How Magic Dust VFX delivered over 80 CGI hippo shots on a tight budget and schedule
When Signature Entertainment approached London-based Magic Dust VFX to discuss a feature starring a fully CGI hippo and featuring extensive FX water simulations, all to be delivered on a tight budget, the initial brief presented a significant challenge.
Creature-led features typically go to the largest VFX vendors, as they require robust CGI pipelines, expensive computing power and storage – not the usual territory for boutique VFX companies. However, the Magic Dust team, led by VFX Supervisor Ahmed Yousry (Interstellar, Bond, Mission: Impossible, Pacific Rim, The Fast and the Furious, Thor, Ant-Man, Man of Steel, The King and Hugo), was undeterred by the challenge.
During pre-production, Magic Dust designed the hippo, which was shared with the creature SFX team to create a 3D-printed model.
On set, the team captured lighting information and scanned various locations using drones and DSLR cameras to build digital sets. This allowed Magic Dust to seamlessly integrate the CGI hippo into the filmed environment.
In post-production, Magic Dust’s small, experienced team of artists and engineers developed an automation tool and templates to enable multi-shot workflows and optimise GPU rendering.
These approaches allowed the team to deliver a large number of shots with the smallest possible footprint. Ultimately, Magic Dust delivered over 80 CGI hippo shots within the production’s tight budget and schedule.
Director: James Nunn
VFX Supervisor: Ahmed Yousry
VFX Producer: Suzie Boavida
Watch Magic Dust’s VFX breakdown here:
