Paddington in Peru - Pre-Production

Framestore Pre-Production Services (FPS) were heavily involved in the film, beginning with pre-visualisation and tech-visualisation, mapping out the sequences with early animation to determine camera angles. “In order to capture scenes where it’s just Paddington, we’re shooting an empty plate,” clarifies Wajsbrot, “it’s just the environment, so you have to ensure that the camera is the right height, and there is enough room for Paddington. When he interacts and moves around, we need to ensure there’s space for him to move around and that his co-stars have the correct eye line. We also need to ensure that any props he interacts with are the right size when shot practically, and then recreated digitally so that he can hold or touch them.”

The FPS teams created a library of poses and animations for Paddington within proprietary tool FarSight Go, allowing the teams to virtually place Paddington into a shot. Using the tool on an iPad, the filmmakers could then explore different possibilities for the bear’s movements, informing how to shoot the background and any required puppets or stand-ins. “Pablo (Grillo) was really involved in the creative direction of the previs, which meant it was much more performance driven, testing out the physical comedy in the scenes,” explains Visualisation Supervisor Vincent Aupetit. “As pre-production, we join a show in its earliest stages, and therefore do not always have a finalised script. The previs helps explore and plan out sequences to determine if they’re a good fit for the film, both in terms of narrative but also logistically for the production team.” 

“The previs process itself hasn’t changed much from the first film, but it’s just as vital as it was back then,” continues Aupetit. “When translating a script into a CG world, it’s more than a storyboard can give you. The biggest change is our technology - being able to bring previs and VFX on set with Farsight Go at the heart of the creative process, is an enormous leap forward.”

Visual Effects Supervisor Alexis Wajsbrot is no stranger to the FPS process. “The previs is our bible for the production, it informs the shoot - what cameras we use, the set design, stunts, costuming, everything,” he adds. “We had a really efficient shoot at Elstree studios because everything had been built and staged for Paddington based on the previs and techvis. And it was hugely helpful for me having them as essentially an in-house team, able to communicate with VFX and Production, keeping things seamless as we moved from previs to shoot to postvis, with everything on the Framestore pipeline.”

The environments for the film were an artful mix of intricate sets, real 4k backgrounds shot in Peru and Colombia, and CG set extensions. Extensions were a key part of the pre-production process, allowing the crew to see what would later exist beyond the physical sets. This resulted in framing adjustments for some shots, and also provided a way to immediately address any VFX notes. 

The film contains a complex shot in which Paddington runs towards his Aunt Lucy. The team utilised FarSight Go to make sure that the speed of the camera was within the realm of possibility. Measuring in at 3.5 feet tall, a lot of care was taken to establish Paddington’s stride and pace to keep it realistic for his body, but keep up with his co-stars. The required animation was picked and FarsightGo was handed over to the Animation Supervisor, who was then able to mimic a camera move by physically running the needed distance, while seeing Paddington run the same direction and distance, just in front of him.

It was at this point where the realisation was made that Paddington was running quite fast, and that it could become a challenge to capture a proper plate. By utilising FarSight Go, the teams were able to confirm the correct pace for Paddington’s run, and adjust the animation and camera moves accordingly. The information about the change in speed was then also passed to the wider VFX team, so there were no surprises.

FPS also provided extensive post-visualisation on the film. “Postvis allowed for quick exploration of animation and storytelling ideas, before plates were picked up by the film team” explains Post-Visualisation Supervisor Michelle Blok. “Much of our work involved integrating previs into the shot plates, refining animation and timing. Essentially, it allows the filmmakers to establish the flow of the final animation, the movements and timing, before VFX begins the intricate task of building, animating and rendering Paddington.” As a process it can be challenging, occasionally the post-vis highlights a need for CG replacement. “There were some sequences where we began with plate footage, but it became clear that going fully CG was the best way to achieve the necessary movement or action,” says Blok.

For an early sequence in the film, the audience sees a young Paddington in a fast-moving river, clinging to a log to help keep him afloat. The FPS team worked closely with VFX Supervisor Alexis Wajsbrot and Animation Director Pablo Grillo to design the shots in previs, and then combining previs elements with plates in postvis to establish a proof of concept for the scene. “Having the ability to quickly test ideas and do fast iterations in post-vis really helped hone in on what was needed, and identify where creative adjustments were required,” comments Blok. The scene evolved through the iterations, allowing the teams to create an appropriate level of threat for the young bear, and pace the scene correctly.