Breaking Through Trauma

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The Boulder Crest Foundation, remains a force in the field of mental health care for veterans and first responders, continues to champion a transformative approach to healing trauma. Recognizing the profound impact of visual storytelling, the Foundation partnered with the Neymarc Brothers in bringing this message to life.

Their collaborative effort culminated in the creation of the film "Breakthrough," a testament to the movement the Boulder Crest Foundation is leading. The film serves as a poignant metaphor for overcoming past trauma and emerging into a life of renewed purpose and fulfillment.

By showcasing the transformative power of Boulder Crest's programs, "Breakthrough" aims to inspire hope and empower individuals to reclaim their lives. This cinematic endeavor represents the fourth filmic segment in Boulder Crest's mission to revolutionize mental health care. Through the art of filmmaking, to the often-unspoken struggles of those who have served and sacrificed. "Breakthrough" stands as a beacon of hope, illuminating a path towards healing and reminding us all of the indomitable strength that resides within.

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Creating the Concept

The Neymarc Brothers knew they wanted to craft a surreal world where our hero (starring Demetrius Blocker) was in a surreal world. In fact, the living space had to be in a war zone, with Marines in active duty in the background. 

Andrew and Remy drafted storyboards to conceptualize those ideas from the mind to paper, sketching out the smallest details and style.

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Virtual Production: Shooting a Film Prior to being on Set

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Rigorous pre-production planning was crucial to the success of the piece. Our VFX team utilized existing concept art and Unreal Engine to not only visualize scenes but also proactively address potential challenges, ensuring a seamless on-set experience.

Unreal Engine enabled us to meticulously explore lighting scenarios in advance, empowering the production team to procure the precise equipment needed. Moreover, the dynamic 3D scenes within Unreal Engine served as a wellspring of inspiration for Amanda Crout and the entire set production team.

Production Challenges

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"Breakthrough" posed a formidable challenge: distilling intricate emotions and experiences into a captivating narrative within an ambitious three-day shoot.  Our Production and Art departments collaborated seamlessly as the shoot date approached.

Constructing the set demanded meticulous planning from Production, ensuring timely procurement of props and equipment. Simultaneously, the Art department proactively prepared for each subsequent shot, minimizing camera downtime between scene setups. This necessitated flawless coordination with Production to guarantee smooth communication and execution. 

VFX: Creating the Surreal

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The initial concept boards envisioned a stark transformation of the living room: from ordinary to ravaged, evoking the unsettling aftermath of an active war zone. This ambitious vision necessitated a seamless blend of practical set design and invisible visual effects to create a truly surreal environment for our protagonist.

To achieve this, our VFX team played an integral role on set, meticulously capturing reference footage and conducting LIDAR scans. These scans, crucial for post-production, enabled precise tracking of the camera’s movement, allowing us to faithfully reconstruct the physical set in a digital 3D space.

With this digital canvas as their foundation, our VFX artists masterfully integrated elements into the live-action footage. The result: a breathtaking fusion of the tangible and the imagined, where surreal details seamlessly intertwined with the physical world, creating a sense of depth and unsettling realism.