{"id":4710,"date":"2014-11-08T00:16:01","date_gmt":"2014-11-08T00:16:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/?p=4710"},"modified":"2014-11-12T19:44:50","modified_gmt":"2014-11-12T19:44:50","slug":"good-things-come-in-small-packages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/good-things-come-in-small-packages\/","title":{"rendered":"Good Things Come in Small Packages"},"content":{"rendered":"

Following up on the success of its ultra-clever stop-motion features Coraline<\/i> and ParaNorman<\/i>, Laika Studios, an animation outpost proudly ensconced far from Hollywood (in Hillsboro, OR), presents The Boxtrolls<\/i>, a sublime Victorian-era fantasy focusing on the travails and misadventures of subterranean scavengers. By\u00a0Kevin H. Martin.<\/p>\n

\"Good-Things_Exclusive_Leada\"<\/a>
(L to R) Eggs, Shoe and Fish try to escape from the Red Hats<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The film\u2019s \u201cheroes\u201d wear cardboard boxes that function as their cover when venturing topside, and the trolls are seen (quite wrong-headedly) as both semimythical and extremely dangerous by the English villagers above ground. Demonstrating as much of a sense of family as the humans who fear them (and happily lacking human class distinctions), the trolls adopt a young abandoned boy (voiced by Isaac Hempstead Wright) named \u201cEggs,\u201d after the label on his crate disguise. This act of troll kindness pays unexpected dividends later on in the tale, when the evil pest exterminator, Archibald Snatcher (Sir Ben Kingsley), attempts to destroy the entire boxtroll nation.<\/p>\n

For producer and lead animator Travis Knight, the company\u2019s long history with dimensional animation (Laika began as Will Vinton Studios) is a tradition to be respected, but also augmented by technical advances.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese kinds of films have a genuinely handcrafted quality,\u201d Knight explains, \u201cwhich carries an enormous appeal. But we\u2019ve found that embellishing the look through CG can actually give the films a greater scope than would otherwise have been possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Co-directors Anthony Stacchi and Graham Annable cite the exacting skillsets of the core team members, most of whom have been with Laika through many projects.<\/p>\n

\"Good-Things_Exclusive_1a\"
Co-Director Anthony Stacchi works with the Fish puppet during production<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cYou could do a tour of these sets, getting up close in the market square to scrutinize every loaf of bread in a cart,\u201d Stacchi reveals, \u201cand it would all hold up because of the loving craftsmanship. The same is true for the costumes, which, while armatured for control, are often made from real materials, providing another level of credibility.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why Creative Supervisor of Puppet Fabrication Georgina Hayns saw to countless technical and artistic details involved in fashioning the characters, ranging from incorporation of electronics into the troll heads for their glowing eyes to the employment of laser cutting for scaled-down costuming details. Likewise for Costume Designer Deborah Cook, who relied upon an embroidery sewing machine to weave together Eggs\u2019 sweater of many subtle colorations and exploited leather gloves as needed to create shoes and other character accoutrements.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a kind of collective consciousness [at Laika],\u201d Annable adds. \u201cEven if all the problems for a given scene haven\u2019t been fully solved in advance, everybody knows which shots are coming up, and the attention gets paid to thinking through matters before we\u2019re on stage and ready to go. That might mean making sure our animation rigger [Oliver Jones] has all the resources necessary so that we can put a special character through his paces or allocating enough time for [Miniature Lighting Engineer Matthew DeLeu] to test modifications to the next stage setup.\u201d<\/p>\n

Laika\u2019s thirst for innovation reached <\/b>new heights on The Boxtrolls <\/i>via the new arena of 3D printing. Director of Rapid Prototyping Brian McLean\u2019s team used 3D printing to translate creature designs into a virtual (and physical) flipbook of expressions for the visage of every character.<\/p>\n

\"Good-Things_Exclusive_2a\"
(L to R) Boxtrolls Fish and Shoe zoom down the cardboard tunnel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Steve Emerson and Brian Van\u2019t Hul served as VFX supervisors, overseeing CGI elements for The Boxtrolls<\/i>. <\/i>\u201cWe\u2019re always trying to gauge and allocate resources most efficiently,\u201d Emerson relates, \u201cand that means getting all the department heads together in a room to figure out what gets built practically and what will be a digital extension.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf there is just one enormous wide view to show the whole city,\u201d he continues, \u201cthen we\u2019d seriously consider handling that on the VFX side of things. On shots that show a large, practically built environment, we take the buildings much higher than they can be physically built on stage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Emerson says, \u201chaving to match [digitally] with what they\u2019ve done on stage keeps us honest, because our work has to seem just as real and tactile as the model end of things. The art department supplies us with physical looks for clouds and water, so we all have the same aesthetic notion, and it will be one that blends with the style established on stage.\u201d<\/p>\n

