LEAD LIGHTER -- RHYTHM & HUES STUDIOS

In this first installment of the Harry Potter franchise, our team focused on the Sorting Ceremony where an old leather hat proceeds to place each first year student into the appropriate house in Hogwart’s.  We had a specific target to match since there was a practical counterpart of the leather hat which was used in some of the surrounding shots in the sequence.  Once we had the features of the face for the sorting hat nailed, we tackled the challenge of letting it move and speak in a way that would not cause the textures to squash and stretch in a way that would make the leather look like rubber.  In the end it required a balance of rigidity and flexibility in specific areas in order to pull off the performance and not hinder the desired surface qualities.  We also had several shots interspersed throughout the film involving owls, which are Hogwart’s mailmen.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS

1. •Reported directly to the R&H VFX Supervisor Richard Hollander
   

2. •CG Sorting Hat look development and scene lighting
   

3. •Lighting lead for the entire Sorting Hat sequence
   

4. •Scene lighter for the opening shot of film on Privet Drive of CG owl flying into the mist
   

5. •Scene lighter for the change of seasons shot of CG owl flying toward Hogwart’s