Framestore Breaks Down the Invisible Art of VFX Animation
VFX animation – or also known as animating within the context of a live-action plane – is perhaps one of the most complex and greatest feats of animation so far. Going beyond the ability of a mere human actor, VFX animation brings life to fantasy, horror, drama and a whole myriad of other types of stories, without taking away from the enjoyment of watching something entirely believable.
Indeed, often VFX animation is at its best when you don’t even realise it’s there. And sure enough, wherever there is a list of the most seamlessly animated moments in commercial or film, there is Framestore. The company’s name has been famously attached to some incredibly memorable pieces of animated film and their trajectory is only looking up from now.
They call the art of VFX animation an ‘invisible’ one. The art of making creatures and animals from and out of this world as emotive and believable as their human co-stars, which involves rigorous research, lots of sweat and tears, and, frankly, just as high a level of acting from the animators themselves. An art that holds in itself a mix of skill and artistry that helps make for nuanced performances so believable that audiences don’t think twice about accepting the story as it unfolds.
LBB’s Zoe Antonov spoke to Michael Eames, director of animation at Framestore to find out more about this elusive and manifold field of animation and how some of our favourite on-screen characters ever were made.
LBB> Michael, can you first of all tell me what the most important components of VFX animation are and what makes a VFX animated project successful?
Michael> There are many disciplines that go into creating a successfully animated performance. From design and modelling through texturing and rigging to lighting and compositing. All these crafts need to be applied at the highest level so that a successfully animated character can be ultimately convincing. Technology obviously plays an enormous part in enabling the tools and some of the processes required to do this, but how well they are used is down to the artist – not unlike the relationship between a musician and their instrument, the artists are the most important component of VFX animation.
I guess a successful project for us is when we have managed to contribute to the story by delivering entirely believable and engaging characters. Of course, it helps if it’s a good story!
LBB> What makes VFX animation so complex?
Michael> VFX animation must be believable in whatever context it’s presented and the level of detail and artistry that goes into each character, from the initial concept through the build process and ultimately to a finished performance is extremely complex. Everything you see is made to create the illusion of life and therefore every detail, from how it looks and feels to how it moves and performs needs to be manually and artistically orchestrated.
LBB> When it comes to writing characters for VFX animation, is the process any different?
Michael> I think the story always comes first. I don’t know of any writers that would alter a story because of how it might be told. Writers have always invented imaginary characters and VFX characters are no more or less relevant than any other and only exist because the story needs them to. As for the way it’s told, the evolution of a character on screen in VFX is no different to one played by an actor. A performance can vary but it should always respond to the needs of the story.
LBB> And what about animating animals versus creatures that don't necessarily exist in the real world - which is more challenging and why?
Michael> They all have their specific challenges. I guess some might say the expectation of an audience is higher when watching a CG creature that exists or is like an existing animal in the real world because there’s a familiarity in respect to how they should look and feel. But most of the creatures and characters we create appear in a real-world environment up against real human actors and so the challenge to make them believable and real is always there whether they exist or not.
LBB> When it comes to such intricate character animation, what are some on-set relationships that the animators need to really be falling onto? Is it the director, the set designer, the production designer, or all of the above and more?
Michael> To be honest it varies. Some directors like to be more involved than others. The important thing is that we find the best, most effective way to work together and, in the case of animation, that can sometimes rely on a single animation supervisor working closely with the director and filmmaking group or a director wanting to engage with individual animators.
As a supervisor, I have always looked to build as many relationships with the filmmaking group as possible. Those include the director, actors, producers, director of photography, assistant director/s, designers etc. I think it’s fair to say the quality of all our work relies on each other. The more I am aware of their needs, and they are aware of mine, the more likely we are to achieve the best results.
LBB> In the film the animator is compared to the actor but behind the computer. In that sense, do certain animators go with certain animated animals/creatures better than others? How do you make a perfect match of the two?
