Autodesk Media & Entertainment
Collaboration between the creative and technical teams at Mikros Animation allows them to create distinctive animation styles for iconic films like ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem’. Autodesk Design and Make software fuels their innovation and ensures they meet production deadlines with precision.
Mikros Animation is a global animation studio bringing together industry-leading talent with locations in Paris, Montreal and Bangalore. They offer comprehensive animation solutions, guiding storytellers and filmmakers from the birth of a script to its final screen debut, imprinting a unique signature on every project.
Harnessing Autodesk Design & Make software, Mikros Animation defies convention, pushing animation to its limits to craft unforgettable narratives that captivate audiences worldwide. Some of their recent projects include ‘The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run‘, the ‘PAW Patrol‘ film series, ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem‘, and a recent Netflix special, ‘Thelma the Unicorn‘.
Gaspard Roche is Associate Head of Characters at Mikros Animation working alongside supervisors and artists to identify workflow inefficiencies and explore solutions that enable them to work better, faster, and ultimately, focus on being creative. He also works closely with Tuan Truong, the Associate Head of TDs at Mikros Animation. Tuan represents the technical side of the studio, with Gaspard representing the creative side — a collaboration that has resulted in exceptional projects like ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem‘.
The film’s unique blend of hand-drawn and CG animation elements set it apart from other contemporary animated movies, giving it a distinctive, nostalgic feel. Gaspard’s team had the challenge of creating hand-drawn lines around the characters to emulate the vibe of a teenager’s doodle-filled notebook. These lines had to be visible in animation and render and be art-directed as much as possible. This is where the technical team, led by Tuan, stepped in with solutions that allowed the creative team to see and edit these lines throughout the entire pipeline, across various software platforms.
The team at Mikros Animation heavily relies on Autodesk Maya for their character pipeline, particularly for character modeling, grooming and rigging. Gaspard trusts Maya for its simplicity and customizable features, making it user-friendly for anyone joining the studio. Tuan adds that they provide numerous customizations in Maya for the creative team, including user interfaces or buttons on the shelves to automate time-consuming steps.
Fanny Ruyer, Production Manager at Mikros Animation, ensures the studio stays on track with production timelines and budget. Her team utilizes Flow Production Tracking (formerly ShotGrid) to ensure a smooth transition of assets and shots through each department. “I like using Flow Production Tracking because of the level of customization it brings,” shares Fanny. “It also allows us to save time, helping artists stay focused on their tasks and meet deadlines. Being able to track the production of a movie from A to Z in the same tool is saving a lot of time for everyone.”
Learn more about Mikros Animation.
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