You all know Platige image – from their short movies which won many animagos (among other prizes) to their involvement in some of our favourite shows and cinematic masterpieces – from The Witcher to Lars von Triers’ Melancholia. If you want to see their upcoming and current projects, head to platige.com for
showreels and more. 

But it is time to talk about Żubr – a Polish brand whose commercials have been made by Platige since 2004. If you want to see the spots, head over to zubr-bier.de/zubr-werbung. And before we start with the interview: The name “Żubr” means Bison, or, in German, “Wisent”. Basically, a VERY large and very fluffy Buffalo (To whom it is related), which has nearly died out in the last century. But currently there is a population of about 200 left in the polish Nature reserve in Białowieża, as well as some other reserves. The beer takes its name from the animal which roamed the steppes of what is now Poland at the time the brewery was founded. 

DP: You have been doing the Żubr Commercials for quite some time – when you compare the first one with the current one, is there anything left in the pipeline? 

Piotr Ołtarzewski: In our industry, twenty years is like an eternity and it’s impossible for legacy assets to measure up to current requirements and standards. Which is why our pipeline has been constantly evolving over the years. The last time we made major changes was in 2017. Right now we’re in the process of introducing a new pipeline, which obviously Involves a lot of additional actions, because often enough outdated assets don’t work well in new pipelines and have to be either reworked or redone from scratch. But that’s still a necessary effort, because it’s an excellent opportunity to improve our old libraries. 

DP: Do you remember how you did the first Żubr Commercial?

Katarzyna Kopczyn’ska: To date, I have worked on five major projects for the Żubr brand, alongside several smaller efforts based on already existing materials. Presently, we’re working on two project scheduled for a 2024 release. These new commercials, like their predecessors, will naturally be set in the woods. That does not mean, however, that the effort has grown boring or unchallenging. On the contrary, every ad we’ve developed for Żubr has been an incredible adventure and a great opportunity for professional growth. 

“Moles” was the first ad I worked on, which featured galloping bison being shadowed by two agile moles, following the larger animals at a breakneck pace. The theme for that commercial was “The chase is worth it.” 

But my favourite campaign of the brand was “Żubr Saves Lives” from 2019, which saw the client join an effort aimed at helping Poland‘s endangered woodland species, such as wolves and bobcats. 

Piotr Ołtarzewski: Personally, I came aboard the Żubr account relatively recently, some three and a half years ago. That‘s really not that long, given that Platige Image has been involved with Żubr for nearly twenty years now. The two current projects I‘m working on for Żubr are my sixth and seventh commercial for the brand, if we don‘t count several smaller efforts that based on already existing spots. Each ad brings its own challenges, enabling us to blaze new trails and develop novel solutions for issues related to VFX. Regardless of whether we‘re tackling a forest in the throes of a tornado or a stampede trampling the forest floor, producing these visual is an unforgettable experience, usually involving hours spent on looking for and developing set-ups in Houdini. Each project also throws new problems at us, such as how to integrate computer-generated fauna with relevant flora, or how to best depict weather events. Our efforts to create a believable mole mound and a mole pushing its way out of the ground is one example of the challenges these projects bring. 

DP: Were you (Platige in general) involved in all the spots? 

Katarzyna Kopczyn’ska: We need to start by saying that in Poland, basically everyone knows the Żubr ads. It‘s an absolute classic when it comes to advertising campaigns, and new films featuring the epony­mous animals have been appearing annually for nearly two decades now. Each commercial stars the Żubr, the European bison – which serves not only as the guardian of order in the primeval forest, but protects the rest of the woodland fauna. The scripts for the ads boast a very specific sense of humour and the slogans are always based on wordplay and double entendres in Polish. It‘s obvious that over the two decades we‘ve been involved with this account, animation technology underwent a staggering evolution. But the capabilities and skills of the artists on our staff are still a key factor. It ought to be noted that the campaign playlist, featuring 37 commercials, does not show the full extent of the effort we‘ve put into the account. Over the years, Platige Image has created nearly a 200 smaller projects alongside the ads, including adaptations, abridgements, and projects for digital spaces and social media, as well as special events and renders for prints. 

DP: When we look at the current spot: Could you walk us through its creation and team? 

Piotr Ołtarzewski: One of our latest efforts for Żubr was produced with what now seem to be ancient tools: Maya 2017, Yeti 2, Arnold 4, and Nuke 10.5. That software is nearly seven years old and a lot has changed in the industry since. More modern tooling would surely make parts of the project easier, expedited some processes, or even punch up the quality of the resulting visuals. But we need to remember that behind every tool is a qualified specialist and that it‘s the specia­list, not the tool, that delivers the finished product. And that‘s where our strength lies. Platige Image currently has over 350 employees working on projects for companies such as Netflix, Lamborghini, and AXE. 

