NP Geese
We loved working on NP Geese, a project that brought together storytelling and cutting-edge VFX. The commercial follows geese returning to a place they once knew, only to find it transformed by municipal development.
Working closely with the production team, we crafted fully CGI geese that seamlessly blend into real-world footage. From intricate feather grooming to flight physics, every detail was designed to enhance realism and emotion. With no on-set lighting references, our artists relied on skill and experience to ensure a perfect integration.
This project was a challenge that pushed us creatively and technically. Bringing the geese to life while maintaining a naturalistic feel required precision, problem-solving, and a deep understanding of movement. The result is a visually striking journey that bridges the past and present, highlighting progress while preserving nature’s essence.
OVERVIEW
Production Working title
Director Vitaliy Shepelev
Director Vitaliy Shepelev
Nature remembers. Geese once wintered here, but as they return, everything feels unfamiliar. The landscape has changed, modernized, and grown into something new. This commercial follows their journey as they soar over the revitalized environment, taking in the transformation brought by municipal initiatives. Our challenge was to bring their story to life, blending CGI with live-action to create a seamless, immersive experience.
OUR ROLE
Tailormade handled the entire CG production of the geese, from modeling and feather grooming to animation, rendering, and compositing. No real birds were used, making it crucial to achieve realism through precise movement and integration. The challenge was to ensure the CG geese felt like they naturally belonged in the live-action world.
CHALLENGES & SOLUTIONS
1. Bringing CG Geese to Life
Creating photorealistic geese wasn’t just about getting the feathers right—it was about nailing the details up close. Every texture, light interaction, and motion blur had to feel natural. We developed a custom feather shader to mimic real-world lighting behavior and studied geese in flight to refine our animation and wing physics.
2. Lip-Sync Without Lips
Geese don’t have flexible mouths like humans, so traditional lip-syncing wasn’t an option. Instead of forcing unnatural movements, we leaned into their anatomy—synchronizing dialogue through subtle beak openings, head tilts, and expressive eye animations to make their communication feel intuitive and real.
3. Seamlessly Blending CG with Reality
Integrating digital characters into real-world cityscapes is always a challenge, especially without HDRI or on-set lighting references. Our artists relied on visual cues and environmental lighting to match the CG birds with the practical footage, ensuring they felt truly embedded in their surroundings.
4. Realistic Flight Formations
Animating an entire flock of geese in flight meant avoiding repetitive movements while maintaining natural behavior. Using procedural animation techniques, we introduced variations in wing beats, head movements, and flight paths to create a dynamic and organic feel.
Creating photorealistic geese wasn’t just about getting the feathers right—it was about nailing the details up close. Every texture, light interaction, and motion blur had to feel natural. We developed a custom feather shader to mimic real-world lighting behavior and studied geese in flight to refine our animation and wing physics.
2. Lip-Sync Without Lips
Geese don’t have flexible mouths like humans, so traditional lip-syncing wasn’t an option. Instead of forcing unnatural movements, we leaned into their anatomy—synchronizing dialogue through subtle beak openings, head tilts, and expressive eye animations to make their communication feel intuitive and real.
3. Seamlessly Blending CG with Reality
Integrating digital characters into real-world cityscapes is always a challenge, especially without HDRI or on-set lighting references. Our artists relied on visual cues and environmental lighting to match the CG birds with the practical footage, ensuring they felt truly embedded in their surroundings.
4. Realistic Flight Formations
Animating an entire flock of geese in flight meant avoiding repetitive movements while maintaining natural behavior. Using procedural animation techniques, we introduced variations in wing beats, head movements, and flight paths to create a dynamic and organic feel.
FINAL DELIVERY
The result is a visually stunning commercial where storytelling meets cutting-edge VFX. The geese’s journey mirrors the transformation of the environment, reinforcing the message of progress while preserving the beauty of nature. Through meticulous feather work, realistic flight physics, and seamless compositing, Tailormade brought this vision to life with precision and artistry.
At Tailormade, we love pushing creative boundaries, making sure every project, like NP Geese, takes flight and exceeds expectations.
At Tailormade, we love pushing creative boundaries, making sure every project, like NP Geese, takes flight and exceeds expectations.
CREDITS
VFX and animation Tailormade
Creative director Ivan Oputin
VFX supervisor Ivan Oputin
Executive producer Kir Skaletski
Team Sergey Polyanskiy, Alexander Largin, Yuriy Korshunov, Anaida Hovrenkova, Eugeniy Mischenko, Gio Sabadze, Igor Surin, Konstantin Pavlov, Vladimir Artykov.
Creative director Ivan Oputin
VFX supervisor Ivan Oputin
Executive producer Kir Skaletski
Team Sergey Polyanskiy, Alexander Largin, Yuriy Korshunov, Anaida Hovrenkova, Eugeniy Mischenko, Gio Sabadze, Igor Surin, Konstantin Pavlov, Vladimir Artykov.
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