Presentation
WAR IS OVER! Wētā FX Gets Animated
DescriptionWAR IS OVER! brings the classic John Lennon and Yoko Ono song to life in this highly stylized, Oscar-winning animated film. Entrusted with the director's vision of creating a world akin to being inside a “living, breathing concept painting”, the Wētā FX team went to work crafting the unique aesthetic, utilising Unreal Engine. In this session, Creative Director and VFX Supervisor Keith Miller will be joined by CG Supervisor, Ross McWhannell, Animation Supervisor, Aidan Martin, Digital Cinematographer, David Scott, and VFX Producer, Sophie Cherry to explore the art and technology employed across production.
Already familiar with Epic Games' Unreal Engine, the team endeavored to push the creative boundaries of the technology to ensure the emotional narrative of the film could be realised visually. From look development and animation style to creatively figuring out the story beats, the Wētā FX team was highly involved from the onset. The panel will talk through their approach to production - beginning with just a script and storyboard, they will discuss some of the anticipated challenges and why Unreal Engine was the adopted solution.
Exploring the look development, the panel will provide insight into the artistic choices present throughout the film, looking at intricate details such as the texture, brush, and linework and how they blended the painterly visuals of the production design with the gritty realism of war. In this session, you'll be taken behind the scenes of the motion capture process and find out how later motion capture shoots could utilise Unreal Engine and the shots work done on the environments and characters.
Unreal Engine served as the framework for the project – the focal point of the individual elements and disciplines fused into a unified working space. Rounding out the session, the panel will discuss how they leveraged the strengths and efficiencies of real-time filmmaking with Unreal Engine while integrating with their existing VFX animation pipelines, and how the real-time workflow enabled a new level of responsiveness, allowing for iterative freedom throughout the project.
This session will conclude with the panel reflecting on their real-time workflow process, looking at the valuable insight gained, changes that need to be implemented, and the next steps of unreal creativity.
Already familiar with Epic Games' Unreal Engine, the team endeavored to push the creative boundaries of the technology to ensure the emotional narrative of the film could be realised visually. From look development and animation style to creatively figuring out the story beats, the Wētā FX team was highly involved from the onset. The panel will talk through their approach to production - beginning with just a script and storyboard, they will discuss some of the anticipated challenges and why Unreal Engine was the adopted solution.
Exploring the look development, the panel will provide insight into the artistic choices present throughout the film, looking at intricate details such as the texture, brush, and linework and how they blended the painterly visuals of the production design with the gritty realism of war. In this session, you'll be taken behind the scenes of the motion capture process and find out how later motion capture shoots could utilise Unreal Engine and the shots work done on the environments and characters.
Unreal Engine served as the framework for the project – the focal point of the individual elements and disciplines fused into a unified working space. Rounding out the session, the panel will discuss how they leveraged the strengths and efficiencies of real-time filmmaking with Unreal Engine while integrating with their existing VFX animation pipelines, and how the real-time workflow enabled a new level of responsiveness, allowing for iterative freedom throughout the project.
This session will conclude with the panel reflecting on their real-time workflow process, looking at the valuable insight gained, changes that need to be implemented, and the next steps of unreal creativity.
Presenters
Visual Effects Supervisor
Animation Supervisor
Digital Cinematographer
VFX Producer
CG Supervisor
Event Type
Production Session
TimeWednesday, 31 July 20242:30pm - 3:30pm MDT
LocationFour Seasons 1
Not Livestreamed
Not Recorded
Full Conference
Full Conference Supporter
Exhibitor Full Conference
