Image: Animal Logic
screen / project notes
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole
Computer Graphics Supervisor · Animal Logic
Credits
- Production
- Animal Logic / Warner Bros. Pictures
- Director
- Zack Snyder
- CG Supervisor
- Ben Gunsberger
Awards
- AACTA Award, 2012
- Winner — Best Visual Effects
- VES Award, 2011
- Nominated — Outstanding Effects Animation in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
- VES Award, 2011
- Nominated — Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
- Annie Award, 2011
- Nominated — Best Animated Effects
- Annie Award, 2011
- Nominated — Best Production Design in an Animated Feature Production
- Saturn Award, 2011
- Nominated — Best Animated Film
- Asia Pacific Screen Award, 2010
- Nominated — Best Animated Feature Film
I worked on Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole as a Computer Graphics Supervisor at Animal Logic. The film was developed and produced in Sydney by a huge team of artists and technicians, and it was conceived from the beginning for stereoscopic 3D. That meant every feather, flight, landscape, and camera move had to hold up in depth.
We built the production around detailed feathers, expressive eyes, epic landscapes, complex environments, and visual-effects-heavy lighting. The team also developed the Quill procedural feathering system, which helped us create the film’s distinct bird species and their incredibly detailed plumage.
This project is one of my favourite examples of a technical pipeline becoming part of a film’s creative language. Tools for feathers, animation, lighting, and rendering mattered because they gave artists the freedom to make bold, specific choices at feature scale - and helped us keep the whole thing manageable.