Fallout S1

Snip Snip, a variation of the Mr. Handy robot from the Fallout games, presented a unique challenge. When we joined the project, the show's props department had already crafted a practical puppet with a beautiful patina finish. To bring Snip Snip to life, we animated his arms and eyes digitally and added FX elements for his thruster and exhaust. Apart from augmenting the practical Snip Snip prop, our work also involved transitioning from the puppet to a fully digital Snip Snip in some shots, as well as creating entirely digital renditions of Snip Snip in other shots. Our goal was to ensure that the digital Snip Snip seamlessly matched the live-action prop, not just in appearance but also in movement.

One of the most intricate aspects was designing Snip Snip's eyes. We explored various configurations inspired by the game, including lamps and camera lenses, to achieve a look that was both lively and mechanically plausible. This added a layer of character to Snip Snip, making him endearing and charming.

In many scenes, Snip Snip's core performance was captured using the practical puppet, mounted on a mini crane arm to simulate floating. We meticulously matched the texture and imperfections of the puppet’s movement, integrating these nuances into our keyframe animation to maintain authenticity.

Creating Ben the Cyclops required a detailed approach to blend Chris Parnell’s expressive performance with the character's unique anatomy. We began with 2D illustrations, experimenting with eye size, position, and eyebrow configurations. The design challenge was to make the Cyclops both believable and engaging, despite the inherent "uncanny valley" response of placing a single eye into the middle of the face.

Ben’s single eye demanded a complex rigging process. We explored various heights and depths for the eye within the face. We created more blendshapes for Ben's rig than any other facial rig we had worked on. This allowed for a full range of emotions, from smiling and frowning to crying and expressing anger, which were crucial for capturing the nuances of Parnell's performance.

To enhance realism, we simulated blood flow to reflect natural shifts in skin tone and colour due to different expressions. This subtle effect, combined with our detailed shading techniques, added lifelike qualities to Ben’s skin, making his character more believable and engaging.

Challenges and Achievements: Designing a Cyclops is inherently challenging due to its unsettling nature. However, our team’s extensive effort in refining every detail ensured that Ben the Cyclops was a compelling and believable character. Achieving a point where we could fully appreciate Parnell’s performance without distraction from the visual effects was a significant accomplishment.

In summary, our work on the Fallout TV adaptation allowed us to flex our ability to blend practical and digital effects seamlessly, create complex character designs, and deliver high-quality visual effects that enhance storytelling. We are immensely proud of our contributions and the compelling characters we brought to life.