*** Motion Control helps The
Golden Compass to the Best Visual Effects Academy Award
this year ***
It was good
news for The Golden Compass at the Academy Awards
when they beat off stiff competition from Pirates of the
Caribbean: At World’s End and Transformers to
take Hollywood’s highest accolade in best visual effects.
Framestore CFC, who were honoured in Hollywood last week,
provided key digital VFX from Motion Control
Cameras. One of the main effects was Iorek,
the huge Polar Bear and his evil arch-enemy Ragnar, and
their icy environment.
Ian Menzies, of Motion Control Cameras,
operated Mark Roberts Motion Controls flair software to
control both the mechanical bear and the Cyclops moco
system. The life-size bear mechanics allowed the cast to
ride and go through the motion of riding a walking or
running bear so that it would closely match the CG bear,
that was added in post production.
Ben Morris, one of the VFX Supervisors and recipient of
the award said, "When Chris Weitz and Mike Fink (Director
and VFX Supervisor) said that they had regarded Iorek as a
true co-star and expected an accordingly strong
performance we knew we'd got our work cut out for us. That
we achieved this - and to Oscar level - is the greatest
thrill imaginable. We're all completely knocked out."

