2008
V | Tortoise Lifeguard
Move over David Hasselhoff, the new Baywatch action hero is a giant Galapagos tortoise. With the help of a can of V energy drink (and a little CGI), anything's possible.
Director Josh Frizzell opted for an actor over a puppet or prosthetic to provide in-camera performance and interaction reference for the tortoise. So an all-weather, life-size 'shell-suit' was built for the actor who endured the unfortunate discomfort of having their legs forced apart inside the suit so they would move with a tortoise-like, tottering gait.
"He had to run across sand and dive through waves in that thing - it was a great performance that was really invaluable for all in post. For us in visual effects, the shadows, sand and water interaction were key aspects of filming with the suit," explains Fuel VFX supervisor Simon Maddison.
The experienced Fuel CG character pipeline then built, animated and composited the CG tortoise into the shots, creating additional CG elements such as water running over the tortoise, as required.
Client: Frucor Beverages
Agency: Clemenger BBDO Sydney
ECD: Richard Maddox
Production Co: 8 Commercials
Director: Josh Frizzell
EP: Mike Vanderfield
Producer: Annie Schutt
Fuel VFX Supervisor: Simon Maddison
Fuel VFX Producer: Dave Kelly
Fuel VFX
3D Team:
Bryn Morrow
Emily Tucker
Gael Matchabelli
Gerard Van Ommen Kloeke
Michael Orbing
Pawel Olas
Roy Malhi
Designer:
Marianne Khoo
Fuel VFX
2D Team:
Carlo Monaghan
Critty Davies
Danielle Hession
Tim Walker
Flame Artists:
Chris Scott
Karen Fabling