VIRTUAL VÉRITÉ ©2016 Disney USING TECHNIQUES HONED ON TWO OF THE MOST INNOVATIVE FEATURE FILMS, GRAVITY AND AVATAR, FILMMAKERS CREATE A COMPLEX CG WORLD FOR A HUMAN BOY RAISED BY WOLVES IN INDIA BY BARBARA ROBERTSON he feral boy tries to capture the magic of the Mowgli’s animal guides, protec- Mowgli, the only live-action Mowgli’s animated feature while embrac- tors, companions, and enemies. actor in the film. adventures ing technology available in 2016. Ben Kingsley is Bagheera, the Legato was the overall visual Twith animals “The film plays homage to black panther that leads Mowgli effects supervisor for The Jungle in India have the 1967 film, but it’s a movie to the wolf den. Lupita Nyong’o Book, with Andy Jones the been a familiar part of many rooted in real life,” says Visual and Giancarlo Esposito provide overall character animation people’s lives since Rudyard Effects Supervisor Rob Legato. mother and father wolves Rak- supervisor. The Moving Picture Kipling first published his series “It’s a fun experience, and part sha and Akela’s voices. The Ben- Company (MPC) created all the of children’s stories in maga- of that fun is getting dark and gal tiger Shere Khan threatens CG animals and environments zines during 1893–1894. The scared. When the tiger is chas- Mowgli’s life using Idris Elba’s for 1,200 shots, which comprise collection, now known as “The ing Mowgli, that tiger looks real. voice. Baloo, a bear that speaks most of the film. Weta Digital Jungle Book,” has inspired com- Your heart will be pumping like with Bill Murray’s voice, guides handled a sequence with King ic books, cartoons, animated crazy. But the film also has light Mowgli away from danger with Louie and various monkeys (see movies, and live-action films. moments, comedy, and music.” help from Bagheera. Along the “Monkey Business,” page 14). The most famous of these The tiger, however, is CG, as way, Mowgli encounters the Adding the environments and adaptations is, arguably, Dis- are all the animals in the film. dangerous and manipulative characters to live-action plates ney’s popular animated feature, Ninety-five percent of the movie animals Kaa, a python voiced filmed with Sethi took nearly the 1967 The Jungle Book. And it was shot in sets on greenscreen by Scarlett Johansson, and King 1,000 postproduction artists is from this film that Director Jon or bluescreen stages. Louie (Christopher Walken), an in the two studios more than Favreau drew inspiration for this Produced by Walt Disney Pic- orangutan-like ape based on a year. year’s CG/live-action “re-imag- tures, The Jungle Book, features the prehistoric Gigantopithecus. At MPC, Visual Effects Super- ining.” Favreau’s The Jungle Book an all-star cast of voices for Lastly, Neel Sethi plays the child visor Adam Valdez oversaw the ABOVE LEFT, MPC CREATED BAGHEERA, THE BLACK PANTHER, AND ALL THE ANIMALS IN THE FILM EXCEPT THE MONKEYS. AT RIGHT, WETA DIGITAL CREATED KING LOUIE AND THE OTHER APES. work of 600 people in London the previs using the motion- light is accurate,” Valdez says. over there, the open sun beyond. and Bangalore, India, who were capture stage and virtual cine- “We had gray models, no texture It was essential to have his on the show at any one time, matography were the director, yet, but we could show him pre-lighting brought on set.” and 800 people overall. Also Director of Photography Bill where the light was, how much at MPC, Ben Jones supervised Pope, Legato, Jones, Production fill there would be, how much TALK TO THE ANIMALS character development, Audrey Designer Christopher Glass, Val- bounce. Michael worked with Bill Ferrara supervised the envi- dez, a crew from Digital Domain, to light every scene and create Earlier, during the previs shoot, ronment work, and Peta Bayley editors on the film, and others. key angle frames that went stunt actors in motion-capture and Gabriele Zucchelli were “The coverage, the editing, beyond previs, and then we put suits had played the part of the animation supervisors. all the choices were made by them on an iPad so Bill could animals. During the live-action One key to these postpro- these people, not previs people,” remember his lighting while on shoot, puppeteers in blue suits duction artists’ success was the Valdez says. “Rob Legato and set. Gravity had just come out gave young Actor Neel Sethi eye previsualization process (see Bill Pope were shooting with with its pre-lit shots designed lines. “Directing and Lighting Previs” the virtual camera. Andy Jones in the computer and brought to “They were like stand-ins,” on CGW.com). was helping stage the action. set, so we referenced that idea.” Valdez