SUBMITTED BY Fred Hill

June 19, 2001 —

VFXPro has done a feature on Moulin Rouge titled "The Spectacle of 'Moulin Rouge." It gives you a little about the plot of the movie but then focuses on the special effects that went into 'Moulin Rouge.'

"Moulin Rouge" grew out of a mind as fickle and eclectic as the film itself. Director/co-writer Baz Luhrmann had a vision of Montmarte and the Moulin Rouge that defied storyboarding; it was a mood, a movement, an era. And that made visual effects supervisor Chris Godfrey's job challenging, at the best of times. "It's incredibly worrying to go to work in the morning and not know what your problems are," Godfrey said. "It's also quite exhilarating."

The film tells the story of a young poet, Christian (Ewan McGregor), and his affair with a famed Can-Can dancer (Nicole Kidman). The couple's burgeoning love becomes verboten when Satine (Kidman) promises herself to the slimy Duke of Worcester (Richard Roxburgh), who offers her prosperity and acclaim in return. Throw in Toulouse Lautrec (John Leguizamo), a campy score and visuals ranging from silly to sublime, and you've got a taste of "Moulin Rouge."

Godfrey, a principal of Australian effects house Animal Logic, was recommended to Luhrmann by Fred Chandler at FOX. Godfrey had supervised the FOX release "The Thin Red Line" and was based in Australia, where much of "Moulin Rouge" would be shot. However when Godfrey walked onto the set of the musical, he was greeted with skepticism. Cinematographer Donald McAlpine, (ASC, ACS) asked Godfrey what he was doing on the film. "I told him I was the visual effects supervisor, and he told me I would have very little to do on this film," Godfrey laughed.

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