The Moving Picture Co. (MPC) has completed more than 750 visual effects shots for WALLACE GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT, the stop-motion animated feature directed by Nick Park and Steve Box. This first feature-length WALLACE & GROMIT outing was created by Aardman Animations with distribution through DreamWorks. The picture was color graded by Max Horton in the MPC DI lab
MPC produced cracking visual effects for the CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT, offered Park. We were extremely impressed with the quality of the work, the creative flair of their staff and the seamless delivery of the final shots. Their computer-generated bunnies are indistinguishable from their real 'hutch-mates' and the attention to detail that went in to creating their texture was awe-inspiring.
It's vege-mania in Wallace & Gromit's neighborhood, and our two enterprising chums are cashing in with their humane pest-control outfit, Anti-Pesto. With only days to go before the annual Giant Vegetable Competition, business is booming, but Wallace & Gromit are finding out that running a "humane" pest control outfit has its drawbacks as their West Wallaby Street home fills to the brim with captive rabbits. Suddenly, a huge, mysterious, veg-ravaging "beast" begins attacking the town's sacred vegetable plots at night, and the competition hostess, Lady Tottington (voiced by Helena Bonham Carter), commissions Anti-Pesto to catch it and save the day.
MPCs main areas of focus were computer-generated bunnies and the Heath Robinson style Bun-Vac, which we see sucking the bunnies away. The team also had to coat the Were-rabbit in realistic fur. Fog and particles were also composited into shots to add to the eerie atmosphere.
Naturally, texture was an obvious challenge with MPC staff spending three months at Aardmans Bristol studio researching how to emulate the properties of clay in computer. From this research, proprietary software was written that allowed the final CG bunnies to show minor imperfections such as fingerprints, matching their stop frame counterparts. From drawings supplied by production, MPC also built the Bun-Vac in 3D tool Maya, which was then composited into shots as a separate element. To manufacture the Were-rabbits hair MPCs R & D team wrote a proprietary fur shader.
2D work involved compositing in a mystical CG fog and also exploding fireworks in the climactic shots. Extensive rig removal also fell to MPC.
The overall look and feel of the feature was set in MPCs Digital Intermediate suites, overseen by two directors of photography: Tristan Olliver and Dave Alex Riddett. Horton enhanced the rushes creating the atmosphere and tempo of the film, which is upbeat and larger than life. The film will be released Oct. 7 in the U.S and Oct. 14 in the U.K.
London-based MPC (www.moving-picture.com) is currently working on the following visual effects projects; Warner Bros Pictures HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE directed by Mike Newell, Danny Boyles SUNSHINE, Wolfgang Petersens POSEIDON and Ron Howards THE DA VINCI CODE. The team recently completed vfx for Tim Burtons CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY.
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
