The evolution from traditional cinema to the digital age has ushered in a new era of cinematic possibilities, captivating audiences with stunning visual spectacles. One of the latest cinematic marvels to hit the big screen is Transformers: Beast Rise. One of the central figures in this stunning work is Song Moqi, a previs and post-visual artist whose indispensable talents played a key role in achieving the astonishing results. Mochi has made significant contributions to major studios such as Marvel's "Thor: Love and Thunder" and is a rising star in the independent film world. We had the pleasure of interviewing Song Moqi to delve deeper into his experience on set. Transformers franchise and gain insight into his career's key role in captivating audiences around the world. Our conversation with Song Moqi was an enlightening journey into an imaginary world where creativity knows no bounds.

Moqi Song's Journey as a Transformers Fan:

Interviewer (INT): Moqi, we understand that you were a fan of the Transformers films before working on "Rise of the Beasts." How did your appreciation for the franchise inform your work on this latest release?

Moqi Song (MS): While I was certainly a fan of those films, and I deeply appreciated the special effects, I was watching them as an audience member and losing myself in the story. When I was brought aboard for this film, I really had to go back and watch them with a critical eye to understand the proper motion and cadence. There is an established style of movement and while we certainly pushed into new areas with this film, we wanted to respect the previous work that was done.

INT: Can you tell us about the primary tools you used during your work on "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts"?

MS: Most of my work utilized MAYA [a 3D computer graphics application] and Adobe After Effects. After I added Maya's Autobot model to the AE files and export. other team would use Unreal Engine to render better-looking effects. And the integration of the two was really incredible. I’ve been using MAYA long enough that it’s very simple for me.

Crafting Epic Moments:

INT: Your work featured prominently in some of the film's most epic and pivotal moments, such as the meeting of humans, Autobots, and Maximals. How complex is it to create such diverse visual aesthetics?

MS: In order to make this part, we made many, many versions for modification. For the design of animation, there are also two animation design logics. One is the movement of animals; the jumping of the orangutan, beating its chest, and the jumping of the cheetah and the expression of its speed. Also, the action of a bird spreading its wings and the rapid movement of its head. These are all very unique. I researched a lot of videos of these animals to learn from them. Contrastingly, the movements of the Autobots needed to have a mechanical sense of cumbersomeness and delay, but the amplitude must also be controlled and not to be too large. You can’t get too locked into one type of movement. Manifesting the differences for these is challenging but also a huge part of what makes my work interesting for me.

INT: One of the most visually striking moments in the film was the battle scene involving Noah Diaz in Mirage's armor. Can you walk us through the process of creating this sequence?

MS: The biggest difficulty was how to design the attack movements of the mechanical soldiers. Because Noah's movements were filmed in advance, there was already a picture in his imagination; all I needed to do was to make the animation of the mechanical soldier match this. When Noah chops the mechanical soldier in half, it’s a matter of timing so that everything appears natural and fluid. I added special effects like sparks and cleared the green screen, replacing it with CG scenes. Noah's mechanical armor was actually made by myself and other Postvis Artists who completely copied the actor's movements using a CG model, and then replaced the actor's face with the model's face, thus completing the pre-production of Noah's mecha.

INT: Your work sometimes involves creating scenes based solely on the actors' voices. How do you tackle this unique challenge, and is it intimidating?

MS: It happens more than you might think and yes, it’s a chance to really prove you’ve got what it takes. I had to do this for one of the pivotal scenes of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. Very thanks to the supervisor Patrick and Abel for trusting me to be a core member of the production team to create the scene near the end of the film in which Optimus Prime finally decides to sacrifice himself in order to let the other Autobots escape. Some of the vocal performance was the actor but some of it was the editor. It was very important to achieve the emotional intensity for this climactic scene so I listened to the dubbing over and over. It was necessary to make it present the feel of a leader in time of crisis. The decisions and sacrifice that need to be made by Optimus Prime is a heavy emotion. The motions of this character needed to reflect that nonverbally as well. I actually took some inspiration from the Independence Day when the president gives a speech. The final effect was very moving and we were all pleased with it.

The Art of Understanding Emotions:

INT: Your work seems to require an understanding of acting techniques, despite not being an actor yourself. How has this understanding evolved throughout your career?

MS: One thing I’ll do is to use music to get in a specific emotional space. During the making of this film, I would usually play Transformers theme songs during production, especially “Arrival to Earth.” This is music that I have always liked. More often than you would think, you need to inhabit the characters you are working on and see the world as they do.

INT: What advice would you give to someone who admires your work and hopes to follow in your footsteps?

MS: When making the previs part, what I’ve learned is not to be lazy. You need to let yourself completely get into the feeling of the director and use your own creativity to make more versions of a shot. This will actually save a lot of time when the supervisor makes choices. When making the Postvis part, it's more about controlling the details because there are already a lot of real-shot pictures. This part of the process is focused on using software tools to remove defects in the pictures and add appropriate picture effects such as depth of field, color, balance, etc. Making the picture more realistic requires more care and patience. Every time I deal with the details of Postvis, I often think of my experience of making Gundam models. I have to say that the hobby of making models has been of great help to me. Oh…and get a height-adjustable table! You’re going to be sitting for so long that you’d better think about taking care of your body from the start.

Moqi Song's remarkable journey as a previs and postvis artist has left an indelible mark on the cinematic world. His contributions to "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts" and other blockbuster films underscore the vital role that creativity plays in modern cinema. As we continue to witness the ever-expanding boundaries of cinematic imagination, artists like Moqi Song stand as a testament to the boundless possibilities of the human mind.

Moqi Song's work on "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts" can be experienced on Paramount Plus, Apple TV, Prime Video, Vudu, The Roku Channel, and in theaters worldwide.

Photograph: Mitch Sturkenboom