Behind the Scenes
Interviews With The Team
What were you tasked with for this project and how did you accomplish that?
Girish: I was a Project Lead on this show, so it was my responsibility to work with all the CG departments involved and help them achieve the required quality for all the shots. We accomplished the task of animating these characters through our clear communication and coordination between all the departments here and with the team in New York. This helped us achieve the vision the VFX supervisor and the Director had.
Sachin: As Lead DFX Sup on this project, my task was to supervise the project creatively and technically from India. Making sure that everything was delivered on time and of the best quality. This was accomplished by understanding the creative and technical requirements for the project first. A part of that was keeping clear communication with New York and within our team here, guiding the team on a daily basis, understanding the hurdles and solving them quickly to ensure there were no delays and the quality of our work remained high.
What was the most challenging part of this project?
Girish: We had to create the realistic iguana and eagle assets for this show. While working on creature spots we always collect lots of references so we have clear direction on the final look. The artists and supervisors from India and New York worked collaboratively in all the departments including Prep, Matchmove, Assets, Animation, Rigging, Lighting, FX and Compositing.
Sachin: As this project had two realistic CGI animals, an eagle and an iguana, there was a high requirement on both the creative and technical sides. We wanted the animals to remain animals but to also express a spectrum of emotions. As you see, we were able to achieve that balance by referring to tons of images and videos so we could understand the animals' body movements and behaviour better. We were able to communicate their emotions more realistically with their entire bodies rather than just their faces.
What was unique and exciting about working on this spot? If applicable, please add any specifics on new or interesting technology that was used.
Girish: For this spot, we mainly worked on the creatures. To achieve the realistic output which involved lots of muscle and feather simulations, Houdini was our main tool for the look development, FX simulation and lighting.
Sachin: This project created lots of excitement in many departments, but the most unique thing was the realistic looking animals with natural movements. With our Creature team, we were successful in creating the realistic iguana and eagle – both their faces and bodies.
Our team in India nailed this with a high standard of animation supported by the technically sound rigging team. Animation and rigging took the challenge to bring these animals to life by putting to use their technical and creative expertise.
Do you have a favourite shot in this spot?
Girish and Sachin: Our favourite shot is when the iguana emerges from the clouds on the eagle's back. That was the WOW moment for us. (32 sec)
What’s inspiring you lately and are you excited about any new content styles from The Mill?
Girish: At The Mill, every show has a different style and requirements so it's always inspiring to learn new techniques and keep your skills up to date.
Sachin: It's exciting how The Mill is constantly adapting to new technologies. We're moving fast and delivering the best quality in every project, including game cinematics. The thing which excites me most is being a part of more complex CGI projects!
What were you tasked with for this project and how did you accomplish that?
Ankit: My team and I were responsible for compositing all the CG elements and live-action plates to make them look super realistic yet stylised. The production crew had shot some very helpful references for scale and color which gave us a good jumping point to integrate the CG iguana and the eagle better into the background.
Tushar: I was responsible for sculpting and texturing the iguana character. It was a process that I enjoyed a lot, especially when it came to creating the scales. The scales of an iguana follow a natural flow and pattern i.e. the scales are of different shapes and sizes on different parts of the body. To replicate this in the sculpt, we sculpted most of the scales individually to make sure we achieved a more organic and realistic look.
What was the most challenging part of this project?
Ankit: Working with anamorphic plates is always tricky and this spot was no exception. Recreating some of the effects like realistic defocus, anamorphic lens distortion and constructing clean plates was especially challenging but fun at the same time.
Tushar: The major challenge I faced was the style of the character. We wanted it to have some appealing, stylized features but not too many deviations from realism. To make the character both believable and appealing, we shared references and discussed the design, colors, and its shader properties during calls. With the help of my supervisors and leads here in Bangalore and New York, I was able to achieve the desired character.
What was unique and exciting about working on this spot? If applicable, please add any specifics on new or interesting technology that was used.
Ankit: For me, this Aeromexico spot was one of a kind and in a good way. The spot was shot in anamorphic plates for closeup shots and normal lenses were used for all the wide shots and we had to make them work together. Creating the look and feel of Mexico was also one of the unique things that we accomplished in compositing.
Tushar: Working on the iguana character was particularly exciting for me because of my passion for creating reptiles and creatures. I've always been fascinated by the scales and patterns that these animals have. Seeing this character come to life, with its realistic movements as it walked and ran, added an extra layer of excitement to the project.
Do you have a favourite shot in this spot?
Ankit: My favorite shot has got to be the night shot where the iguana is standing in the rain. CG is animated and lit beautifully and the rain FX on the iguana just looks gorgeous. DMP has also done some great work on this one. Timestamp – 0:28-0:30
Tushar: My favorite part of the spot is when the iguana is riding on the eagle's back, flying in the sky among the clouds. The iguana's happy expression always brings a smile to my face whenever I watch the advertisement. Timestamp - 0:40 - 0:50
What’s inspiring you lately and are you excited about any new content styles from The Mill?
Ankit: I like to go back and watch old films by the pioneers of cinema for inspiration like Akira Kurosawa, Andrei Tarkovsky, Federico Fellini, Fritz Lang etc. I find that the art of visual storytelling has roots in these works of great art.
Tushar: I find my inspiration in the amazing characters and creatures we're creating and innovating the development of at The Mill, whether it's for advertisements or game cinematics. What truly excites me is the wide range of styles we get to explore – from the fusion of 2D and 3D to crafting hyper-realistic characters. It's the diversity of projects and the opportunity to work on different styles that make my work here truly enjoyable.