Interview with director Chris Butler of the movie 'Missing Link', how Studio Laika, who constantly challenges new elements, created the latest work
Three of the four works produced so far have been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, and the latest work of stop motion animation production studio Laika '
Official website of the movie 'Missing Link British Gentleman and Secret Companion'
https://gaga.ne.jp/missing-link/
GIGAZINE (G):
I think there were many plans for what kind of work to make before making this work 'Missing Link British Gentleman and Secret Companion'. What was the final deciding factor in giving a go-ahead to this project?
Director Chris Butler (Butler):
We are a studio that is always thinking about how to spin new elements that we have never done before. When it came time to make a new work, I had three projects at hand. Producer Travis Knight chose this work from among them. Perhaps the reason was that this work was the most different from past works such as ' The Mystery of ParaNorman Bryce Hollow'. We want to create a variety of styles and genres. Meanwhile, 'Missing Link British Gentleman and Secret Companion' is the first adult to be the main character. Maybe it's the boldest of all the works we've made. It's pretty scaled, the adventure is amazing, and the palette is colorful. I think that the works so far had many night views, but this work has many daytime scenes. In that sense, there was one thing that was new. Even in a creative sense, it's exciting to create something new.
Making scenery of this work
G:
So that's it. Looking at the staff roll that flows in the ending, many names were lined up in the script part. How long did it take to complete it?
Butler:
That's a good question (laughs). The idea originally came up 20 years ago.
G:
20 years!
Butler:
Among them, for example, I was inspired by various things such as characters and situations, and expanded my ideas. In the United States, the script is often drawn in three chapters, but one year after the release of 'The Mystery of Paranorman Bryce Hollow', when the first chapter of the ideas that had been warmed up was written, it was sent to Travis. I submitted. From there, it took a year for planning and development. During that time, I continued to revise, and even after
G:
Oh…….
Butler:
Since this work recorded the voice first with Presco , I was able to change the script depending on the performance of the actor. Zach Galifianakis, who plays Mr. Link, is especially so, but it adds various nuances (laughs). Recording their voices and changing the lines, it felt like the characters had evolved steadily throughout the year. So, the answer to 'How long did it take to write the script?' Is two years after the start of development, or 20 years since it was created based on an idea that came up 20 years ago. I'll leave it to you (laughs)
G:
(Laughs) If you look at Leica's official YouTube channel , you can see many making movies of this work.
Missing Link | LAIKA's Most Advanced Puppet --YouTube
G:
In that, he said about the design of each character, 'Start with concept art, then make a real statue, and then watch the movement of 2D animation.'
Missing Link | Animating Faces --YouTube
Butler:
That's right. I have a notebook that always keeps notes of various ideas from long ago. There are many sketches in it, and in this work, the early sketches drawn there are almost the same as the final design. Usually, the design changes with another person in charge of character design, but in this work, the rough sketch I drew at the beginning remained as it was. In this work, we are working with a very talented team. For example, Warwick Johnson , a comic artist and favorite, is also involved.
A concept art piece of Sir Lionel's study for Laika's Missing Link (it's in the Art Of book) pic.twitter.com/YzBOSaXPeQ
— WJC2020 (@WarwickJC) April 30, 2019
Butler:
My background is hand-drawn animation, so the character design doesn't actually assume puppets. I think the Leica staff hate me when it comes to character design, because I make characters by looking at only the silhouette or the draft of the work and thinking 'how can I make something interesting?' (Laughs) )
G:
Such (laughs)
Butler:
For example, Mr. Link has a design like an avocado with dull hair. It's full of curves, and there's no such thing as 'this is the neck, this is the shoulder', so it's very difficult to make a puppet that actually functions as an engineer. That Mr. Link's design is like challenging everyone in the studio. But what I'm looking for is a punchy and outstanding design.
Modeling of Mr. Link that the director was particular about
G:
So that's it. The making video of the ice bridge that appears in the trailer of this work is also released, and when you look at it, you can see that it was not a CG, but a size that the puppet can actually walk on the bridge. increase. These sets are quite large, but do you keep them after shooting? Or do you discard it when you're done using it?