But circling back to our work on the Żubr account, one thing we have to say is that it uses a very peculiar – at least for advertising – form of project planning. What sets it apart is that it offers everyone involved consider­able amounts of time for their respective tasks. The project begins early and we always start with developing a previz, which allows our film crews heading to the woods to save time on coming up with specific shots. We also try to draft specific production assumptions for every shot ahead of time, to allow the crews on set to focus on key elements guaranteeing success in post-production downstream. Naturally, despite all of these efforts, some unforeseen difficulties still come into play, including poor weather, location conditions, or other random factors that leave us with more post-production work than we initially envisioned. However, fortune sometimes plays out in our favour, too, for example when we film a difficult sequence, or do something that seems impossible from a production standpoint, that eventually turns out good enough that it‘s feasible for use in the final product. Here at Platige, we call it “post/production balance”. 

Katarzyna Kopczyn’ska: I‘d just like to add that the commercial that Piotr mentioned was the most challenging task we‘ve ever faced in the course of the Platige Image–Żubr collaboration. The starting point for the Żubr films usually involves a script and a brief, provided by the creative agency PZL which also has been working with Żubr since the brand‘s earliest days. Often enough – and it was the case there – the script stage brings about extensive consultations between the client, the agency, and Platige. We talk possibilities and ideas, discuss the animals supposed to appear in the ad, communicate any technical requirements we had identified, and go through references for unusual behaviours and movements of the animals. 

This time around, however, when we received the script, we realized that aside from dynamic animation sequences, we would also have to tackle creating models for animals that have never before appeared in the Żubr world. Not only that, the critters were supposed to interact on a scale we‘ve never dealt with before. 

DP: Considering the protagonists: How is the bison built? 

Piotr Ołtarzewski: Whenever someone from outside the industry asks me about working on something like the bison, I often compare our work to that of a sculpture. With the character, or more precisely, a character model ready with the right shape, proportions, and colour, we pick up a chisel and get to sculpting. One strike of the chisel (in this case hundreds of mouse gestures) and we have muscles. Another strike generates skin wrinkles. The strikes continue and the animal‘s snout takes final shape. This effort takes a range of specialists, involved at every stage of an asset‘s deve­lopment. 

As an aside, I‘d like to say that we use Yeti to handle the fur coat, define its length, thickness, and even the direction it grows in. And only after it‘s fully developed like that is that asset set in motion. 

DP: With Platige’s width of projects, running from cinema- VFX to classic animation through all different genres from “invisible Plate clean-up” to full CGI movies: How much do you transfer between the projects and pipelines? And, as a team leader, what are your thoughts on keeping artists happy with different kinds of jobs? 

Piotr Ołtarzewski: It would be cliché to say that every project teaches you something. In general, Żubr taught us to animate the behaviour of animals in their natural environment. Everyone working on the Żubr commercials is really developing their skills in the field of reconstructing actual animal beha­viour using computer animation. We have a team of highly qualified specialists, who not only have excellent insight into animal nature, but also command sweeping know­ledge of animation. That’s the key element in our professional approach to work. Embedding animation in the real world produ­ces truly unique results – just think back to The Jungle Book or The Lion King. Who knows, maybe one day Platige will be producing similar feature films. 

DP: There is a zoo’s worth of animals in the various spots – how big is your asset library, and have you continuously updated them or are they “one spot creations”?

Katarzyna Kopczyn’ska: Over the course of the two decades working with the Żubr brand, the basic premise behind the films has not changed much. The majestic bison remains the central figure, the king of the primeval forest, accompanied by a range of secondary characters. The base of animal assets we’ve amassed over the years is huge, and now includes over thirty species – from the smallest insects, including ants, flies, through a variety of birds, such as owls, hoopoes, and eagles, up to a list of primeval forest dwellers, like wolves, bobcats, and bears. Several of the ads also feature livestock: pigs, sheep, and cows. Some have appeared in only one commercials, but others have proven repeat performers. 

But the asset base is more than just fauna; it’s also plant life: trees, brushes, bran­ches, leaves, and tufts, as well as inanimate objects like rocks and auxiliary models that enable us to make the forest landscape that much richer. 

DP: And in general: how do you manage your assets? 

Piotr Ołtarzewski: The pipeline at Platige is integrated with ShotGrid, which allows progress in projects to be tracked and asset libraries to be established. It more or less looks like following someone on Facebook: that person publishes a picture of themselves and you tell them to, for example, strike a diffe­rent pose or improve their appearance. They do so and follow up with another picture that you can comment on again. The process continues until you get the result you wanted :) That helps track the evolution of the asset or a shot over time, including all the changes, amendments, and notes made.

