Thor


FEATURE FILM
ROLE: Senior Flame Artist / VFX Compositor
VENDOR: Digital Domain
CLIENT: Marvel Entertainment
VFX SUPERVISOR: Kelly Port
DIRECTOR: Kenneth Branaugh

My contribution to Marvel Entertainment’s “Thor” consisted of a brief yet significant flashback sequence, depicting mischievous brother Loki’s origins as a Frost Giant baby discovered by King Odin.

Originally, the shots were intended to be quick color corrections to depict the Frost Giant baby, the skin color of which is blue. But following a late redesign of the sequence, Marvel requested that the baby also feature the signature Frost Giant scarification on its body and head.

With no time in the schedule for a full CG solution, the sequence was turned over to Flame for a 2D fix. Myself, along with Sam Edwards, worked on these shots, primarily relying on 2D projections and geometry object tracks to matchmove the scarification to the baby’s smooth jiggling flesh. Also, long hours of hand-tracking and bicubic warping factored heavily into the solution.

Technical challenges included object tracking on multiple axes without markers, as well as close-up handheld photography, offering no distinct environmental or body features to aid in the tracking.