend to be less complex, ironically, they can incur more scrutiny than big blockbuster effects."

As Sacha Baron Cohen films are known for their unusual antics, when asked which shots stood out, Steven Swanson, Senior Producer, offers, "It's a toss up between two shots, both of which will surely make audiences gasp and maybe even cover their eyes a bit."

Luma Pictures is currently working on another Paramount Project, "G.I. Joe: Retaliation," and previously worked on the Academy-Award nominated "True Grit," which was a joint production from Paramount and the Coen Brothers.

About Luma Pictures
Luma Pictures is a leading provider of visual effects services to Hollywood with a reputation for artistic integrity, technical innovation and efficient production. The studio recently completed work on The Avengers (Marvel Entertainment) and Prometheus (Scott Free Productions/20th Century Fox) and currently has G.I. Joe: Retaliation (Paramount Pictures) in house. Other recent credits include Thor (Marvel Entertainment), Captain America: The First Avenger (Marvel Entertainment) and Underworld: Awakening (Lakeshore Entertainment). http://lumapictures.com

The Dictator