Abstract
LAIKA's stop motion films are collaborative projects, each one a new experiment in hybrid filmmaking. Largely practically built, artisan-made, storybook worlds, they provide VFX look development and production artists the challenge of creating CG generated assets, including digital doubles, that must convincingly,
invisibly, integrate into those spaces. We have developed an innovative arsenal of tools to help us achieve photo realistic assets – tools that drive look development, validate the congruity of the asset, and yield shot-ready assets in fewer steps and minimized iterations. These methods of on-set, image-based data acquisition are tailor made to meet the particular requirements of LAIKA's bespoke, handmade vision.
Biography
Todd is a Senior Computer Graphics Look Development Artist at LAIKA, specializing in the development of computer-generated assets that invisibly augment stop-motion animation. His work is rooted in the study of the unique materials that create LAIKA’s handmade world and how their physical and optical properties shape their appearances.
His career in visual effects film production includes work on Academy Award-winning films such as The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Spider-Man 2, and King Kong. He holds a doctoral degree from Cornell Univeristy, where he investigated the spatially and directionally varying reflectance of feathers. He subsequentially conducted postdoctoral research at Yale University studying visual signaling in avian courtship and developing methods in 3D imaging spectroscopy.
His approach to digital asset look development draws on his experience in visual design, optics, computational imaging, and computer graphics.
Todd’s latest project is LAIKA’s forthcoming feature film, Wildwood.