CafeFX Recreates The Aviator's Record-Setting H-1 Flight

CafeFX Recreates The Aviators Record-Setting H-1 Flight
Santa Maria, California December 245 2004 - Howard Hughes may be best remembered as an eccentric billionaire recluse and Hollywood mogul but he was also an important aviation pioneer whose exploits required CafeFX CG skills to recreate his 1935 world speed record-setting flight for "The Aviator" (Miramax Films). The film, directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo Di Caprio as Hughes, opens nationally today. CafeFX also crafted additional shots of Hughes reviewing a fleet of Lockheed Constellation aircraft.

"Our CG effects for Hughes' H-1 racer sequence are seamlessly integrated with live-action footage, a radio-controlled miniature and a set piece of the plane that enhances the storyline," says CafeFX producer Jonathan Stone. "Our collaboration with the picture's vfx supervisor Rob Legato and vfx producer Ron Ames couldn't have been smoother. They gave us direction and feedback and were very amenable to our input, allowing for suggestions from our team as to methodology and approach to creating the sequence."

Developed to be the fastest landplane in the world, the H-1 racer had a significant impact on high-performance aircraft design for years. Hughes flew the H-1 to a world speed record (352.322 mph) on September 13, 1935, over a specially instrumented course near Santa Ana, California. His plane is now on exhibi