Duboi oversaw Asterix at the Olympic Games. All images © 2007 Les Editions Albert Rene/Goscinny -- Uderzo. © 2007 Pathe Renn Prod./La Petite Reine/Tri Pictures Constantin Film/Sorolla Films/Novo RPI/TF1 Films Prod. 

Ever since his creation in 1959 by writer Rene Goscinny and illustrator Albert Uderzo, Asterix the Gaul has remained the most beloved comic book character in France. In the rest of Europe, his popularity is only challenged by Tintin's. Set in 52 BC, the 33 albums tell the Gaul's adventures in many situations and countries. In one of his journeys, the brave hero becomes an unlikely competitor in the Olympic Games. This time, though, he cannot use the magic potion that gives him superhuman strength in his other adventures. No performance-enhancing drugs allowed, even in 52 BC!

Asterix at the Olympic Games is the third live-action movie based on the comic book character. The previous two movies had made extensive use of digital visual effects, but the new production necessitated more vfx shots than both films combined. In fact, the movie ended up shattering every record in France with about 1,400 shots.

When Producer/Director Thomas Langmann and Director Frederic Forestier embarked on the project, they enlisted Visual Effects Supervisor Alain Carsoux and French vfx powerhouse Duboi to oversee the project. The company had already provided visual effects for the previous two productions. "Initially, the vfx shot count was much lower and Duboi was the sole vendor," Carsoux says. "We started with extensive previsualization of the action sequences. We especially focused on the chariot race, as it was the most ambitious sequence in the entire movie. While we were working on those shots, the script was being rewritten, and, with each new rewrite, the vfx shot count dramatically increased..."

When the shot count reached heights that were unheard of in French movie history, production decided that it would be wiser to spread the visual effects among several vendors. VFX Supervisor Christian Guillon of L'EST was brought in to oversee the effort and to award sequences. Three vendors ended up sharing the workload:

• Duboi did most of the set extensions and establishing shots, and also produced many individual vfx. Total: 530 shots.

• BUF Compagnie created the Olympic Stadium for the Games sequences, and the digital extras populating it, as well as an extravagant dream sequence that later formed the basis for the trailer. Total: 515 shots.

• Mikros Image was asked to produce all the stunts- and Games-related vfx. Total: 315 shots.

Establishing a World
Duboi's primary mission was to establish the action from a geographical point of view: Caesar's Palace (in Rome, not in Las Vegas... ), Olympia's harbor, the Palace of King Samagas of Greece, Asterix's village... Duboi also had to create a great deal of totally independent visual effects such as the trademark fistfights with the Romans, a character becoming invisible, a Druid whose body is spectacularly stretched to no harm, the effect of the Magic Potion on a horse, etc. "This meant that we had a tremendous amount of set-ups," Carsoux notes. "We could almost never re-use elements from any given shot. Since all our shots were different, we had to start from scratch every time, which required an enormous effort in design, R&D, modeling, texturing and lighting."