DP: And, since you have been doing the commercials for many years: Do you get beer from that brewery delivered to the studio?

Katarzyna Kopczyn’ska: It happened that we had been gifted Żubr beer on different occa­sions, typically toward the end of the year. But I remember that all of the gifts were very special, because the packaging was stylish and covered in company branding, along with the name of our studio and a thank-you note attached. The gifts felt personal and targeted, and were a very satisfying recap of a whole another year of collaboration.

The post Two decades of the Bison? first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

In nuce: Polish VFX service provider Platige Image ( Platige for short) will also be involved in the third season of the Netflix series The Witcher. This is according to a recent report published on wirtualnemedia.pl. Platige Image was already involved in the first and second seasons of The Witcher.

In toto: The report also states that Platige will work on the episodes of season three in chronological order – starting with the first and concluding with the last episode of the new series season. Platige is expected to have successfully completed his visual effects for The Witcher Season 3 by the end of the first quarter of 2023. The scripts for the third season have already been finalised and filming is scheduled to start in spring 2023. The Witcher Season 3 is expected to premiere on the Netflix streaming portal in summer 2023.

Clicked on & clicked away: In DP 03 : 2020, we talked shop with Platige Image about the first season and one of the associated video games (“The Witcher by Platige”, page 78, an article we also made available to our readers free of charge on 29 September 2021 ). And just recently, in DP 05 : 2022, we had the opportunity to talk to Brad Blackbourn, Virtual Production Manager at The Third Floor, about augmented reality visualisation during the second season (“The Witcher: Adventures in AR” on page 71); see also the free sample copy of our e-paper issue. Finally, in our next issue, DP 01 : 2023, we had the chance to talk shop with the artists from Platige Image – this time about the second season of the series! Look forward to the insightful conversation in our upcoming new issue!

Source: News on wirtualnemedia.pl

The post Platige Image provides the visual effects for The Witcher season 3! first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

Mateusz Tokarz, Lead VFX Supervisor at Platige Image, sheds some light on Platige Image’s self-set demand: “We wanted the effects to have a cinematic quality.” Overall, Platige issued around 170 visual effects shots for the second season. The­ ­following is a deep dive with art director Michał Niewiara and VFX supervisor Mateusz Tokarz.

Someone in the editorial team of Digital Production has a nag for The Witcher: In DP 03:20, Bela enjoyed a conversation with Platige Image about the The Witcher Season one and the cinematics for the video game of the same IP (“The Witcher by Platige”, page 78). Only two issues before this one, in DP 05:22, Patrick, a Witcher-newbie, had an insightful conversation with Brad Blackbourn, Virtual Production Manager at The Third Floor, about how AR visualization helped during the production of Season two (“The Witcher: Adventures in AR” on page 71); and now, it’s time to converse with Platige Image about visual trickery inside the Andrzej Sapkowski universe.

DP: Michal, could you please explain to us how you created the unique openings for each episode, together with production designer Andrew Laws?
Michal Niewiara: While working on the first season, I got a sketch of the logo from Andrew. I developed my design based on his idea. The biggest contribution to the creation, however, came from producer Lauren Schmidt Hissrich. We owe its final shape to her. At the end of the first season, Steve Gaub joined the producers’ team, and from then on, we developed the intros and symbols together.

I must add that the graphic work was not the only thing I did in the movie. Having acted as a lore consultant much earlier than the others, I already had an insight into what would be on the screen, and that gave me some time to think about how to illustrate the episodes. I would choose something that I felt was the most essential element of a particular episode – it could be an event, a character or a theme – and after the initial selection, we would choose one of them and start working on the design.

As a curiosity, I might add that sometimes a symbol was ready by the first attempt. But sometimes the episode changed character so much of the course of the editing, that it had to be created anew. I learned from this experience. During the second season, I always tried to set time aside to sculpt each symbol in ZBrush, so that it would suit the atmosphere of the series. The models prepared in this way were then passed on to the lighting and shader artists, and the animation and FX. Creating even the seemingly tiniest elements of a film is a time-consuming and complicated process.

DP: Could you explain your role as the “The Witcher professor” within the Platige crew?
Michal Niewiara: I owe the nickname “professor” to my expertise in Andrzej Sapkowski’s novels. I’ve been a loyal fan of his Witcher saga since I was a kid, and can boast quite a wide knowledge on the subject. As a result, I supported the screenwriters and artists on more than one occasion in understanding a particular plot point better or to help with the creation of the characters and creatures.

