Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/565118
10 2 0 1 5 E D U C AT I O N & R E C R U I T M E N T S P E C I A L The Next Level "Owned" contains two very different styles: one for the game world and another for the "real world" of the char- acters. The students were then challenged to tie those disparate styles together thematically, making them look as if they belonged in the same film. The real world with the characters is slightly exaggerated, while the video game world is tightly packed with detail and is highly realistic. They also wanted a stark difference between the two homes of the characters so that immediately the audience would know what to expect from the two main characters. "I love the visual contrasts in the film. Jeff's apartment is dark, with colors on the cooler, more neutral end, while Abby's house is bathed in sunlight, with brighter, more satu- rated colors," explains Tippetts. There is even a contrast in these characters: Jeff is big and tall, while Abby is very tiny. Tippetts is especially proud of the video game portion of the film, which required the animators to learn new tools, such as The Foundry's Mari, and incorporate motion-cap- ture data (which was new to them), to make the fighters in the "game" move more realistically. "The video game in the film looks like an actual AAA game," he points out. "Plus, I drew and designed a lot of the assets in the video game part. The video game is my baby." Rather than settle on three environments for the film – the game, Jeff's apartment, and baby Abby's home – the team wanted to show off their varied skills, adding another game level. The animation style of "Owned" is exaggerated, even goofy, to mimic the silly premise of the film. And with the body shapes of the characters, this was not an easy task. "When we locked in Jeff's design and saw that he was a heavy guy, we started referencing larger animated characters from feature films, like Po from Kung Fu Panda, Gusteau from Ratatouille, and Baby Brent from Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs," says Tippetts. From that point, Lead Animator Allen Ostergar directed the animation style. "He started really pushing the character acting, and I think it lit a fire under the animation team, and the shots started getting better and better," says Tippetts. Because the film contains a large amount of dialog, the animators also had to contend with lip sync. In addition, the crew used global illumination, requiring the students to learn how it works since they had no previous experi- ence with the technique. And, global-illuminating the soft, plush rug at Abby's house was especially difficult, resulting in long render times and other difficulties. "The finished product is some of the best lighting our students have done and has opened up doors to some really nice employment," says Adams. Owning It As with many student projects, "Owned" is based on a personal experience Tippetts had years ago: His mother is a piano teacher, and it was his job to entertain the waiting children until it was time for their lesson. On one occasion, he was playing Super Smash Brothers and was shocked to discover that his opponent, who was eight or nine years old, was really good at the game. "He was kicking my butt! Here I was getting destroyed by a little kid. It was quite sober- ing," he says. After recalling that experience, he ran with it, pushing it to the extreme for entertainment value. One of the high points during production, says Tippetts, was seeing the renders, with the art, models, animation, textures, and lighting all coming together in one image. "It was a huge moral boost," he says. "As more and more ren- ders started coming in, we just got more and more excited to finish it." Looking back, Tippetts says the project helped him understand the overall production pipeline, how to make deadlines, and the need to work hard to get something fin- ished. "The film gave me confidence in myself as an artist. It is deeply personal, and to know that the creative decisions I made weren't complete and total disasters is a wonderful feeling," he says with a smile. "Artists tend to be insecure, and knowing that I helped guide a successful short film is something that will stay with me for a long time." Tippetts' winning ways did not stop with those two presti- gious awards. He was also part of the art team working on the sci-fi animated short "Chasm," whose musical score earned BYU Composer Richard Williams a Student Emmy in 2014, as well. Currently, Tippetts is a storyboard artist for Illumination Entertainment and is hoping to eventually transition to concept/visual development. Joining Tippetts and Clark at the Emmy ceremony were 15 others who worked on "Owned," and many of those are now employed at studios such as Pixar, Sony, Nickelodeon, Luma Pictures, Disney Interactive, and others. When Tippetts was asked for any parting words, illustrat- ing the humor that helped shape the story of "Owned," he responded with, "I really want to ride a whale with Jennifer Lawrence." Perhaps that theme may appear one day in an- other award-winning film from this amazing director/artist/ storyteller who is a student no longer. ■