The Art of How to Train Your Dragon

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(~} Red Death Fire - Craig Ring- dgital paint. (below} The Red Death Fire - CG Sb11. (bortom) Rolling Brazier - CG still. (rigllt) Monstrous Nightmare - CG still.





I The lighting department must a vast knowledge of soft, cinematic effect to it,\" says Deakins, whose what is happening within that scene. deliver the directors' vision lighting, plus a strong use of contrast, goal was to take light and wrap This cognitive effort on the part of for the final look of the film by \"which complements the tone of it across a form (without using a the viewer makes him more invested setting up proper light and shading the story and gives the film a visual traditional rim light in the back) in the overall cinematic experience combinations on each and every handsomeness,\" describes Production whi le still helping to deliver clear, by having to actively think and feel element, in each and every shot. For Designer Kathy Altieri . readable character expressions. his way through the story, subcon- How to Train Your Dragon, Directors sciously giving him a deep level of Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois To give a sense ofjust how Deakins' style of lighting in- involvement with the characters. \"It's wanted to cast a Nordic light on their dramatic the lighting can be, in volves not showing every single detail the film equivalent ofan impression- sets while playing to the drama of some scenes, the only light source is of what is in a shot and letting the ist painting,\" says Altieri. the story in a sophisticated style. little more than two small candles. audience create its own story about Enter live-action Cinematographer This is a brave choice in the CG Roger Deakins, whose work in world, where it's tough not to show particular on The Assassination of off every little detail that time was Jesse James by the Coward Rober/. taken to design, build, and texture. Ford and The Village inspired the \"There's a balance between using production. His consultation brought naturalism and giving some creative style to it, or adding some dramatic Wltk RH tkt '*etRII IK o\\ir uwlroK~tKtf., It WRf •~rortRKt to ~ttf tke frt{eKtRttOK of tke Ck.RrRcterf OK tkefe ~Rc~,ro\\iK'*f f(~fle RK'* deRr. 1\\o,er reRII\\j kelre'* \\if rortrR\\j kow stroH, e(tSI•~f\\ \"' CRK Iv.e. -(kr(f 5RHI{ef1, l>(nctor (aH) CG Stills.

I~ The editorial crew has the unique would be feeling, and why he would and Toothless battle the Red Death, to capture it cinematically. \"Then advantage of seeing the film at all be feeling such a way in each shot. the production took the approach that it came clown to editorial to let us stages of production because nearly Those character-based considerations they were shooting this sequence in find an organic cut, which gave the every department in the pipeline inform the decisions of whether to live-action by creating a long \"master directors opportunity to find the delivers its shots to the edit bay as it go with two-shots, profiles, or close- shot\" which editorial then cut like movie instead of trying to call it completes its work. ups in each moment. \"It was all a live-action team would. \"We got out shot-by-shot much earlier in the about discovering the idea of what the sense of what the storyboards process, as is the norm,\" continues Perspective is perhaps the it's like to go from a very tentative were looking for, then we built basic Holmes. After the directors approved most important through-line for the relationship to one that is truly joyful animation and layered temporary of the cut in editorial, the sequence editorial team to consider. When and fun,\" recalls Editor Darren effects, lighting, and clouds into went back into the production editorial cut together the sequence Holmes. one big Maya file,\" explains Head pipeline at the layout department where Hiccup and Toothless are get- of Layout Gil Zimmerman. Next the and then moved forward through the ting acquainted in the cove, the team The editorial team also had the \"previs\" put a variety of interesting subsequent departments like all other was very mindful of each character's unique opportunity to work in more camera moves into the shot to try shots in the film. point of view, what emotion each of a live-action style. When Hiccup (above and t!QIII) Sequence 2475, Ba!UejJlJhJI Cl9.uds - SllHV sketch -;.1\\tessandto CarlooL~loilal oaint.