DP: How did you ensure the scripts were consistent with the source material by Andrzej Sapkowski?
Michal Niewiara: A movie adaptation is a completely different thing to a book, which is treated as a set of building blocks which, when taken apart and then reassembled, can create a new quality. Sometimes new elements are added. Good examples of this are the expansion of Stregobor’s role (in the books, he appeared in only one story) or the link between Voleth Meir and the Wild Hunt. I also had a hand in creating things that didn’t affect the storyline itself, but were still important, such as the creation of the currencies that occur in the various kingdoms.

DP: The descriptions in the books were the main source of inspiration for many effects in season two, right?
Michal Niewiara: Yes. Sapkowski is known for limiting the descriptions and pushing the plot forward quickly. I think it’s more about feeling the sense of the scene and its dynamics. However, whenever it was necessary, it was down to me to point out where we could find even the briefest description of a particular spell, scene, or situation in the books.

DP: Could you give us a glimpse into what the abandoned movie project for The Witcher was like, before Netflix showed up and handed everything over to the talented production designer Andrew Laws and his team?
Michal Niewiara: It was totally different. It really couldn’t have been more different, as it had a completely different team working on it. They had their own vision and ideas about how to transfer the book to the screen. To use the comparison to building blocks – the same type and number of blocks can give many different combinations.

DP: Michal, how does it feel to have co-designed the medallion worn in the series by Henry Cavill?
Michal Niewiara: Great! I’m really happy about it because, thanks to Netflix, I was able to cross off a few things that I wanted to do in my life. And the medallion was one of them. I am excited to have had the opportunity to work on this project and co-create something that has always shaped – and is still shaping – my imagination.

DP: Mateusz, at what point in the process did you start working on The Witcher season two?
Mateusz Tokarz: When we finished work on the first season, we heard a mysterious “See you later” from Netflix. So we assumed that we would be working on the second season. That’s precisely what happened. We started quite early, even before shooting began. We had to prepare some effects using fire, and although it wasn’t a big thing, this helped us to guess what kind of shots to expect.

DP: When did you start speaking with showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich?
Mateusz Tokarz: We didn’t consult Lauren so frequently during the work on the second season, mainly due to the fact that we already had a lot of experience and knew very well what she liked, and also what we should avoid. An interesting point is the fact that our team had only changed slightly, and the core team had remained the same. The production supervisor Dadi Einarsson was particularly important as he was a great liaison between Lauren and all the vendors.

DP: You said it was agreed early on for season two that you wanted to create visual effects inspired by physical phenomena – lightning discharges, clouds or the appearance of galaxies. What led to that decision?
Mateusz Tokarz: It wasn’t actually our decision – Lauren gave us that recommendation at the very beginning of our adventure, even before we started working on the episodes of the first season, and it suited us. Our studio uses a variety of techniques and technologies, and we also place an emphasis on creativity.

That’s why we were so keen to get involved in something completely new – it was a mind-boggling task that allowed us to spread our wings. We started with variants that were very elaborate and complex, strongly inspired by physical phenomena, and then we simplified them, adapting them according to Lauren’s preferences.

DP: What were some of the things you took over from season one, and what were some of the things you had to revise completely?
Mateusz Tokarz: Actually, everything we created for the first season could also be used in the second. Sometimes our effects evolved, but it was never the case that what we had developed in the first eight episodes of the saga ended up in the bin and we had to start from scratch for the next series.

The first season also allowed us to de­velop a number of tools to facilitate our collaboration with Netflix. Our pipeline department prepared various tools with very common applications, such as different types of automations responsible for re­ceiving and sending materials, tech checks, or preparing sources in various departments. These tools were developed while we were working on the first season, and then rewritten and cleaned up before we started the next chapter of our work on the VFX for the Netflix saga.

In addition, a myriad of tools was also developed to streamline the work of individual teams, and these are still used today, not only in CG projects but also in cinematics and advertising.

DP: How many people did you have in your team for season two, and who was responsible for what?
Mateusz Tokarz: The core of the production team was made up of four people, consisting of Krzysiek Krok (producer), Maciek Jackiewicz (art director), Magda Rudnicka (production assistant), and me, as super­visor.
The artists in Platige’s animation and VFX departments form functional teams, so, for example, we have modelling, rigging, set dressing, look-dev, and compositing teams. Each of these teams has its own lead, producer and coordinator. The first season was made just after the restructuring implemented by Krzysiek Krok and myself. Many things were still being finalized at that stage.

