Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1540269
my, form, and surfacing, so that we were able to show photographic stills and turntables to Dean, the other filmmakers, and the studio, to lock in the overall designs and sizes of all of the dragons. We did this well ahead of the shoot, as we needed to build representative pup- pets and SFX [special effects] gimbals for the flying scenes. The final asset builds were launched from all of this work in prep, fleshing out all of the detail and anatomy. Every block animation sub- mission Glen and I looked at was always accompanied by an appro- priate animal reference which helped hone the final performances, while natural world cues also influenced everything from scale layout to nictitating membranes. How did you utilize puppetry and ride-on 'bucks' on set to cre- ate more believable interactions between the film's actors and their dragons? Christian Mänz: With this type of creature VFX work it doesn't matter how good the animation or final render and comp is—if the interaction isn't created authentically on set, the final shots just won't work. I have collaborated with Tom Wilton and his puppetry team since Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in 2015. Stitches and Glue did great work for us on the third of those movies, fabricating the puppets, so this felt like a great opportunity for all of us to build on what we had learned together, and do something even better. "With this type of creature VFX work it doesn't matter how good the animation or final render and comp is— if the interaction isn't created authentically on set, the final shots just won't work... " We had a puppet for the whole of Toothless, minus his wings, based on the digital sculpt Framestore had created. This could be separated into sections depending on what the shot required. Oen it would be just Tom and the head, which had a movable mouth and ear plates as well as posable eyes. All of the other dragons were rep- resented by heads which were either handheld or mounted on back- pack rigs, to mimic the long necks of the Zipplebacks, for example. The interactivity they created with the actors was so important. As a performer, Tom was able to imbue the Toothless puppet with character that Mason Thames, as Hiccup, could react to, and build a performance between them, as you would do normally between two actors in a scene. It is very much like watching a live theatrical performance on set, and everyone soon realized that what they were creating was pretty special. j u ly • a u g u s t • s e p t e m b e r 2 0 2 5 c g w 1 1