Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1489831
o c t o b e r • n o v e m b e r • d e c e m b e r 2 0 2 2 c g w 7 W orld-class animators bring captivating stories to life in Netflix's acclaimed anthology series Love, Death + Robots. Spanning a wide range of genres, including science fiction, fantasy, comedy, and horror, the series explores intriguing alternate realities across a mul- titude of visual styles. Oscar-nominated director David Fincher, who is among the show's executive producers, helmed the second epi- sode of Season 3. Titled "Bad Travelling," the episode marks Fincher's computer-animated directorial debut. Based on the short story of the same name by Neal Asher, the ep- isode follows a dishonest crew of shark-hunting sailors as they tra- verse an uncharted ocean. When ships are lost at sea during these voyages, it is said they have met the fate of a "bad travelling." As the crew navigates stormy waters, they encounter a ravenous monster of the deep known as a "Thanapod." The massive crustacean-like creature brutally attacks the crew, turning the surviving sailors against each other before striking a deal with the ship's navigator, Torrin (voiced by Troy Baker). Fincher collaborated with Blur Studio, an award-winning anima- tion and VFX firm founded by Tim Miller (creator of Love, Death + Robots), to cra the eerie nautical tale. The studio successful- ly delivered 386 shots for the episode in only six months. Two key crew members from the Blur Studio team — compositing supervi- sor Nitant Ashok Karnik and CG supervisor Jean Baptiste Cambier — shared insight into the rendering workflow behind this dynamic project. ALL HANDS ON DECK Bringing Fincher's distinctive cinematic aesthetic to an animated production required close collaboration between the members of the Blur Studio team. Establishing a clear line of communication with Fincher was essential for bringing his creative vision to life on screen. "I think one of the first steps was just to get to know him as a per- son," recalls CG supervisor Jean Baptiste Cambier. "We experiment- ed with color and lighting to get to know each other and see how he would respond." The team studied a range of reference images to solidify the proj- ect's visual aesthetic, including work from various painters, like Rem- brandt, and cinematography from films that included The Black Stal- lion [1979], No Country for Old Men [2007], and The Witch [2015]. Next, the team developed concept art to flesh out the episode's distinctive character design. "These characters are so heavily sculpted and stylized, so we wanted to use that to our advantage," notes compositing supervisor Nitant Ashok Karnik. The project's art director, Alexey Andreev, com- pleted numerous "paintovers" to develop the look of the episode. "Those concept frames really helped drive the conversation," states Karnik. "Fincher would respond well or negatively, and that's how we would get a direction to start in." Fincher's extensive experience with visual effects also enhanced the episode's development process. "He's done VFX forever, so he's very used to that," says Cambier. "I was amazed by how easy he was to communicate with. He was very familiar with the process."