Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/77744
n n n n VFX•CG Films To previs the hotel fight, the stunt coordi- nator had a room built to match the set where MacFarlane would shoot the scene later, and then choreographed the fight with Mark Wahlberg's stunt double. "That previs became the template for shooting the principal pho- tography," Clark says. "We didn't deviate at all. It was a strong testament for accurate, well- thought-out previs, whether it's done in CG by a visual effects company or, as in this case, by the stunt guys." For the action sequences, the actors had a "stunt stuffy" to work with. "I asked Mark [Rappaport] to create a stuffy with removable arms, legs, and head for the hotel fight to give Mark [Wahlberg] something to hang onto," Clark says. The stunt stuffy also helped the postproduction crew: Because Wahlberg had a consistent volume to work with, the artists knew their CG Ted wouldn't have to change size to fit in with the action. For another sequence, one in which John Director MacFarlane performed Ted on set while wearing a custom mocap suit. Animators refined the motion, keyframed Ted's facial expressions, ears, and hands, and did all the work when Ted performed physical gags. and Ted are sitting on the couch arguing, Wahlberg wanted to have physical interaction with the bear, so Clark put furry balls on the end of rods to jab the actor's skin and tousle his hair. "That way, when we added Ted lat- er, we' d have a physical reaction in the shot," Clark says. "We'd paint out the rod and might leave the furry tip in the shot. But, shooting it was nerve-wracking. At the end of the fight, Ted pulls an antenna off a radio, pulls Mark's pants down, and whips his butt. Mark was lying there with his butt exposed. I'm standing over him with the stuffy and a radio antenna. Seth says, 'Hit him, Blair, hit him.' And, Mark says, 'Hit me dude. I've got to react.' So, I let him have it, and we got some nice welt reference." Later, the crew painted Clark out of the picture. "We also had to paint out the welts," Clark says, and laughs, "I'm probably the only person in the world who can say I beat Mark Wahlberg's ass." It's a line MacFarlane might have written. "We laughed every day," says Fulle. "Because we were working on an R-rated comedy, we could be so off-color. Now, we'll have to reel it back a bit." Making Ted Blair Clark – VFX Supervisor Tippett Studio (Berkeley, CA) Scott Liedtka – VFX Supervisor Jim Brown – Animation Supervisor Tippett Switch to current-day Ted and John smoking weed on the couch sequence Driving to work stoned "Thunder Buddies" song in bed Hooker party John and Ted at the aquarium Grocery store/Ted flirts with Tami-Lynn (Dirty Fozzie) John and Ted watch Ted Danson interview and go through list of girls' names Ted confronted by Donny (Giovanni Ribisi) in parking lot Hotel fight Car chase Ted returns to life Iloura (Melbourne, Australia) Glenn Melenhorst, Avi Goodman – VFX Supervisors Nick Tripodi – Animation Supervisor SHARE BEARS Iloura Opening Sequence (Universal logo-to-neighborhood shot) Young Ted (including TV appearances on the Carson show) Ted and John watching Flash Gordon/funny names with Lori Ted gets a job John and Ted smoke weed in Boston Common Ted in bathtub Double date John and Ted argue outside Hatch Shell (Nora Jones concert) Ted talks Lori into meeting with John to repair relationship Ted kidnapped by Donny Fenway Park Wedding Party at Ted's apartment with Sam Jones (1980s Flash Gordon) – Tippett and Iloura 58 June/July 2012 attitude helped make postproduction fun for the hard-working crew. "Seth gave clear direc- tions and didn't micromanage," Clark says. "Because of his background in animation, he knew when he needed to be specific and when he needed to give animators license. And, he was extremely aware and thankful for the work that went into it. He' something in dailies, even things we take for granted. It's clear that this director understands that a little bit of gratitude goes a long way. It's been a long road, but this was, hands down, the most enjoyable show I've been on." n The humor and MacFarlane's enthusiastic Barbara Robertson is an award-winning writer and a contributing editor for Computer Graphics World. She can be reached at BarbaraRR@comcast.net. d always marvel at