I was talking to a guy from Tippett Studio the other day that I used to work with about the “old days.” The first feature film I worked on was a VFX film called, “Virus” at Tippett Studio in 1997.
The first shot I ever worked on was what I called “the foot shot.” Goliath, the robot, was to step into frame. I remember being both nervous and excited all at the same time to be working on my first shot for a feature film! I did just about everything wrong on this shot, ha ha. Let’s see, I didn’t listen to direction, I broke the rig about 100 times — but somehow, I managed to muscle my way through it and they kept me around. Whew.
When the production wrapped, the director called Tippett Studio back to do one extra shot. He wanted a full body shot of Goliath to show how the character was able to move through the set while being powerful. This was a pretty big creature and a pretty big VFX shot in the film (there weren’t many shots like this). I was shocked and honored when they called on me to be the animator for it. I had come a long way from “the foot shot.” Overall, I had such a blast working on this film. To this day, my experience working as a creature animator at Tippett Studio was one of my most favorite!
Thanks for coming on a trip with me down memory lane and I hope you enjoy the shots below.
— Bobby
BOOM Beck
P.S.
Hurry: Applications Close This Friday, May 24
It’s time to explore your future experiences in creature animation or VFX. Seats are still available with industry professionals from DreamWorks Animation, Tippett Studio, and more. Hurry, applications for the Summer 2013 close this Friday, May 24. Apply today and start creating your favorite shot and memories.
