Pete Upson grabs a camera to follow a surfing penguin as it makes a mad dash for the waves. The only trouble is, it's not a real camera -- the device doesn't even have a lens -- and there are no penguins anywhere in sight. Upson, a layout artist at Sony Pictures Animation, is standing indoors beneath a 5-foot-by-5-foot grid of small LEDs attached to the ceiling. As Upson manipulates the imitation camera, a computer system senses his movement, translating it into virtual motion onscreen. 

The result is a first for computer-animated movies: jerky, handheld lens work for "Surf's Up," SPA's second homegrown toon (the first, "Open Season," is a contender for an animated feature Oscar nom this year).

"We want the artistic style and look of the film to be unique to the story that's being told," says Sony Pictures Digital prexy Yair Landau.

When "Surf's Up" producer Chris Jenkins suggested a "Spinal Tap"-style mockumentary approach, in which a flock of penguins are uncomfortably aware that they are being watched, the studio responded. "We hadn't seen that before," notes senior VP of development Nate Hopper. "That hit the criteria."

The rest of this Variety article can be read here . 

Comments (0)

Write comment

Name Email Title Comment Write the displayed characters Add Comment