One does n’t involve a cast list to pick out the actors behind the finny type in the animated movie " Shark Tale . " Even without hearing the distinctive voice ofWill Smith , Renee Zellweger , Angelina JolieandRobert De Niro , it ’s easy to tell who ’s who from the ocular clues . These fish bear an uncanny resemblance to the performers behind them , which was the creators ' intent justly from the showtime when they conceived the project most five years ago .
So how do you match an role player to a fish , and frailty versa ? In this article , we ’ll take a look at the process of meshing live histrion with their non - human , invigorate counterparts .
Animating Actors
According toRob Letterman , one of the movie ’s three theater director , the uncanny resemblance between the Pisces and the performers " was one of the style choices , to capture their facial expression and experience in the conceptual artistic production . The vitalizer studied their movies and carrying into action and learn them in some of the transcription session . They would read how they propel and their facial expressions . “Smith ’s videosproved to be a great research pecker . " They study all his dancing moves . "
Smith was cast first , " and the other histrion amount on display panel as we cash in one’s chips along . We got everyone on our compliments list , " tell Letterman , remark that a presentation was made to each that include acharacter sketch . As in any imitation , sure details were exaggerated –Smith ’s ears , Martin Scorsese ’s eyebrows , Angelina Jolie ’s lip . " Robert De Niro has a very specific mouth shape , with the corner turned down . We try out to use that , " addsFabio Lignini , one of five supervising animators on the project .
Great caution was taken to find actualfish that well matched the characters . First , all of the film producer , admit the designers and animators , watched documentaries , natter theLong Beach Aquariumand learn reference al-Qur’an . Thecleaner wrasse , a fish that scavenge other Pisces and its environment , was the logical example for Smith ’s characterOscar , a Whale Wash worker . The good - heartedAngie , voiced by Zellweger , became anangelfish , and femme fataleLola , Jolie ’s character , was conceived as alionfish / dragonfishmix . Appropriately , lionfish are poisonous .
But fish do not naturally have the strong-arm trait that humans use to convey emotions . So the next step is providing fish with the necessary characteristics to reflect their performers ' expressions .
Humanizing Fish
Once the characters were place , the energiser had to forecast out how toanthropomorphizethem . " The Pisces had to habituate chairs and tables and bed like man do . They could n’t just float around , " explains Lignini . " We had to fuse floating and swimming with a little morsel of gravity . This was the main challenge , and we kind of made it up as we went along . "
When Lignini want intake , he had only to go outside . Conveniently , " We have some Pisces the Fishes pond here atDreamworks , and I would go down and watch them a little bit and go back and animate , " he confides .
Another evenly authoritative aspect for the designers and animators was theunderwater environmentin which " Shark Tale " occupy place , include the downtown Southside Reef , the upscale Top of the Reef , and the sharks ' den in a sunken ship . Artists visited New York ’s Times Square for inspiration , and then consider elements and " fishified " them , such as billboards advertising " Old Wavy " and " Gup . " " Everything had to be fishified so it had the spirit of that underwater world , " says Letterman .
Animation Skills
Since the animation wascomputer generated , the70 or so animatorsfirst had to learn to make the switch from traditional methods . " This crew was mostly first - time animators on reckoner , " take note Lignini . He continues :
More than200 peoplepopulated separate departments that handledbackground , light , surfacing , effectsandcharacters . As a supervisory program , Lignini was responsible for several sequence including the sea horse racetrack , the shark confabulate , and the Whale Wash musical phone number , for which choreographerNadine Colquhoundevised dance routines for the fish and other ocean creature – include turtleneck waxers . " She demonstrated with her dancer , and we had to translate all the leg move into fin relocation . Whatever required too much sobriety and weight , we had to find out another way to show that in swim , " explain Lignini .
One of his greatest challenges was animating the Rastafarian Portuguese man-of-war henchmenErnie and Bernie , voiced byZiggy MarleyandDoug E. Doug . " They were very complex , because of all the dreadlock , their tentacles . The more bones and join and conformation in the skeleton of a computer persona , the more difficult it is to work with them , " explains Lignini . " Ernie and Bernie are constantly in motility , and we had to keep their dreadlocks from intersecting . "
The animation process took a year and a half , but " Shark Tale " date back to an theme that was developed in - house at Dreamworks – " elbow room before " the movie " Finding Nemo " come to screens , according to Letterman . " It befall right after ' Shrek ' . "
But the musical theme owe more to classicmob moviesthan other animated motion-picture show . " I ca n’t tell you how many fourth dimension we watched ' The Godfather , ' " sound out Letterman , who wrote the hand . " We watched ' Goodfellas ' and ' Some Like it Hot , ' which is about a small guy getting in problem with the mob . "
In Production
During production , Letterman made adjustments in many fit thanks to theimprovisational skillsof the actors . For example , Will Smith thumb on movie catchphrases such as " You ca n’t manage the truth " and " You had me at hello " that were added to a scenery where he pretends to slay vegetarian shark and young pal Lenny ( Jack Black ) .
Whilevoiceoversare typically register solo , Smith and Black did some sessions together in Los Angeles , and De Niro and Scorsese recorded together in New York . " They prefer doing it that fashion . They can listen to each other and ad lib off each other , " notes Letterman . " We used a lot of that stuff . "
Theserecording sessions , which numbered nine or 10 per thespian spread out overtwo yearsor so as their schedules permitted , paralleled the ever - evolving design and animation process . " As production go on and we get more used to the actors and watch the tapes of the recording sessions , we become more and more mindful of their different ways of moving and gesture and foible ; we get more used to the actors , and the invigoration comes more naturally , " notes Lignini . For example , " We tried to equal Sykes ' gestures to the speed of Martin Scorsese ’s speech . "
One small-scale but memorable graphic symbol was raise from cameo to recurring role . Crazy Joethe hermit crab was ab initio just in the opening sequence of the motion picture . " It was a character that storyboard artist Dave Smith did , and he also voiced the character , " Letterman explains . " We loved it , and we summate the character to more and more aspect . "
Wrapping It Up
Considering the complex nature of the process , " The biggest challenge by far was finishing the movie , " state Letterman . " There was much to do , and the release appointment got pushed ahead by a month . I think the total between production and pre - production wasthree class , and that ’s really fast for life . Shrek was five years , " he compares . " I think the movies are getting faster now because of computer engineering science . "
Letterman remembers the first time he saw the finished cinema . " Up until that fourth dimension , I ’d seen it a thousand times in every iteration possible on the AVID system – we ’d keep an eye on it on a low - rhenium screen over and over again . But when I finally regard it in a theater with all its resolve , scenes I ’d seen a thousand times blew me aside . It was like watching it for the first time . The colors were so rich and the details – it just appear gorgeous . "
Lignini was evenly quenched to see the resolution of his effort , but admits that the film has deepen his perception of fish forever and a day . He can no longer pass by by a fish tank without imagining what actors they look like .
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