Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/815991
36 cgw m a r c h . a p r i l 2 0 1 7 C M Y CM MY CY CMY K waited until we were locked completely, then the film would never have released. As we get things in, we can see how things are working. With the Beast, I cut when Dan Stevens was in the [motion-capture suit]. The main concern for me and I think for all was how the Beast was going to be visualized. If the Beast didn't work, then the film wouldn't work. It's a lot of work to start with Dan and then see the various steps, the kind of rough visual effects as they're being built. And then you get to one of the first shots where you see the Beast – I mean, the first time we saw it really formed – it was spectacular. A Beast that's scary and angry, and lovable and sweet. Those kinds of challenges were unusual for me. You're cutting these scenes over and over, and at some point, you finally see them with the final CG character. That has to be somewhat mind-blowing. It is. It's done step by step. Let's say you have Lumière when he releases Belle from the cell. I have the real Belle (Emma), so she's in there, but I put in the previs piece of Lumière because I don't have anything else. Then, as we start getting in the visual effect, all of a sudden he has a face and then a body that's maybe not quite right but becoming more three-dimensional. We had the prerecorded voice, so I have the previs with him talking. Then his mouth starts to move, and you start to see his face. Although the step by step by step can be tedious, eventually you get this amazing 3D character that's alive, from a flat, little previs to this three-dimensional candlestick who can move and dance and sing – and has eyes. What do you feel is your biggest accom- plishment on this film? We got what we were hoping to get, all of us, in terms of the Beast and the excitement of telling this story in a different way than the animated version. Belle is independent, she's strong, she's like a role model today. And the characters are able to sing and dance and become real. We came a long way. ¡ Linda Romanello (lromanello@postmagazine. com) is the managing editor of Post, CGW's sister publication. Building a Believable Beast and CG Cast To create a realistic-looking Beast in a real-world environment, while maintaining actor Dan Stevens' performance, a combination of physical performance capture and Mova facial capture technology was used. Stevens also participated in separate Mova facial capture sessions, which took place in an off-site studio. At these sessions, phosphorescent makeup was applied to Stevens' face, which appeared blue under ultraviolet light, and he was then filmed by multiple cameras that surrounded him and tracked every pore in his face. The Mova customized hardware and soware then converted the performance into data. As for the household objects that magically come to life, each one has human-grounded characteristics and a specific personality. The objects are in close proximity with the human actors and are oen shown interacting, but it was a laborious and significantly time-consuming process. The final footage audiences see on screen is real and filmed in-camera and then augmented by the visual effects team during postproduction. In order to create flawless assimilation with the CG characters on practical sets, a solid hero model of each object – everything from a beautiful hand-painted teapot to a Rococo gilded candlestick – was created. Duplicate copies were also made, as were rubber versions for use in scenes involving stunt work. Once Director Bill Condon and the visual effects team were pleased with the appearances and proportions, the objects were then placed on set and filmed as part of principal photography. The candlestick, Lumière (Ewan McGregor), is one of the few household objects that could open up and become a moving character with what are essentially arms, legs, and hands, and the filmmakers wanted to bring as much of McGregor's personality to the character as possible. McGregor was filmed dancing and moving the way he envisioned Lumière would move, via perfor- mance capture technology. "Lumière was difficult to concept because we wanted him to be able to move, but at the end of the day he's still a gilded candlestick," says Visual Effects Producer Steve Gaub. "Once we had a 3D computer model of him that everyone was happy with, he was constructed from rapid prototyping, so you can physically see and feel it." The same process was used for the teapot, Mrs. Potts (Emma Thomp- son): She was designed via computer, prototyped, and then molded. To bring Garderobe (Audra McDonald) to life, a real version of the beautiful – and enormous – wardrobe was created and rigged to make her move. Additional special effects elements, like those in the scene where Garderobe creates Belle's gown and dresses her, were then added in postproduction. EACH CG OBJECT HAS HUMAN CHARACTERISTICS.