The interface between VFX and stage camera is crucial to matching that aesthetic. \u201cWe added a lot of CG characters to backgrounds of some complex scenes,\u201d Emerson continues, explaining that a green screen shape, dubbed a \u201cchopper\u201d or \u201chatchet,\u201d would be lowered into the mid-ground to isolate the hero puppets from the background, facilitating the addition of CG extras behind them. \u201c[We\u2019d]\u00a0have to kill the green to keep it from contaminating the set environment. Foreground light goes out when the screen comes in, getting us a nice silhouette matte, so we have extractions that are pretty clean right out of the gate.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Good-Things_Exclusive_3a\"
Animator David Pugh works on the extensive Boxtrolls cavern<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

More than fifty Canon EOS 5D Mark III (22.3-megapixel, full-frame) cameras were utilized on Laika\u2019s many stages, while the company\u2019s CG division shot reference and plate footage with Sony HD and RED cameras. Dragonframe image-capture software (A Boy and His Dog<\/i>, ICG October 2012) interfaced with DMX lighting and regulated shutter speed, aperture and other functions on the Canon DSLR cameras, while Dragon\u2019s IOTA system controlled the stereo slide for separate left-eye\/right-eye capture. Kuper motion-control systems saw frequent action for the show\u2019s many moving camera shots, which delivered epic sweeping moves as well as more subtle activity that emphasized character moments.<\/p>\n

Cinematographer John Ashlee Prat,<\/b> who began his career in stop-motion as a claymation animator working on those memorable 1980s icons The California Raisins<\/i>, embraces Laika\u2019s mix of in-camera and CG elements.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has always been difficult to direct dust elements and maintain atmospheric levels on a strictly in-camera show,\u201d Prat explains. \u201cYou\u2019d be employing a mix of cotton balls and filters and perhaps paintings on glass, whereas now we can let that be addressed digitally \u2026 if<\/i> that approach is what best tells the story.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to Prat, four cinematographers (credited as \u201clighting cameramen\u201d) captured many of the film\u2019s setups. Mark Stewart and Chris Peterson were Laika veterans, while Local 600 members Pat Sweeney and Eric Adkins also brought in years of experience, shooting unreal-time setups with and without motion control.<\/p>\n

Sweeney, whose years at ILM involved shooting starships against blue screen and submarines in smoked faux-water settings, was a camera operator on the Selick\/Burton stop-motion feature The Nightmare Before Christmas<\/i>. He recalls how the size of the camera on that project impacted his approach.<\/p>\n

\"Good-Things_Exclusive_4a\"<\/p>\n

\u201cBack then, we used Mitchell 35-millimeter cameras and had to light around the magazines!\u201d Sweeney exclaims. \u201cDigital cameras are so small, they allow for much easier lighting and animator access. But in terms of achieving a look, film had that inherent softness, so it was easier to create depth. Digital has progressed, and is a sharper capture medium, so care in lighting is of paramount importance. It might be more critical now than ever before, since everybody with an iPhone thinks they\u2019re a camera operator.\u201d<\/p>\n

Each lighting cameraman tackled four to six sequences, which, when possible, would be consecutive to maintain continuity. Stewart had the lion\u2019s share of Market Square shots, while Adkins drew most of the underground sets, including a 700-frame reveal of the cavern inhabited by the titular characters.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes, when you get really excited about possibilities, it can distract away from what is important,\u201d observes Prat. \u201cSo having a team where everybody is focused on the big picture can help you to take a step back and reconsider what the shot is about. In this case, it was Eggs\u2019 ride down [the sewer drain], which introduces the boy and the audience to this beautifully cluttered fantasy world. It really showcased how Eric\u2019s genius for using dental mirrors to reflect appropriately scaled highlights into the frame enhanced this magical place.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Good-Things_Exclusive_5a\"
Animator Kristien Vanden Bussche working on the cavern<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Weeks of work went into lighting the cavern<\/b> reveal, which then took more than a month of stage time to animate and shoot. \u201cThe cavern walls were eight feet tall,\u201d Adkins recounts. \u201cIn a real set, I might not have had space to put light in an ideal location, so that was a consideration I kept in mind. Using different kinds of sources and colors of light also helped emphasize the depth and size of the cavern these creatures call home.\u201d Adkins\u2019 entry onto the show came with the film\u2019s longest single take, an early shot that runs fifty-five seconds and encompasses nearly all of a large three-walled street set.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was a continuation from John\u2019s opening sequence with the trolls in an alley,\u201d Adkins states. \u201cWe had stage in all directions \u2013 no green screen backing whatsoever \u2013 and began with a moonlit close-up on one boxtroll. When the evil boxcatchers spy the trolls, the camera moves to take in the headlight on their vehicle as it comes to camera, then follows it away.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finessing of the shot\u2019s final details was not fully accomplished until halfway through rehearsal; capturing via motion control enabled the shot to be assembled out of multiple repeat passes.<\/p>\n

