From the new release '9'
[Jonny Volkman]
(Clemson, SC) – Director Shane Acker visited Clemson University to discuss design concepts from his recent feature film, “9.”
When asked about how he handled the journey from being an independent animator to a feature film director, Acker responded, “You must be comfortable being uncomfortable. Roll with it.”
Acker went into detail about design concepts that help save time and money when working on a tight schedule and budget. “Knowing what you want is half the battle. There is always a creative solution,” he explains that preparation is more difficult than execution. Mapping out the storyboard into segments helps pinpoint important scenes.
The film’s budget was heavily allocated to select segments that were crucial to the story. This is a very focused process, selecting 3-second clips. Typically, a digital feature film produces 3 to 5 seconds a week. Acker was able to produce 8 seconds a week by using several tricks.
When creating the characters in the film, two main problems arose. They needed to be mapped in grids and they needed to be covered in different organic textures. When metal or cloth is seen in a digital world, it is expected to act like the real objects. The grid was later seen as a solution when handling these organic textures. It is easier to “suggest” cloth by adding pinches to corresponding portions, to portray a shift in volume, rather than creating a complete physics rendering of an object or character.
High-resolution imagery and attention to detail is costly and often unnecessary. “It is a creative challenge. You have to fit it all in the box. You can let the audience fill in the details,” Acker explains the power of suggestion can and should be used to a designer’s advantage. After the audience sees a highly detailed object or character, they assume that much detail is present even at a distance. A low-resolution image can be used in place of the object when it is not in focus.
Shane Acker
“We’re just cheating on a shot by shot basis.”
Backgrounds in less important scenes have less detail which is hidden using lighting, vignettes, dust, and smoke. These elements create depth and warmth, but also blur the planes between 2D and 3D images. When these elements are sent into motion, the 3D illusion is increased dramatically.
By using smaller high-resolution images in repetition it is possible to create depth, character, and detail cheaply and easily throughout the project. A “God” image is a single object that highly-detailed and develops a scene to more realistic standards. A single “Brick God” is used hundreds of times in a pile of rubble. Because it is a highly detailed image, changing the angle and lighting will give the illusion of variation within the pile. When several “God” images are used to create an element, this is called a “Hero” image. These images are made up of many 3D images and can be used in many scenes as reference points for the audience.
Often going into extreme detail on such a large project can be counter-productive. When very specific special effects are needed, rendering them can be difficult if not impossible. By hand drawing special effects, you can actually save time and money while being able to specify detail to a precise degree when it is otherwise difficult to render. Additionally, when a previous element has already been created, it is foolish to try to do it again. Acker used a 3D person, previously rendered for a 1940’s baseball film, in his project where humans are not the main characters.
By tagging each and every object in the film, they can be called up in post production. They can be re-lighted and re-touched as needed without re-creating the entire scene. Tricks like these are essential to making an enormous project efficient and manageable. Acker, 38, has spent the last seven years on this project and generously gave his time and knowledge to those eager to learn the animation process of a digital feature film. With his advice, students will be able to imagine bigger without having to limit themselves in production.
