Animation Director
Epic Creature and Character VFX Film
Director: Li Weiran
VFX Supervisors: Walt Jones, Justin Jones
To call the creation of this film epic would be an understatement. Yin Yang Master, adapted from the NetEase game and beloved novel Onmyōji, brought forth a wildly ambitious menagerie of fantasy characters and creatures.
In addition to the epic challenge of creatures, the production was spread across the globe. I was tasked with overseeing Character animation across 8 studios and 4 languages. I wrangled on set VFX coordination with the Director and Producers, created character bibles, oversaw the set ups and rigs, wrangled animation schedules and assignments per studio, and spearheaded Animation, both postviz and shotwork.
2053 VFX Shots
1060 Character Animation Shots
across 8 VFX Studios
5 countries and 4 Languages
Creatures
The story featured quadrupeds, bipeds, winged creatures and pentapedals; adorable mice and rabbits sharing the screen with an intimidating red giant, a massive serpent, a transforming severed hand, and everything in between.
It boasted creatures that were furred, plant-covered, scaled and skinned, clothed and oozing tentacles! Oh my.
I'd be lying if I didn't say it was challenging and exhausting, but...
It was truly an animator's dream.
The Ferret Monster was a unique challenge - which is really saying something given the competition in this film!
He was a cloaked and masked demon designed to feel like three of the film's ferret brothers stacked on one another's shoulders, complete with four arms and a full sword-fighting repertoire of weapons.
The battle shots on the see-sawing cart, choreographed within a live-action set, complete with full character and sword interaction, was no small feat. I suspect they contributed more than a few grey hairs to the talented team at WYSIWYG, and for that, my sincerest apologies! But the complexity of the sequence makes the final result all the more satisfying. I think it came out pretty cool.
Ferret Monster - ALL CG - no mocap
Our first introduction to some of the creatures was when "Ming's familiars" intercept a caravan through the dark forest. Coordinating the entrance was like directing a symphony. On set I had a blast working with the camera operator and DP to nail the timing of crucial scenes.
The ferrets were an absolute favorite. Developing each of their personalities was genuinely one of the highlights of the project. Their distinct designs and personalities created an irresistible sandbox for the animators to play in.
Spoiler alert: one of them had to die. Early in production, the director turned to me to make the call. It felt like Sophie's Choice! I stewed over it before deciding the top of the pyramid, the smallest and cutest of the three, would be the one. Sniff. His demise reportedly brought tears to audiences, according to more than a few reviews. We all agreed, these three deserved a film of their own. It'll have to be a prequel!
Yin Yang Master - Tau Films
On Set
Production began in September at studios outside Beijing, when the weather was hot and the days were long.
They filmed through December, when the sets were ice cold and the shooting days even longer.
Some of my best memories from this project came from working on set. The production chose to build a large portion of the sets physically, with only skies added in CG for most shots. This grounded the live action characters in the story and offered a rare opportunity to work within sets that are largely a lost art in today's green screen dominated world.
The set designs were simply out of this world. The first time I saw the designs and miniatures I was blown away. Once the sets were built to scale, they were genuinely breathtaking. All of it brought to life by the remarkable Yoshihito Akatsuka, a renowned production designer whose credits include Kill Bill, The Flowers of War, and the Assassins.
Having iPads on set allowed me to grab screenshots of each take and quickly plot out where characters will be and their paths. This helped confirm animation intentions with the Director and DP while still filming.
