If you had asked me 18 months ago about doing CG blood, I would have said, without hesitation, that practical blood was the only way to go. At that point on various pictures, I had tried compositing blood elements, as well as using CG blood, and the final results had always felt artificial. However, on Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, I started working with a Berlin-based company called Celluloid. They were able to achieve CG blood that looked remarkably spot-on. In fact, their quality was so good that the directors, who are strong proponents of doing everything in-camera, are now talking about using CG blood exclusively going forward. It will save them the production time required to set the blood packs and clean up the resulting splatter -- particularly on wardrobe -- while still providing the reality they require.

As a director I have worked closely with Celluloid on the digital effects for my animation feature film “The Secret Society of Fine Arts”. The people at Celluloid perform with exceptional richness in creativity, ideas and personal input, but always with respect for the story and visual outline of the film. This - combined with strictness in keeping the budget and meeting the production deadlines - makes Celluloid a rare effect house - and one to recommend.