Fleshing out Nivellen
Award-winning BGFX and Industrial Lights & Magic showcasing the amazing work they have done for Netflix’s The Witcher Season 2. Adapting both practical SFX and complimenting it with delightful VFX, working in perfect harmony, resulting in a superb execution.
Both companies specialize in bringing cutting-edge Effects providing photo-realistic characters for Film and Television. BGFX creates the makeup and prosthetics while ILM tackles the CG side of the creatures/characters.
They both work on a symbiotic collaboration, bringing the best of both worlds together. While Prosthetic makeup goes back to the beginning of filmmaking with A Trip To The Moon (French: Le Voyage dans la Lune), a 1902 French adventure short film directed by Georges Méliès, CGI brings the icing on the cake, handling the tasks where make-up might struggle.
Taking this creature as an example, Barrie Gower and his amazing team (@chloemp_mua, @leannekinniepracticalfx, @84clb, @paulajaneeden, @natwickensmakeup, and @stacyplaza)made a mold of Kristofer Hivju’s body to make the suit. Made it fit like a glove. letting the actor feel free to make his great performance. No doubt the SFX artists could accomplish the task of making the entire creature themselves, however, when it would come to animation, especially speech and face articulation, there is still no such technology of an animatronic puppet that would able to mimic such fine movements such as facial animation.
That is where Marko Chulev and the ILM team come in. With today’s advancements, they are able to capture the actor’s facial performance that later on can be retargeted to their digital asset. A highly complicated rig made out of joints and facial blend shapes would allow transferring the mocap data, that being said, usually, an animator has to go in and deliver the final product. Not to mention the simulations and all other departments this creature has to go to before it gets this final client’s approval.
Kristofer Hivju, most known for his appearance in GOT, brings us a brilliant performance as Nivellen. A mixture of boar, bear, and human, that possesses magical powers, cursed by the Lionheaded Spider cult. Even tho acts friendly and kind, the audience can’t help but feel an eerie mysterious feeling from him.
it is quite encouraging that all sides of the industry are thriving and we can only expect more amazing creatures to come in future projects.