We were on the shoot with Stéphane to make the usual location scouting, but we also brought a powerful Unreal machine to the set to validate the movement and framing of the first full CG shot in real-time with the agency, the client, the director and the DOP. By tackling this subject together on the shoot, we saved a lot of time when finalizing the asset in the studio.
Guillaume Dadaglio, CG Supervisor
The Jean Paul Gauthier boat required a lot of work to find references because it is very well-chartered. The director François Rousselet provided us with numerous references. He was invested in the project with clear creative intentions and a good quality of listening. We also created the sky in DMP, Nathan Lucas and Olivier PuerchBerty did a great job reproducing the colorimetric atmosphere requested by the client. Per usual, a great team at The Mill who worked seamlessly throughout the production. Listening, sharing, and of course, some very cool effects to do artistically and technically. Well done to all of you!
I loved this project in every way. We worked with a small team of long-time colleagues, we had a blast. Added to this perfect team, I really enjoy doing FX water, it's my favorite element. Each time it's a challenge, you don't know where you're going, you work on it touch by touch to bring realism in the movement and textures. It's quite a complex effect to achieve because it requires you to create large simulations on Houdini. We started by creating procedural water to give size, scale and direction to the waves. Then we added the CG boat and applied the procedural set up to "guide" the ocean and make the water move in rhythm and collide with the boat. At each additional stage, we increased the realism with eddies, splashes, foam… In 17 years at The Mill Paris, this project is one of my favorites.
Benjamin Lenfant, FX Artist
First opus of the new Jean Paul Gaultier campaign. Is it a pleasure to craft a film when the design, set, lighting and direction all come together to create this little gem of an edit. More than that, a great team on the FX/CG side integrated an introduction shot where the only element shot is a panel of sailors filmed on a blue background. More to come soon … without giving too much away, there will be some big VFX!
Stéphane Pivron, VFX Supervisor