\u201cA background character might be on a part of the stage that was so out of the way that it would be easier for the animator to access him on a separate pass,\u201d Adkins continues. As an additional aid to VFX character replication, production often shot additional blank passes with and without the key light, which provided a better idea about the ambient light levels in any given environment.<\/p>\n

\"Good-Things_Exclusive_6a\"<\/a>
The complicated set-up of The Boxtrolls cavern during production<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Most sequences were shot for maximum depth of field at F\/16, but Adkins was able to inject a different feel for the film\u2019s dancing sequence. \u201cI have these beautiful Cooke zoom lenses,\u201d he shares. \u201cThey have flaws in the focus around the edge, which provided a soft, glamorous feeling for this one sequence. It was nice to have this shallow-focus look as we go in on Madame Frou Frou\u2019s face.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sweeney\u2019s sequences took place near the end. \u201cMine were mostly outdoors,\u201d he recalls, \u201ctaking place between sunup and midday. We needed to ensure the principal characters stood out a bit from their environment, enough so your eye would go to them. That involved my coloring the characters a little cooler than the generally warm backgrounds. I also increased the light intensity on the foreground characters ever so slightly.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Guild shooter even provided a modified key specifically to put the hero puppets in a better light. \u201cI had custom keys and backlights designed to work through the length of a shot,\u201d he continues, \u201ceven though it wasn\u2019t necessarily correct with respect to the general key light for the rest of the scene. Making sure a character looks good is a camera operator\u2019s responsibility whether that character is flesh and blood or in puppet form.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Good-Things_Exclusive_7a\"
11-year-old Eggs (voiced by Isaac Hempstead Wright) wonders what fantastic adventures lay above ground in The Boxtrolls<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Increasing the stereoscopic depth was another option for emphasizing the principal characters. Such an approach was meant to emphasize the huge menace of Snatcher\u2019s Mecha-Drill, which recalled ILM\u2019s steampunk-era Imperial Walker as seen in 1998\u2019s Wild Wild West<\/i> feature. The drill was of immense size for a stop-motion construct, and it featured flame-powered innards that were represented on set via an iPad placed within the behemoth\u2019s body, playing back CG flames.<\/p>\n

Canon 5D RAW files underwent conversion to EXR format in order to maximize options for image manipulation via linear sensor data. From editorial, files were routed to DI facility FotoKem (Burbank, CA) via their globalDATA FTP, with final grading accomplished there on Mistika by colorist John Daro.<\/p>\n

Annable says the strongest memories of his maiden directorial effort revolved around the sense of inspired improvisation that powers Laika. It\u2019s a mindset that gently reinforces the Oregon state motto (which came into being roughly the same time as Laika itself): \u201cWe love dreamers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOne example of how things worked on [The Boxtrolls<\/i>] has to do with the film\u2019s opening, when we see their shadows on the walls as they scurry about,\u201d Annable recalls. \u201cGiving that to VFX was a natural first thought, probably as digital shadows added to a set plate. But John let us know he\u2019d tackled this kind of thing practically. We went out on stage and saw how using our lights to cast real puppet shadows onto the walls just couldn\u2019t be beat in terms of feel. That kind of discovery keeps [Laika Studios] a very exciting place to be, where we like to say, \u2018Best idea wins.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Following up on the success of its ultra-clever stop-motion features Coraline and ParaNorman, Laika Studios, an animation outpost proudly ensconced far from Hollywood (in Hillsboro, OR), presents The Boxtrolls, a sublime Victorian-era fantasy focusing on the travails and misadventures of subterranean scavengers. By\u00a0Kevin H. Martin. The film\u2019s \u201cheroes\u201d wear cardboard boxes that function as their cover when venturing topside, and the trolls are seen (quite wrong-headedly) as both semimythical and extremely dangerous by the English villagers above ground. Demonstrating as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4760,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4710","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-web-exclusive"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nGood Things Come in Small Packages - ICG Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/good-things-come-in-small-packages\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Good Things Come in Small Packages - ICG Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Following up on the success of its ultra-clever stop-motion features Coraline and ParaNorman, Laika Studios, an animation outpost proudly ensconced far from Hollywood (in Hillsboro, OR), presents The Boxtrolls, a sublime Victorian-era fantasy focusing on the travails and misadventures of subterranean scavengers. By\u00a0Kevin H. Martin. The film\u2019s \u201cheroes\u201d wear cardboard boxes that function as their cover when venturing topside, and the trolls are seen (quite wrong-headedly) as both semimythical and extremely dangerous by the English villagers above ground. 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