Gerald Saves Christmas
The Challenge
Gluttons for punishment, we continue a tradition of over-the-top holiday productions at MABU. Amid year-end reporting, annual planning, and last-minute client requests to squeeze every last dollar out of the budget, we throw in a project of our own. The goal? To spread joy and Christmas cheer while honing our crafts.
Reflecting on the past year, we wanted to flex and sharpen the creative avenues that saw significant growth and success – storytelling, video, and animation. We set out to create something magical by bringing them together into one production.
Our Solution
Santa hats on and peppermint mochas in hand, the team gathered to ideate and solidify a creative concept. We discovered some of our favorite festive stories centered around Christmas mishaps turned miracles. With that inspiration in mind, we landed on a relatable story to remind everyone of the joy that follows the stress of holiday prep.
Story development
Sometimes the most powerful stories are shared without any words at all. They also tend to be the most challenging to craft. (Like we mentioned earlier – gluttons for punishment.)
Without a typical script driving the narrative, we focused our attention on character development and scene selection to map out the story. A storyboard and rough animatic were pivotal in streamlining logistics and ensuring every scene was thoughtfully planned before the cameras rolled.
Production
Production began with the 3-D modeling of our star character and Christmas miracle-maker, Gerald the Gnome. (We can’t recall how we landed on Gerald but now find it odd we overlooked the more obvious name, Gerome the Gnome.) Replicated to mirror a stuffed decoration, every detail was crafted with precision. With every knit fiber and textured hair of his beard, Gerald was brought to life.
Building the model is only half the battle. We rigged up a complex skeletal structure allowing him to move; even his beard and hat were rigged to seamlessly flow with his motion.
Combining video with special effects brings an added layer of complexity to a shoot. To simulate movement of the objects Gerald interacts with, the crew got crafty with fishing line, dowels, and a certain level of contortionism to stay out of the cameras’ frame. Masking and digital painting were later used in editing to complete the illusions. To ensure Gerald would match his surroundings when placed in each scene, multiple 360° exposures were taken throughout the shoot to capture lighting data.
Post Production
Motion capture gear and our resident “stunt double” helped to develop Gerald’s movement. Unfortunately, Gerald’s gnome-like proportions made it difficult to use the collected data as intended. Every step, gesture, and tilt had to be carefully adjusted to ensure Gerald’s movements felt natural for a round bodied gnome.
To create a sense of realism, Gerald needed to feel grounded in his shots. We carefully matched each of our virtual cameras with the angle and location of our real-world camera. Even the camera settings were replicated, right down to the focal length and aperture.
Lighting
Once the animation was complete, we added lighting to ensure Gerald matched the surroundings captured on video. This included the use of our on-set 360s that we captured previously, with additional lighting to help us cheat the shot. Each of Gerald’s scenes were rendered on our render farm (multiple times) to ensure a perfect match.
Rendering/Compositing
Each of our rendered frames is made up of multiple passes, including color, lighting data, and shadows. Each layer was carefully composited together on top of the original footage. After masking dowls and painting out the fishing line, final color correction completed the shot.
Of course, no Christmas story is complete without a familiar tune. An original “Jingle Bells” arrangement was composed by talented vocalists and MABU team members, Steph and Anne, along with a local musician. The custom score layered guitar rhythms, sleigh bells, and harmonies for a new take on an old classic.
Check out the full video!