“LAIKA’s “Missing Link”: Raising the VFX Bar” by LAIKA
Conference:
Type:
Title:
- LAIKA's “Missing Link”: Raising the VFX Bar
Presenter(s)/Author(s):
Project Affiliation:
- LAIKA
Abstract:
LAIKA is a studio whose mission is to realize the potential of stop-motion animation by fusing old- school artisan-ship with cutting-edge technology. This production session will highlight the work done by LAIKA’s in-house visual effects team on the studio’s fifth film, “Missing Link” (in theaters spring 2019).
During this session, the LAIKA team will highlight its unique production pipeline and how its digital efforts were created in concert with the puppet- makers and set builders at the studio. The team will discuss their adoption of RenderMan’s RIS and how LAIKA was able to leverage new workflows to quadruple their output of photo-real, design-intensive background puppets, props and environments for the film.
“Missing Link” required a great deal of collaboration between the studio’s on-set camera team and visual effects. This session will also underscore the challenges faced when fusing boundless digital scenes with camera setups dictated by an animator’s ability to reach a puppet. The team will show examples of how camera data was shared, scaled and augmented during the film’s production.
