Sherlock Homes 2 – VFX Breakdown

FXguide.com has a very thorough breakdown of some of the key special effects shots for Guy Richie’s Sherlock Holmes 2: A Game of Shadows. There are some really interesting behind the scenes clips, along with a wealth of technical detail.

Most of the explosions in the chase were practical and detonated nearby to the actors, but to enhance the danger, Chas Jarrett shot secondary elements of mortars, dirt and trees exploding that were added in by MPC. “The one that sticks out most clearly to me,” comments Maury, “is where we’re tracking sideways with the guys and we zoom in as a bullet goes through Watson’s jacket and we pull focus with a tree right in front of us which explodes. The bullet going through his jacket was a practical element – Chas took a dummy and bent it over in the position that Watson was. They shot it to get all the cloth movement. We took that and replaced that on top of the live action.”