Framestore · Stag rig for the title sequence
Skyfall opening titles
For the Skyfall opening title sequence, where Framestore did the visual effects with Daniel Kleinman, I rigged a stag for posing in about a day as a technical director. Because shots could change at short notice, I kept the rig flexible and added a switch between low, medium, high and proxy versions plus preset poses for the layout and effects teams.
- Studio
- Framestore
- Role
- Stag rig for the title sequence
- Year
- 2011
The challenge
Framestore produced the visual effects for the Skyfall opening titles, working with Daniel Kleinman on his sixth Bond title sequence. The brief for me was a rigged stag for one of the opening scenes, one that might or might not end up animated.
The sequence was still under heavy scrutiny. We were told the director could take or leave shots and change them at very short notice, so the rig had to be flexible above everything else.
What I did
This was one of my first rigging jobs at Framestore. I rigged the stag for posing in around a day, then spent about another day polishing it. I added small features to help layout and the effects team further down the pipeline:
- A switch between low, medium, high and proxy versions, to control polygon density.
- Preset poses saved with the rig.
The outcome
I delivered a stag rig that was ready for whichever shots the director kept. Framestore's team was led by VFX Supervisor William Bartlett, with Diarmid Harrison-Murray (Head of 3D Commercials) and Russell Dodgson (Head of Nuke Commercials), and the sequences were developed in parallel with regular input from the director. Skyfall producer Barbara Broccoli said the team "always produce great visuals" and that they were "really pleased with the final results".
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