In the second season, everything ran smoothly. Not only did we get everything done on time, as before, but we often created shots before their deadlines. That wouldn’t have been possible without the wonderful work of our artists and their incredible commitment. And I don’t mean that it involved a huge amount of overtime, because that’s something we avoid like hell! (laughs)

DP: In our interview for DP 03:22 about the first season, Mateusz told us how Platige Image was mostly responsible for the magic effects (e.g., portals, spells, signs) and environments.
Mateusz Tokarz: For the effects that had been developed earlier, we relied on the existing set-ups. But of course, they had to be adapted to the new conditions – in the first season, the magic was much more peaceful, while in the second season it strongly supported the battles.

DP: Could you walk us through your pipeline for season 2?
Mateusz Tokarz: From a labor-management standpoint, little changed with the second season from how we ended season one. Over the course of season one, our methods were still evolving, but in season two, we could work pretty systematically from start to finish, in line with our preconceived notions.

The only change was the elimination of the dailies with all the artists. In the first season, we used to do that, but when we worked on many shots simultaneously, these sessions would often take over two hours. Not everyone was able to attend those online meetings and work at the same time, so in the second season, we reduced them and divided them into sections (e.g., models, rigs, and asset shading together, rendering and compositing together, etc.). The artists would then join the talks only when they were really needed.

DP: How did Platige Image collect the references from nature to create the realistic-looking effects like fire, water, tornados, atmospheric discharges, or mirages?
Mateusz Tokarz: Just like everyone else – we googled them! Sometimes, of course, we also record references on our own. But nowadays, you can find almost anything on the web. Why not take advantage of that?

DP: How did you develop The Witcher’s magic portals – and why were satellite images inspirational for them?
Mateusz Tokarz: When creating the portals, we were inspired by how galaxies look, and how the stars and colours are arranged. There is a characteristic way of arranging matter which we reproduced on a much smaller ­scale. When we observe galaxies, however, we don’t see any movement and our portals had to live, so we had to develop the concept further and explore the transition effect in various ways, until we finally arrived at the end result seen on screen.

DP: We understand that you’re particularly proud of two stand-out sequences – the fire effects in episode six (“Dear Friend”) and the disintegration scene from episode eight (“Family”)?
Mateusz Tokarz: Technically, those two sequences required a lot of work. To get the final result, it was necessary to synchronize the activities of many teams. Ultimately, what we create must have technical compatibility, but it must also work visually. In the case of those two sequences, this succeeded brilliantly.

DP: You highlighted the fire effects during Rience’s fights in episode six as being the centrepiece of the effects Platige Image created for season two. What makes those fire effects so outstanding?
Mateusz Tokarz: It’s true that there were many shots of Rience’s battles and his fire magic had a very strong effect on everything we see in the frame. Fire is a strong source of light, and its light that draws the picture. In many cases, we literally had to sketch light directions on the characters and set pieces so that, for example, a flaming fireball hurling at Geralt would give a realistic impression of crashing into a wall.

DP: In the final episode (episode eight – “Family”), Ciri sees several characters disintegrating. How was that effect created?
Mateusz Tokarz: For that sequence, as for most of our FX, we used Houdini. And it was our FX lead, Lukasz Sobisz, who was responsible for its execution. But although the sequence was based on a simulation, its success was not only down to him.

All the characters, based on photos, scans and footage from the shoot, were recreated in 3D, posed and animated to match what the ­camera captured. Then the body parts of the real actors – which were meant to di­sintegrate – were removed from the frame and replaced with their digital counterparts. After all, we could subject these digital characters to all sorts of simulations. As the body disintegrated in layers, it would crumble and generate ash and dust that floated and settled – and that was a source of huge fun for our simulation specs.

DP: At the beginning of episode six, when The Witcher and Ciri are battling the Chernobog, our (anti)hero changes in appearance after drinking a magic potion. What can you tell us about that effect?
Mateusz Tokarz: In the second season, we were also responsible for the effects of transformations after magic potions had been consumed. This is one such shot where, after the potion has been drunk, the skin turns corpse-like pale, dark veins appear, and the eyes turn completely black. In a technical sense, depending on the shot, this requires very accurate tracking of the face. This is done to redesign the material received from the camera into a 3D model so that the necessary modifications can be made.

DP: Which one was your favourite shot to work on for season two, Mateusz?
Mateusz Tokarz: In Poland, we have a saying that a good father loves all his children equally. I can’t – and won’t even try – to pick a favourite one. There are a lot of shots that I really like, and which give me satisfaction and even pride. I’m very happy that while working on The Witcher we were able to use the experience we had gained from previous projects. I’m not just talking about our work on the first season, but also feature films, 3D animation and commercials.

As a studio, we have more than 25 years of experience, and we know how to deliver everything on time and with top quality. I am also extremely pleased that our work was recognized by the Emmy committee with a nomination for Best Special Effects.