Michael> I always think a good animator can animate anything. That said, there are often cases where an animator might be particularly good with creature animation or another with character acting for example. But that’s most likely because they’re already more interested in that thing.
LBB> Is there similar preparation from the animator's side when it comes to embodying (or animating in this case) a certain character, similarly to how actors build and research their on-screen persona? What does that preparation for the performance look like?
Michael> Absolutely. Before anything has been shot and as soon as we’ve built an animatable character, we start the animation development process. This can be done by one or several animators in the very early stages of production. Typically, we’ll take moments from the script that might be good to explore how a character could perform based on their proposed demeanour. Voice is an important factor if the character speaks and often serves as a starting point. If we have that to work with, we will often shoot reference footage of the voice artist just to see if there is anything we can glean from their physical delivery, whether it’s delivered within the context of a shot or sitting in a recording studio. Throughout the animation process, all sorts of references can be used in a bid to realise the spirit of a character and its eventual performance. Animators will often video each other or use actor reference if available to help block out an idea for a shot.
LBB> Tell me a little bit about some of the most difficult and complex characters that you at Framestore have tackled and what made these projects such huge achievements?
Michael> That’s a tricky question because they all seemed difficult at the time! I guess I’m inclined to think back to moments when we seemed to manage changing things up a little. Giving the animalistic hippogriff in ‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’, a petulant teenage persona, seems to have become a bit of a milestone moment in VFX animation and getting the audience to buy into that creature and his character was something we worked hard on with our director, Alfonso Cuaron.
Creating a convincing baby in ‘Children of Men’ led to that same director denying it was anything other than real to help promote the film, but the complexity of that one, albeit rather long, shot of the birth itself and the resulting first steps to a believable CG human performance was particularly satisfying.
And inventing a credible performance for the characters of Christopher Robin’s friends, that were only alive in our childhood’s imagination. The director, Marc Forster wanted emotionally driven performances with barely any discernible range of expression and so creating some of those moving moments was a significant challenge.
LBB> What would you say the career path would look like for somebody wanting to get into VFX animation?
Michael> There’s a number of ways to get into animation these days. There are obviously colleges providing courses at various levels as well as many more internet based online courses, some of which even offer access to industry professionals to help guide them through the work.
Whatever works for the individual; ultimately they will need to learn the basics, practice and produce a showreel of their own animation in order to apply for work. Once they have successfully convinced a company they have enough talent and potential to warrant being taken on, they’ll typically start as a junior animator and work their way up from there to animator, senior animator and then, if they want to, lead animator and supervisor.
The demand for animators in the industry is particularly high at the moment so it’s relatively easy for someone with any ability to start moving down the career path you mention. However, there’s a danger in moving too quickly.
If you want to be really good, you’ll need to take time to learn properly. Become an observer of life. Start drawing, learn all you can about the arts, craft and what surrounds us. Watch, listen and immerse yourself in motion, the motivation as well as the physics. Spend as much time learning the basics as you can because it will pay massive dividends later if you enter the industry. And then, if you do, make sure you're in an environment that really challenges you and take the time to properly hone your skills. It will absolutely be worth it in the long run.
LBB> What does the future look like for VFX animation for both commercial and film? Where do you expect it to be in five years’ time?
Michael> Animating for a job probably has a few professional animators pinching themselves on a regular basis. Don’t get me wrong, it’s hard at times, even most of the time. But the rewards of breathing life into an imaginary character, making people laugh or cry, even if only for a moment that helps to tell a story that resonates with thousands, sometimes millions, are immense. Visual entertainment has probably never been so much a part of our lives as it is now. And that doesn’t look like it’s going to change any time soon.
Five years is a long time in our industry. I expect technology and AI as a part of that will impact the industry in some way although I don’t believe it will ever replace us. It doesn’t have an imagination and is unlikely to use what it ‘knows’ to be original. That’s our strength and, for that reason, the future of our craft should be bright.
