Once Upon A Time: Inside the Fairytale Sets and Character Animations
Released on 11/28/2014
(electronic music)
Hi, I'm Mike Seymour from fxguide.com for WIRED.
From the Sorcerer's Apprentice in Fantasia
to Disney's feature film Frozen, the effects crew
at Zoic Studioses have had their work cut out for them
this season translating the world
of Disney's incredible animated characters
to the new version, the live action TV show
Once Upon A Time on ABC.
These shows are doing an order of 250 shots per episode
with a turnaround time of just a couple of weeks,
but some episodes can run as high as 400 shots,
and that's being asked of the team 22 times a season.
A lot of the work involves environments, set extensions
and, increasingly this year, fully digital characters.
How is all of this possible?
Zoic has been an industry pioneer
in using green screen technology and virtual sets
using the Emmy award winning Lightcraft Technology
that allows entire worlds of the show to be previsualized
on a green screen stage as part
of the team's Zeus production process.
Their specialist tools extend from ipads apps,
such as Zeus Scout,
to complex integrated Shotgun production software
that allows multiple shows to be done at one time
with two entire crews overlapping
on alternate week's episodes.
As well, there's been a vast investment
in specialist software including Krakatoa and fracture,
an automated tracking software.
But this season has been particularly demanding
as the focus has been on bringing characters
from the hit film Frozen
to the show's hometown of Storybrooke.
Characters such as Grand Pabbie voiced by John Rhys-Davies,
and the gigantic hulking snowman,
affectionately known as Marshmallow, were just two
of the key, fully CG characters introduced this season.
Characters like this can take months to develop
for a feature film, and even more challenging
for the Zoic Studio artists is that,
as the season's still being written,
these CG characters need to be made
for the current episode's requirements,
but then they may come back in just a few weeks time
or never be seen of again.
Fans of the show are certainly hoping
that Regina's spells don't last forever,
and that Elsa's bodyguard Marshmallow can,
in fact, return later this season.
Principle photography takes place
in Vancouver, British Columbia,
so even while those Frozen characters are being integrated
into their scenes, there's also a bunch
of key set extension work that has to go on.
For example the pivotal clock tower
in Gold's pawn shop, are additional locationss
that are only ever added in post-production.
And if the Frozen cast wasn't enough, it's believed
that the characters from another Disney film, Maleficent,
are said to visit Storybrooke later this season.
Let out again thanks to the craft
of the visual effects team.
Well don't forget to subscribe
for more behind-the-scenes action.
I'm Mike Seymour for WIRED.
(suspenseful orchestral music)
Starring: Mike Seymour
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