The Abandoned “The Witcher” project

Prior to Director of International Originals at Netflix, Kelly Luegenbiehl (now Vice President Global Franchises at Netflix) and her team stepping in, a group of producers were working on a standalone film of The Witcher. Finally, a number of conversations lead to the decision to drop the standalone film and opt for a longer-running series instead (see the news item titled “The Netflix Literary Connection” at Publishers Weekly by Jason Boog: is.gd/NetflixLiteraryConnection). For an insightful conversation with Kelly Luegenbiehl, watch this quarter-hour talk from the Frankfurt Book Fair: is.gd/KellyLuegenbiehl)

The post The Wild Wild Witcher first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

The VFX studio Platige Image from Poland has already earned a good reputation in the industry with its unique style and unusual projects such as the short film “Paths of Hate” or the Lars von Trier film “Melancholia”. The intro to “The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings” is another milestone in their VFX oeuvre and was nominated for the animago AWARD 2012 in the “Best Postproduction” category.

The second part of the fantasy role-playing game “The Witcher” was released in May 2011 in the PC version, but it was only this year that the game was released in the enhanced version for the Xbox 360. The Polish development studio CD Projekt has been working closely with the VFX studio Platige Image since the release of the first instalment in 2007, and this cooperation has continued for the second part of the game. Platige Image created an extremely elaborate intro for the Xbox version of “The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings”, which was one of the most demanding projects in the 15-year history of the VFX studio. Lots of blood, time jumps and shattering ice made the project a huge challenge for the 50-strong team, who spent nine months working on the four-minute sequence.

DIGITAL PRODUCTION met for an interview with Tomek Baginski, the director, and Maciej Jackiewiscz, the CGSupervisor of the intro for “The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings”. They talked to us about the details of the production of this impressive work and revealed what made it so difficult to work on.

DP: How did the contact with the development studio CD Projekt come about?

Tomek Baginski: It’s a long story. The co-operation has existed since the first part of “The Witcher” a few years ago. We formed one of our film teams specifically around this project. We get on well with the CD Projekt crew and really admire their work. On the other hand, they also have a lot of trust in us and our work, which is what makes this co-operation so unique. It is more of a partnership than a simple customer relationship.

DP: Why was such a spectacular intro created especially for the Xbox release of “Witcher 2”?

Tomek Baginski: The film is actually an original idea for the intro of “The Witcher 2”. It was planned at a very early stage of the game project a few years ago. I don’t know the exact reasons why it was added after the PC version was released. CD Projekt could answer that question better. But I always loved the basic idea of the project, so I didn’t hesitate for a second when I was asked to rewrite the script and direct the intro. It was one of the most challenging and complicated projects in Platige Image’s history, but we also knew from the start that it was going to be something very special.

DP: Were you able to use assets from the game or did you have to create everything from scratch?

Maciej Jackiewiscz: Oh yes, they gave us a lot of material: concepts, zbrushes and sculptures from the game in very good quality that we could use. Especially the main character of the intro looks exactly like in the game.

DP: How was the workflow organised between Platige Image and CD Projekt?

Tomek Baginski: We worked very closely with CD Projekt. Most of the characters were based on the existing characters in the game. We used the same assets, but we had to improve both the models and the textures, and some of the work had to be done from scratch. The level of quality we needed for the characters was insane.

DP: Did Platige Image have any freedom in the design?

Tomek Baginski: We made the decisions about the lighting, the sets and the overall look of the film together with CD Projekt. We had some freedom, but all our main decisions had to be approved by CD Projekt – especially by the man behind the look of the game, Adam Badowski. It was a great co-operation and I would love to work with Adam again.

DP: Maciej, where did you study and how did you come to Platige Image?

Maciej Jackiewiscz: I didn’t finish my studies, but left university very quickly. I first worked in games and then with 3D, but that wasn’t what I actually wanted to do. I’ve been working at Platige Image for about six years now and I’m a CG supervisor for commercials and game projects. I would describe myself more as self-taught in terms of my training.

DP: What tools were used to create the fluids in the trailer, was a fluid module used?

Maciej Jackiewiscz: The river on which the ship floats is not a fluid simulation, it’s just mesh with displacement. There is no interaction with anything, it just looks like water. But there was a lot of blood in this intro, so we used Fluid Simulations for that, as well as for the blue liquid in the magic bottle. We created both with RealFlow.

DP: Were there any challenges regarding these fluid simulations?

Maciej Jackiewiscz: It was difficult because of the time changes in the trailer: the slow motion scenes, then the speed fight scenes and the frozen sequences. This is not easy to simulate in the trailer itself, so we put the blood into the scene as separate assets.

