Merlin: Visual effects
- Published: 11 September 2008 09:11
- Last Updated: 11 September 2008 09:11
- Reader Responses
"Using our Feature Film Pipeline on Merlin involved scanning Super 16mm film at hi-res and then rescaling it for the VFX work and grade.
The result, if I say so myself, is one of the best-looking television series ever made," says Mill TV executive producer Will Cohen.
"At Mill TV we are working to one of the most frenetic schedules we have ever attempted in terms of delivery and FX. The combination of beautiful footage, shot by Geoffrey Wharton, and the genius of our colourist Mick Vincent, using the Baselight 8, the very latest in grading technology, have produced stunning results.
Producers Johnny Capps and Julian Murphy are quite brave and bold clients, demonstrated by their belief in our ability to create a talking dragon, voiced by John Hurt. One thing we discovered early on was that dragons in the film Eragon talk telepathically.
Johnny and Julian asked me if I thought it was possible and, after a discussion with the team, I of course said yes. There was a bit of nervousness at the beginning of production, especially as the time drew nearer to record John Hurt's performance. The result is the culmination of several years of R&D and in-house development of our facial mo-cap, muscle systems and rigs.
We knew we could retarget the data on a humanoid model successfully but making it work on a dragon's face was a totally different challenge. The secret was in the design – getting it right was a very collaborative effort."
