STARNO collaborated with the VFX studio Intelligent Creatures to deliver critical environment work for Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Academy Award-winning film, BABEL. Our contribution focused on the film's climactic sequence: a slow, hauntingly beautiful camera movement over the sprawling nighttime cityscape of Tokyo.
This specific shot was particularly demanding due to the extremely slow pace of the camera, which left no room for error. To create a realistic sense of depth and parallax, the entire cityscape had to be meticulously deconstructed. Every building, skyscraper, and light source was separated into multiple layers and projection planes to ensure that the perspective shifted perfectly as the camera moved.
Working as a Freelance Matte Painter, STARNO provided the necessary technical and artistic support to help the team meet tight production deadlines while maintaining the high aesthetic standards required for such a visually poetic film. The result is a seamless, immersive environment that captures the lonely yet vibrant atmosphere of Tokyo at night.
Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu and starring Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, and Rinko Kikuchi, BABEL is a gripping multi-narrative drama that explores the interconnectedness of human lives across the globe. A tragic accident involving a married American couple in the Moroccan desert ignites a chain of events that links four different families on three separate continents.
The film weaves together stories in Morocco, Mexico, Japan, and the United States, showcasing how language barriers and cultural misunderstandings can lead to isolation, yet ultimately revealing the shared emotions that bind us all. The Tokyo segment, in particular, focuses on a deaf-mute teenager struggling with her own isolation amidst the overwhelming scale of the city.
STARNO TEAM:Frédéric St-Arnaud (Freelance Matte Painter)
Intelligent Creatures
FEATURE FILM – 2006