Blackmagic Design has announced their involvement in “The Inventor,” a unique stop motion feature film that brings Leonardo da Vinci’s story to life.
This ambitious project was meticulously edited and graded using DaVinci Resolve Studio, with additional post-production elements composited in Fusion Studio.
Star-Studded Collaboration and Direction The film, co-written and directed by the Oscar-nominated Jim Capobianco, is a creative blend of stop motion and traditional animation. It features voices from renowned actors such as Stephen Fry, Daisy Ridley, Marion Cotillard, and Matt Berry, adding a touch of star power to the project.
The Visionary Behind the Scenes Jim Capobianco, the driving force behind “The Inventor,” embarked on this project out of deep admiration for da Vinci. The film’s concept evolved into a full-fledged feature film. To bring this vision to life, Capobianco collaborated with Foliascope, a French independent animation studio known for its fresh perspectives.
Foliascope’s Research and Dedication Under the leadership of Ilan Urroz, CEO of Foliascope, the team conducted extensive research to authentically depict da Vinci’s world. They utilized detailed archives and da Vinci’s drawings to construct sets, machines, and accessories, and crafted unique puppets for the film’s distinctive mix of stop motion and cartoon animation.
The Complexity of Production Urroz explained the immense investment of time and resources in films like “The Inventor,” often spanning over two years and involving simultaneous stages of production. Foliascope used a variety of techniques in storytelling, with DaVinci Resolve Studio playing a crucial role in this process.
Seamless Integration in Post-Production Foliascope’s innovative Float pipeline, incorporating openEXR and ACES color management, facilitated the conversion of raw images for compatibility with DaVinci Resolve Studio and Fusion Studio. This allowed for more efficient handling of editing, VFX, color grading, sound, and exporting tasks.
Blending Stop Motion with Cartoon Animation Nicolas Flory, the Artistic Director and Editor at Foliascope, emphasized the challenge of integrating stop motion with cartoon animation. DaVinci Resolve was instrumental in managing these different shooting techniques and their dependencies.
Enhancing Audio with DaVinci Resolve Studio Foliascope also utilized DaVinci Resolve Studio’s Fairlight tools for audio mixing and mastering, encompassing dialogue, foley, and the film’s original soundtrack by Alex Mandel.
A Tribute to da Vinci’s Artistry Capobianco aimed to represent da Vinci’s world as handcrafted and drawn, aligning with the inventor’s own artistic ethos. Despite budget constraints, the stop motion approach was executed in an economical yet charming manner, aligning with da Vinci’s timeless appeal.
News source: https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve/studio