Immersed in Movies: Ang Lee Talks 'Life of Pi' VFX and 3-D

However, it was the water that was the most daunting part of the production, particularly in 3-D because of the polarization. Then again, the upside was invaluable: it provided the most immersive 3-D potential. "I did it for practical reasons: I didn't have a big movie star and water has to be really effective, it has to be a character by itself, very expressive and it reflects Pi's moods on his lonely journey and you have to externalize his internal feelings. We really went way out, creating a new wave tank in Taiwan with a team of experts that's elongated, and we showed different patterns and wave lengths and sizes of waves, dissolving from one shot to another so we could keep the shape without having the water bounce back from the wall. It was hair-raising for a long while because this had never been done before."

Some of Lee's favorite moments are still shots of the water as a mirror when the golden sunlight refracts on it. He calls it God's point of view because you miniaturize a lot of the separation from the two lenses and it's very humbling. Combined with over the shoulder shots, you get closer to Pi through his point of view. Other times, Lee pulls Pi back out of the screen toward us so we're on his side psychologically.

I asked Lee what he thought of ILM's brilliantly photoreal Hulk in the Oscar-contending "The Avengers," given that he experimented with the Marvel superhero at ILM in the 2003 movie, "The Hulk," which was criticized for being too cartoony. "The Hulk was the most fun thing in the whole movie," the director admits. "Maybe I gave too much thought about the green creature. Right now, the comic book movie has become a genre after 'Spider-Man.' When I was making it, I don't think it was a genre yet. I treated it like a psychological drama. When it came out, it wasn't perceived very well but I had a blast making that movie."

In assessing the VFX Oscar race, though, "Pi's" greatest competition might actually come from "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," considering how Weta Digital retooled the incredible Gollum from the inside out and integrated CG Trolls live on stage with the other actors using the simulcam technique developed for "Avatar." In addition, Weta developed a new slave motion control system to handle forced perspective more dynamically in 3-D when shooting Gandalf with the more diminutive Middle-earth characters.

Then there's "Prometheus," which contains great aliens (also from Weta) along with planet environments, space shots, and space ships from MPC, as well the surprising entry, "Snow White and the Huntsman," which benefitted from Rhythm & Hues' Miyazaki-inspired Stag and The Mill's fluid sim work on the Mirror Man.

Still, "Pi" has history on its side in terms of being a best picture nominee (witness "Hugo," "Avatar" and "Lord of the Rings"), which gives it a great advantage for winning the VFX Oscar. Thus, the story of Pi and Richard Parker is all about drama and emotion, and when you can summon that kind of performance from a CG tiger on golden-lit, ethereal water, that's hard to beat.