Scary Girl: Titles / Opener

Scarygirl Titles/Opener

High-res stills on Flickr.

Loved by millions worldwide, Nathan Jurevicius's beloved and iconic cult character is brought to life by Passion Pictures Australia and partner, Halo Pictures Sydney (sadly no longer in existence). I was lucky enough to land the job of compositor and effects designer for this animated mixture of 3D and toon animation, created to function as an introduction to the Scarygirl game. As of 2012, this game has reached millions of online plays and won numerous awards.

Working freelance to Halo, I was asked to give the cartoon elements and environments a feeling of depth and atmosphere, bringing the Scarygirl characters to life. To do justice to Nathan Jurevicius's characters required some complicated shading techniques and many layers of precomps - standard toon-shading plugins were not an option due to the look required. Transitioning seamlessly between the maya camera and the sections that were built entirely in AE 2.5D space, we embark on a wild ride through Scarygirl's world.

Taking toon renders from some talented ex-Disney animators, and cameras and 3D renders from Maya, I proceeded to place toon cards in 3D space and started filling the gaps, creating skies, transitions, atmospheric effects, particles, water effects, extending scenery, adding post-lighting effects, and more - at all times treating this cult classic with the reverence it deserves. Some scenery elements that you may think are toon renders are actually layers illustrated entirely within AE and integrated with camera - for example, the rocks and water when we dive below the surface of the river.

Make sure you also check out the Scarygirl website, and the original Scarygirl graphic novel. I was lucky enough to receive a signed copy of this hardcover beauty!

Stay tuned for the Making-Of....