Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1277231
12 cgw e d i t i o n 2 , 2 0 2 0 [The Pixel Farm's] PFTrack, and other times a combination of both," says Hirani. Freefolk, tasked with 200 shots, also designed and built the convent where the dying root-wrapped Paladin was taken, compositing the building to sit seamlessly into the wide establishing shot, which was filmed on location. In addition, the team created set exten- sions for the Fey refugee cave, where the magical folk hid from the pursuing Paladins. The artists at Freefolk designed, modeled, lit, and textured the upper levels and wider set extension, which provide scale to the live-ac- tion set at ground level. "Having created the upper stories of the camp, we then populat- ed the rock faces of the camp with crowds and added animated CG Moon Wings flying in the air above the camp," says Hirani. In an early scene aer the druid village at- tack, the studio built an all-CG wall of flames and forest through which strides the feared Weeping Monk, who is hunting the magical beings for the Paladins. Meanwhile, Moon Wings fall from the trees and burn around him. This was a 40-second continuous take of the monk walking to the camera, shot against greenscreen, with extensive effects elements simulated in Houdini. "We needed to build an entire burning for- est around him, and populate the treetops with CG Moon Wing creatures that were falling to the ground engulfed in flames," says Guidon. "This included animating one Moon Wing being executed by the Weeping Monk; all the pleading and dying actions had to be retrofit to the timing of the existing greenscreen performance of a sword slash by the monk." Freefolk also created the menacing black spider creature that enchants Morgana as she retrieves the sword, which Nimue has tossed into a vast chasm out of frustration. Furthermore, the team created a realistic fawn, shown in close-up. Because the team was unsure how much movement would be required, they proceeded to build a muscle system for the animal in Houdini should it be needed. Rounding out the studio's work were atmospherics, including a magical storm summoned by Merlin, a scene requiring a CG set extension of Pendragon Castle to add the clifftop location and a wild, crashing sea at its base. Goodbye Kansas: Castles One of the more visually stunning all-CG environments was that of Pendragon Castle, handled by the team at Goodbye Kansas Freefolk extended the cave setting for the Fey refugee camp. Milk built the subterranean environments of the Leper King and his treasures. Goodbye Kansas built Sir Ector's sprawling castle. The studio also built Uther Pendragon's stylized castle.