B.M.O. - Filmmaking Through Digital Puppetry

Voiceover

Presenter(s)

Alexander Kimose, Davina Vetter-Drake, Christopher Probst

Abstract or Description

Within the last 25 years, the advancement of Computer Generated Imagery has made it easier for filmmakers and digital artists to bring large monsters to life and the trail of destruction they leave behind. Advancements within the last 10 years by companies such as Adobe, Blender, Disney Renderman, and Unreal Engine have also made Computer Generated Imagery much more financially achievable for independent and student filmmakers, compared to the millions spent by Hollywood studios. However, the timeline put into the process of creating fully realized CGI characters and their complex movements can take up to 10 months, an unrealistic timeline for a student film project (which only has 8 months total for each facet of production from casting to premiere). Our team has experimented in merging the art of puppetry with Computer Generated Imagery to bring to life a building sized crab that destroys a city in the short film B.M.O. A Denver-based puppeteer took three months to craft the crab as a puppet. Utilizing cardboard and styrofoam, the puppet has seven fully adjustable legs and two arms. After completing its final design, the puppet was filmed in a studio space as a reference to the puppet’s mobility and range of directions for our VFX supervisor. The puppet was then scanned with high resolution photos and imported into Blender, where the puppet was digitized into a full-scale, CGI model. We will be exploring how utilizing Blender and Adobe After Effects impacts the digital puppet and the full range of control we have over the crab as it destroys a completely digital cityscape.