Butler:
As for the ice bridge, I'm a little cheating. Actually, there are multiple ice bridges. This work is made with a miniature, but the ice bridge first made a miniature so that the whole can be photographed. Also, there is a scene where the bridge collapses in the trailer, but I am also making a 'collapsed ice bridge' that matches the full size puppet so that I can shoot that scene. The scene where the characters talk on the ice bridge is done separately on the partially made ice bridge.
G:
So that's it.
Butler:
Furthermore, in this work, I made a set of a size that can be said to be a miniature miniature. The skeleton inside is also solid, and I am making a small image with a 3D printer. If it's small, it will look rough when taken with a camera, so I didn't use it much until now, but I adopted it because it is possible with the current Leica technology. These ice bridges of various scales are united by the power of editing. All these bridges remain. Behind the Leica studio , there is a warehouse that appears in 'Raiders ' (laughs), and most of the sets remain there, which I rent out to various schools and museums for exhibition. However, there are 65 sets and 110 locations in 'Missing Link British Gentleman and Secret Buddy', all of which are dismantled due to lack of space to put in the warehouse.
G:
As shown by the numbers of 65 sets and 110 locations, this work is a story that goes around the world, and it is much larger than the past work. Do you make sets and locations in the order you shoot?
Missing Link | Realizing Potential --YouTube
Butler:
That depends on the artist's schedule. There are quite a few staff members to work on, but considering the production cost, it is necessary to combine schedules like a jigsaw puzzle. Especially when it comes to the shooting part, we combine when and how to make puppets, when and how to make sets, how much the artist's schedule is free, and how to shoot because there are not many puppets. It was necessary and difficult work. In other words, you can never shoot in the order of the scenes.
G:
So that's it.
Butler:
Therefore, I will make the set first that I know that there is 'complex shooting'. The ice bridge set mentioned earlier was completed in the very early stages. This film had a shooting period of one and a half years, but the sequence of the ice bridge took exactly one and a half years to shoot, so I had to make the ice bridge set first. During that work, another set was completed and it was like incorporating it into the shooting. From a cost perspective, it's important to make storyboards. When the script becomes 'Let's go with this', we immediately start the storyboard, but if we do not bring the storyboard in good condition, the money and time required to make the set will be wasted. .. Therefore, I try to make storyboards firmly and make animatic as soon as possible.
G:
This is the last question. If you are in the position of a director, I think that various things that make you uneasy while making a work will attack you. What was the most scary thing about this work?
Butler:
That is already 'every day was scary' (laughs). At the beginning of this project, when I was writing the script, I knew that 'this would be a difficult work', and it was actually hard every day. In a big sense, I was afraid of the scale. Few stop-motion works go to so many places, and in this work we rarely use the same location repeatedly, and the characters always go to new places. It was scary to have to make all the locations. I don't want to say too much because I love it, but the scariest thing was Mr. Link ... It was technically very difficult as a puppet, and even at the beginning of shooting, Mr. Link's puppet did not work well and I was thrilled. Mr. Link was a complicated mechanism compared to a normal skeleton because I wanted the shape to be round, full of hair, and the way it moves. It was very difficult because I wanted to make the movement of Mr. Link natural and a little mechanical. I tried hard not to be rough, but I was very scared. But it's always like that (laughs). I don't know if I can do it, and I'm thrilled to find a way to do it.
G:
So that's it. Since it will finally be released in Japan, I hope that many people will see it. Thank you for all the talk today.
The movie 'Missing Link British Gentleman and Secret Companion' will be released on November 13, 2020 (Friday). The voice of explorer Sir Lionel Frost is in charge of the voice of the 'X-MEN ' series and ' Greatest Showman ' Hugh Jackman, and the role of Mr. Link of Bigfoot is ' Hangover! ' ' Birdman' Or (Unexpected miracle brought about by ignorance) ”Zack Garifianakis, Adelina is played by Zoe Sardana of“ Avatar ”and“ Guardians of Galaxy ”.
[Official] The latest work of Studio Laika! 'Missing Link British Gentleman and Secret Buddy' Book Notice / 11.13 Released-YouTube
© 2020 SHANGRILA FILMS LLC.
Distribution: Gaga
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