Visual effects supervisors aren’t normally what springs to mind when the word “dealmaker” comes up, but “The Chronicles of Narnia” probably wouldn’t have been the success it has been if vfx supervisor Dean Wright hadn’t struck a delicate arrangement between rival effects shops to work together on the film.
Wright and helmer Andrew Adamson reviewed test reels from a handful of vfx houses and narrowed their choice down to three finalists: Rhythm & Hues, Sony Imageworks and Industrial Light & Magic.
With CG characters so important in “Narnia,” says Wright, the choice was difficult, not just a matter of a low bid.
“We’re talking about casting the movie, because these houses were going to create characters that were going to work alongside our human cast. So it was a much more emotional question.”
Initially, they chose R&H to do the entire show. Then, even before principal photography started, it became clear the movie was too big for any one shop to handle all the CG work. Wright decided to divide the work.
He went back to Sony and ILM, but their bids were several million dollars high.
“I had to go back and talk to them and say, ‘I’m not trying to do a bidding war, but here’s the number I need you to hit.'”
Wright had to balance his own budget with the needs of the vfx houses. “If they’re not comfortable with the number and they have to stretch to reach it, it’s going to hurt you later.” He chose Sony, and when the show continued growing, ILM came on, too.
So all three finalists worked on the film, sometimes even all contributing to the same shot. It’s a rare collaboration, but the film nabbed an Oscar nom for its vfx.
