Method was asked to handle the visual effects animation and modeling of the critters in Scream. Bridgestone Tires’ hilarious spot features a squirrel chasing a nut into the middle of a road. Courtesy of Method.

Murray Butler,vfx supervisor/head of 2D at Framestore NY, adds, “On the compositing side, we had to work around the clock for the last couple of weeks just to make sure that everything we wanted was in there, and that we could add some fine touches. The true achievement of this spot was the collaborative effort that went into blending animation together with the research and development work that was required for all those feathers. From a 2D point of view, there are tiny details in every corner of every frame, and we worked hard to make sure they were perfect."

Lastly, Hulin says Framestore NY also had to add the real elements of the shipping boxes and times raining down on the city. “"It was an epic shoot. We were dropping crates from 150 feet, lifting cars with cranes and throwing them through windows. On a lot of commercials, there would have been pressure to push all of that into post-production, but everybody knew it wouldn't look right on this spot. It was such a wonderfully collaborative project that everybody was on the same page and ready to do whatever it took to make a memorable spot."

Bridgestone Tires: Scream
Last but not least, Bridgestone Tires launched their hilarious spot featuring a squirrel chasing a nut into the middle of a road. Along comes a car and what ensues is the visual montage of panicked screaming from the squirrel, the wife in the car and all the observing woodland animals anticipating the oncoming squashing of the critter. Method was asked to handle the visual effects animation and modeling of the critters and their gaping mouths of terror. Andy Boyd, lead 3D vfx artist, says, “The original boards are pretty how the ad looks finished. We knew already working with animals is that they never open their mouths to eat or bite you. Yet for the squirrel performance, you could see on the board that you could get some shots you could get with a real squirrel but then were some you could never get. Our choice was to film the animals live action and for the small screaming animals we would replace faces on them and then for the squirrel we would prep for a 3D squirrel. Shooting went well and of six squirrels we could use three of them in camera.”

Moving into post, Boyd says the real challenge was cutting from a real squirrel to a 3D squirrel. “The real squirrel was named Chester and everyone fell in love with his character, which made it extra hard because we had to visually match him but encapsulate his personality too. It was really tough. We have done 3D animals before but it’s always been the full animal in frame, but this was a zoom into the little guy’s face. Also his jaw dropping hugely didn’t help either,” he chuckles. “The director had the real squirrel next to the 3D one and was spotting differences so it was tough, but it worked out really well.”

The real challenge in the Scream spot was cutting from a real squirrel to a 3D squirrel. “Chester” had to be visually matched and his personality had to be captured too. Courtesy of Method.

Detailing their software, Boyd says they used Maya for the modeling and animation, while they used Houdini for the fur. Boyd adds, “I have my own system that I created to render so I can match the real one well.” And even though the work demanded difficult elements like fur, he says it didn’t affect the budget. “I use my fur system, which made me confident we could do it and we quoted accordingly. Now people in a film environment will surely be horrified at how quickly we did it, from start finish it was about six weeks. I spent the first three weeks on the fur system doing R&D so future jobs will be all set to go so it was all that in eight weeks.”

That’s an even more stunning turnaround when you consider there was a whole stable of other animals, from crickets to deer, included in the creation process. Boyd says, “That was the really fun part because each person in the 3D department each picked an animal they were drawn to and they all had an animal they wanted to do. They each took one and put their personality into them and I can see their humor coming through. It brought the job a lot of energy because each artist did one animal so they were fresh and put a lot of effort into it. I think that’s why even though the technique has been done so many times, there is something about it that feels humorous and fresh and like it was given some love.”

Tara DiLullo Bennett is an East coast-based writer whose articles have appeared in publications such as SCI FI Magazine, SFX and Lost Magazine. She is the author of the books 300: The Art of the Film and 24: The Official Companion Guide: Seasons 1-6.