Wunderman Thompson

VFX OVERVIEW

Creating photorealistic running horses, breaking through glass requires a combination of technical expertise and attention to detail.  While our team has extensive experience creating realistic animals, this project had some specific challenges; the talent had to travel a great distance, with horses running on a slippery surface and then break through a glass wall.

When we shot the live action, the stage was not large enough to capture the distance the talent would have to travel. To solve that, we scanned the talent at the shoot and created a digital double so he could travel great distances and crash through a glass wall without placing him in danger.

Achieving realistic muscle simulation that emulates the complex dynamics of a running horse is challenging. To achieve this, we used the ziva muscle system along with accurately modeling the horse’s musculature and interaction with skin.

The second part to making the horses believable is the animation, composition.

Starting with dynamic camera angles and movements we composed the motion to enhance the horse’s heroism. The lower angles helped make the horse appear more imposing, while dynamic tracking shots helped to convey the excitement of a heroic action. Secondary animations including the talent’s clothing, the horse’s mane, and tail, helped to emphasize the movement making the scene feel more majestic.