Invisibly Manipulating Visual Effects: Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio by BOT VFX
In the heart of the cinematic world, BOT VFX has embarked on an exhilarating journey, collaborating with the inspirational team behind Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio. For six months, BOT VFX served as the rotoscoping, paint, and compositing provider for this visually stunning stop-motion masterpiece.
The movie, a captivating blend of stop-motion beauty and sadness, left an eight-year-old viewer, as well as the author, spellbound. The film's intricate details and meticulously crafted frames were a testament to the dedication and skill of the BOT VFX team.
To tackle the challenges presented by the film's numerous freeze frames, BOT VFX turned to Silhouette's Timeline keyframes. This powerful tool allowed the artists to navigate even the most complex roto and paint tasks with ease and precision. Srikanth S., a member of the BOT VFX team, praised Silhouette's stability and robust features, stating that it outshines any other application in handling intricate roto and paint tasks.
The artists at BOT VFX heavily relied on the Clone tool, auto paint, and integrated Mocha features to remove complicated puppet rigs and their shadows. Silhouette's non-destructive approach greatly helped to accommodate whenever they swapped out plates with updated versions.
The roto shapes, once finalized in Silhouette, were exported to Foundry Nuke using the updated export option. Nuke was also used to prep tasks that required applying matte extractions and using element plates. The remarkable flexibility and comprehensive options offered by Silhouette enabled BOT VFX to manage tasks within the same session harmoniously.
The team at BOT VFX, longtime users of Boris FX Silhouette, considered Pinocchio a special project. After the gruelling work was done, they watched the Handcarved Cinema featurette on Netflix, a behind-the-scenes look at the making of this enchanting film.
As Srikanth S. puts it, "Being part of Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio was an exhilarating journey for BOT VFX, with each frame of the movie being meticulously crafted." The resulting film is a testament to the passion, skill, and dedication of the BOT VFX team, and a must-see for any stop-motion animation fan.
Amidst the intricate details of Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio, the BOT VFX team's innovative approach extended beyond the cinematic realm, incorporating technology like Silhouette's Timeline keyframes to handle the film's challenging freeze frames, thereby enhancing the team's lifestyle by providing advanced tools for ease and precision. Post-production, the team reflected on their employer's passion and commitment by immersing themselves in the Handcarved Cinema featurette, a digital exploration of the film's enchanting origin story.