DP: And what tools did you use for the clothes?

Maciej Jackiewiscz: Primarily tools for Maya supported by 3ds Max. For the particles and the ice we used Thinking Particles for 3ds Max and Fume for the smoke. Nothing out of the ordinary.

DP: And what was the biggest difficulty of the project in general?

Maciej Jackiewiscz: I think the large amount of destruction made the project very complex. The environment in the scene is alive, the ground breaks and falls down, that was the most difficult part of the trailer.

DP: Did you have to do any development work for the project?

Maciej Jackiewiscz: We created some pipeline tools for 3ds Max and a tool we call Shot Builder. This tool allows us to combine different assets, characters and shaders as well as animations for the characters. The tool built some shots automatically so that we only had to give the finished shot to the lighting department.

DP: Do you prefer working on games or films? What are the differences in these two areas?

Tomek Baginski: From my perspective, there is no difference. We are clearly a film studio. Our work for games doesn’t consist of building assets or working on a game engine. The “Witcher” intro was purely film work. If we compare the work for games with – for example – commercials, the only difference is that we can kill a lot more people on the screen and the film is still shown. For a work like “The Witcher 2” the quality requirements were very high, in our typical projects we don’t use so many virtual characters. But the basis of the work was the same as in every other project we’ve done in our studio over the years.

Maciej Jackiewiscz: In my opinion, the customer is more of a problem in the games industry. Gamers are very critical of their games and we have to make sure that the visuals stay very close to the game world. The fans of the game pick out every detail – for example, if an arrow doesn’t behave correctly and flies in an unusual way, they notice it immediately and post it on game forums. We have to be very careful that we don’t do anything wrong.

DP: And which game is your personal favourite, Maciej?

Maciej Jackiewiscz: I try not to play games because I get addicted to them. Last month I got rid of my mouse and since then I’ve only been working with my tablet. At Platige Image we occasionally play some shooters. It’s fun when you can shoot your boss in a game.

The post Bloody ice magic first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

I assume we all have seen and enjoyed “The Witcher” on Netflix – and most of us have seen the cinematics for the games, and a few have even played them. Reason enough to pull it all together and talk to the guys who made the cinematics and quite a few shots for the show: Platige Image.

We talked to Visual Effects Supervisor Mateusz Tokarz (whose credits include projects like “Safe Inside”, – “Lilyhammer” and “The Giant Mechanical Man”), compositor and Art Director Rafal Sadowy, whose recent projects were for example “Wonder Woman”, “Another Day of Life” and “Antichrist” (still a favourite of the editorial team), and VFX Producer Krzysztof Krok, who worked on “Lilyhamer” as well.

DP: The obvious first question: Did you get to play “The Witcher” as official prep for doing the VFX on the show?

Mateusz Tokarz: Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, the showrunner, stated clearly from the very first day that our world is going to be based on books and stories, not video games.

DP: Since you did the cinematic for “Witcher 2”, was it fun to get back into that world?

Mateusz Tokarz: It’s great to be part of both. Game cinematics (there was more than one!) for “The Witcher” games were ground-breaking and after all those years still look great. They also started a new era in the history of Platige Image – the era of game cinematics, which became an important branch of the company. Now we’re part of the biggest Netflix show of the year, showing that we are reliable partners for film and TV as well. “The Witcher 2” game was a long time ago, but for people who worked on any of these cinematics, it was definitely fun to get back to this world.

Rafal Sadowy: For me, it has come full circle, because many years ago, I was involved in one of “The Witcher” cinematics – it was my first great opportunity to work with Tomek Baginski – their director at that time. It was great to come back to this subject and look at it from a different perspective.

DP: How many shots did Platige work on? And what was the briefing for those?

Mateusz Tokarz: It was around 150 shots. We cooperated closely with Julian Parry, the overall VFX supervisor. Our journey started at the end of last year (2018). We were helping production with some RnD before the shoot. Then we were one of five studios working on VFX for the first season. We were mostly responsible for magic effects – portals, spells, signs – but also environments and a lot of other various types of work. Our main purpose was to create effects that are subtle and elegant. We’ve spent a lot of time researching practical physical phenomena to be able to create something interesting and unique. In this case it wasn’t easy – there are not many real-life examples for magic.

DP: How many people did you gather in your team to make the shots?

Krzysztof Krok: The team was quite big – approximately 130 people involved in total, but the core team was around 30.

Mateusz Tokarz: We had a lot of hardcore Sapkowski fans in the studio who wanted to contribute in some way, just to be part of this saga – we were super excited about this project, but it was very intense, and this gave us extra power.

