Tuesday night, Autodesk presented a special screening of Steven Spielberg’s “The Adventures of Tintin” in Los Angeles. Following the screening of the film was a 30 minute live Q&A with senior visual effects supervisor Joe Letteri of Weta Digital. As the screening event was limited to only 200 attendees, Autodesk have produced the audio-only Q&A to stream for free on their website, The Area.
The Adventures of Tintin is a film adaptation of Hergé’s classic comic series comic books of the same title. The film is a visual effects tour de force, showcasing some of Weta Digital’s finest CG achievements. Tintin is a completely digital film, featuring performance captured actors utilizing the revolutionary virtual camera technology pioneered by James Cameron for his film AVATAR. Spielberg and producer Peter Jackson decided to use Jim’s virtual camera solution after being invited to the set of AVATAR to shoot a five minute Tintin screen test with the technology.
Joe Letteri has been with Weta Digital since 2001. In his years at Weta, he has worked on many films, from Lord of the Rings to The Hobbit. Joe explains in the Q&A that when he started at Weta Digital, the company employed 150 artists. Today, the VFX giant has ballooned to over 850 employees. Joe is a visionary of the industry, and his word on the VFX process of Tintin is fascinating and enlightening.
The Q&A is an interesting behind-the-scenes look at the previsualization, virtual production process, and effects pipeline from the film. Hearing Joe talk about the process gives an intimate look at one of the most complex productions in modern cinema. Be sure to give the Q&A a listen over at The Area!
Articles RSS