says. “Often they had Jon Favreau directed people Once Pope approved the sock puppets on their hands, EXPERT PREVIS in the motion-capture suits lighting, the MPC team created but there were also puppets on set. Bill [Pope] was talking 360-degree panoramas and on set that helped when Neel “Picture stepping onto a with Christopher Glass about loaded them onto iPads using needed to make contact.” motion-capture stage,” Legato the look and light. So we had a an app called “Location.” On set, At peak, 78 animators at MPC says. “[Neel Sethi] is in a mo- group of filmmakers creating Pope and others could point performed approximately 70 tion-capture suit. On the stage the previs. That gave it intention, the iPad toward the bluescreen animals that appeared in the are gray-shaded pieces of wood tone, style, and look from the stage and see a 360-degree film. Of those animals, the hero and ramps that create a lumpy beginning. I thought our biggest view of the corresponding CG animals and several secondary landscape. On the computer, challenge would be how to scene lit by Pope. animals talked. we have facsimiles of the places make the light connect between “It is like looking at a scene Animation Supervisor Peta we want to shoot. We have what would be filmed and CG. in Google Street View,” Val- Bayley divided the MPC team people in motion-capture suits But, Bill [Pope] was lighting from dez says. “When a person is into groups under seven leads representing the animals. On the beginning, from previs.” surrounded by bluescreen, it’s assigned to specific sequences, the computer, we see a cartoon After previs, Pope sat with difficult to know there’s a big with each lead animator having version of Mowgli and facsimiles Lighting Technical Director tree over there. But, Bill wanted a deputy who helped handle of the animals. As we tell the Michael Hipp at MPC to refine to know when Mowgli walked the information flowing through. actors how to move, we block the lighting. through the tree’s shadow. With Each lead worked with riggers to out the scenes.” “Because we use a raytracer the iPad panoramas, he could develop the hero characters and Working together to create now [Pixar RenderMan RIS], the see the tree, the dappled light to create the hero characters’ MARCH. APRIL 2016 CGW 11 ALL THE ENVIRONMENTS ARE CG. A TEAM TOOK 20TB OF PHOTOS AT 43 LOCALES IN INDIA TO PROVIDE REFERENCE AND PHOTOGRAMMETRY. “bibles.” In addition to Bayley, animal’s mouth moved when the same weight, but we also believe Baloo is a bear. So, that Overall Animation Supervisor eating or chewing, to see if we had to adapt.” balance was the most difficult.” Andy Jones worked at the studio could incorporate that detail,” Legato adds, “At first, the Once the director approved for much of the project. Bayley says, “at the way they animators nailed each mouth the animals’ performanc- “We were so lucky to work vocalize, lick lips, and groom, as fluctuation. But, people don’t es, the characters moved with him,” Bayley says. “Often well as their breathing patterns. enunciate every syllable. When into technical animation – we hear feedback on a project When they pant, you can see it we tucked it back, it became techanim – for secondary secondhand or thirdhand. It was in their throats and diaphragm, more believable.” muscle and skin movement, helpful to have him here; he’s a and we could incorporate that The most difficult animals, and for fur and hair grooming. very talented animator. It was movement with dialog to help according to Bayley, were the “Ben Jones completely rebuilt motivating to have someone of sell the idea that the character snake Kaa and the bear Baloo. how we do muscles and tissue,” his caliber in-house.” made that noise.” “A snake is not inherently ex- Valdez says. “He created new The challenge for the an- The team amassed a large pressive,” Bayley says, “so it was ways for the muscles to react to imation team was to create library of animal reference, a massive challenge. We didn’t physics and interact with each believable performances for including facial close-ups. They want to introduce things that other, and new ways for the animals that, by nature, vocalize had video footage of the actors don’t exist onto that face.” skin to receive information from but don’t speak dialog. doing voice recordings and of The bear presented the other the muscles. We had multiple “Andy Jones kept taking us the actors in other films. And, side of the coin – an animal that influences to manipulate fine back to the sensibility of the they referenced studies of ani- is somewhat anthropomorphic details in the skin. Ben worked a film,” Legato says.