DP: What was your personal favourite shot to work on?

Krzysztof Krok: One of them was Yennefer’s and Istredd’s portal created in Aretuza (2nd episode). It was one of the first magic effects that we started developing, very early in the production. It evolved and needed some adjustments when we got the raw footage from the set. We understood then how flexible the VFX setups have to be to make quick adjustments as well as our thinking on how magic has to be.

Mateusz Tokarz: My favourite sequence is one with the Shan Keyan Tree in the enchanted forest. We had to show it in shots during the day and in Ciri’s vision as well. It has very vibrant color correction in the trailers and fans loved it. On the other hand, in some shots from this sequence we replaced around 75 % of the image with CG renders and it was demanding to match the very stylised lenses that were used there.

There’s also a funny story about the making of this episode, which came with one of the first crucial deadlines we had to meet. On the day before, we were working long hours and agreed we’d come in earlier the next morning since it was the deadline day. I came a bit late and realized that Rafi, our Art Director, hadn’t come at all.

Chris texted him and after a couple of minutes we learned Rafi wouldn’t come as he was hospitalized. I just didn’t register it, this couldn’t be true, so I said: “Alright, call me when he comes,” and got to work. After 15-20 minutes I asked again what’s going on, and Chris showed me Rafi’s photo in a hospital bed. He had broken his arm riding an electric scooter.

It was one of these moments when you’re doing crazy overtime, but you’re so pumped up that it’s hard to believe that something may go wrong. Fortunately, these sequences look fabulous and maybe because of that I really like them.

We’ve also taken care of many shots in the final battle. The entire crew did a wonderful job on set and thanks to that it was a pleasure to contribute and make it even cooler.

Rafal Sadowy: All shots that include different kinds of magic are my favourites. Mainly because they were the most challenging and the most interesting to figure out. For example, for the portals, it was mixing different physical phenomena together – liquid surfaces and spiral clouds often seen in satellite imagery.

DP: Can you walk us through the creation of the portals?

Mateusz Tokarz: We were developing them before the shooting started. Our goal was to create something subtle and unique. There were tons of static concepts that we did before we started FX tests in Houdini. In terms of shape, our inspiration was galaxies and nebulas. In terms of appearance, physical effects that involve light aberrations and dispersions.

DP: Can you walk us through your pipeline for the show?

Mateusz Tokarz: We’re using pretty much everything that is industry standard these days. Our main 3D software are Maya and Houdini. Substance Painter for texturing. Nuke for compositing. PFTrack for camera matchmove. Everything is connected with the use of our in-house pipeline that we’ve developed over the years.

DP: Any particular new tools you used?

Mateusz Tokarz: We’ve created a few smart tools to automate turnovers and deliveries. That helped us to keep everything in order during peaks of work.

DP: With you being known for your work on cinematics and a few films and shows under your belt, what are the different forms of approach you have adopted, and which parts were easily transferable?

Mateusz Tokarz: The difference between feature films, cinematics, commercials and TV shows is the speed of work and the frequency of client’s feedback. TV shows are definitely the most intense – there’s almost instant client feedback and many levels of approvals.

Krzysztof Krok: The main difference is that you are one of the vendors. Part of something bigger and greater. You have to keep the pace. You have to adapt and at the end of the day understand there are many more teams involved. Your regularity helps everyone around and a daily routine is highly desirable.

DP: With you, Framestore, and Cinesite sharing the VFX-load, how did you choose who did which shot and how was your teamwork for that?

Mateusz Tokarz: Everything was managed by the Netflix post-production team. There were a few shared shots between us and other studios. In most cases, both studios were working simultaneously, but always one was chosen as the finishing studio and responsible for delivering complete shots. When the other studio’s part was finished, they would send their final comp render and then we would apply our effects on top of this. For a few shots we exchanged FX setups, DMPs and Nuke scripts.

DP: Some effects had quite a bit of practical FX involved: Did that make it easier for you? (At least some things were shown online.)

Mateusz Tokarz: It’s always easier to enhance something rather than create from scratch. I’m a huge fan of good balance between practical effects and CG involved in one shot. These types of shots always look very good.

Rafal Sadowy: The post-production process always becomes smoother when we use practical elements on the set. Even if we are replacing them completely with CG elements in the end, they are the best reference to integrate CG with live action plates.

DP: If you had to start that season all over again, what would you do differently?

Mateusz Tokarz: We had to learn during the work what Julian’s, Lauren’s and the producer’s expectations are. I think that it’s not about doing things differently.

Rafal Sadowy: Not riding electric scooters! ;)

The post The Witcher by Platige first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.