Computer Graphics World

24 cgw 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 5 p FX, the post-production studio that's delivered VFX for Napo- leon, Stranger Things, and more, faced a whole new challenge on The Naked Gun. While most projects place great empha- sis on photorealistic effects, the police procedural parody re- quired CG to showcase both technical precision and exaggerated comedy. This was because the film, which stars Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson, was the sequel to the original The Naked Gun series from 1988. "I remember watching it on VHS as a kid, and I knew that it would be a tough act to follow," says Anya Vinnik, VFX executive pro- ducer at PFX. "The original's blend of slapstick humor, visual gags and deadpan delivery became legendary. We needed to achieve the same tonal consistency, while using advances in technology to achieve gags that wouldn't have been possible when the original was made." Luckily, the PFX team began work early in the process. Having seen PFX's work on season two of Winning Time, Paramount brought PFX on board during the script stage to offer guidance on VFX shots. Quickly building a great relationship, PFX's work expanded to encompass 96 shots. By the time the film was complete, PFX had worked closely with the director, Akiva Schaffer, to deliver everything from CG creatures to digital doubles and more, all around the ad hoc changes and constant edits that are part and parcel of comedy film- making. Laughs, Camera, Action! For the PFX team, the first step to working on The Naked Gun was to establish a total shi in mindset and approach. "The Naked Gun centers on Neeson's Lieutenant Frank Drebin Jr., who must follow in his father's footsteps and prevent the closure of Police Squad," adds Javier Menendez, VFX supervisor at PFX. "Throughout the story, Neeson's character gets himself into these unbelievable situations and consistently breaks the fourth wall. Our goal was to support this humor and storytelling. To do that, we all needed to focus less on realism and solely on what made each sequence fun and engaging for the audience." He explains that not every VFX shot needed to be pixel-perfect; in fact, a slightly exaggerated or imperfect element oen enhanced the humor. For example, an action sequence sees Lieutenant Drebin summon an owl, on which he flies into action. For two shots, PFX was tasked with creating the digital owl, using Yeti to groom its feathers, and Houdini for efficient look development. For the other shots, the team composited in the original owl puppet used during production. "Even if it looked fake, we felt that for some shots, it was funnier than the CGI owl, as the CGI owl looked more realistic," says Menendez. "By playing up the more fake-looking owl's contrast with its sur- roundings, the artists created a laugh-out-loud spectacle." Timing is Everything To enhance the slapstick humour of the film even further, the PFX team also built a flexible workflow that allowed Schaffer to land the pacing of each joke. This was crucial considering the film's plentiful background in-jokes and sight gags in every scene, telling five jokes where one would normally be. By creating a flexible VFX workflow, Schaffer could flexibly tweak timing and delivery in post-production, ensuring every visual gag landed perfectly. To do this, the PFX team used its in-house Crossbow app, which enabled artists to compare, update and readjust shots at a moment's notice. For the film's climactic action scene, however, the team needed to take timing even more seriously. "This scene sees Neeson using guns SHOWCASE THE NAKED GUN PFX DELIVERS EXAGGERATED SLAPSTICK COMEDY & TECHNICALLY PRECISE VFX

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