How To Train Your Dragon

After delivering Paddington in Peru, I had the chance to join this high-profile project. I initially began working on the CG integration of Toothless and Hookfang in the arena sequence, where they face off. I led the charge on achieving a seamless blend of live-action and CG elements, paying close attention to edge treatments (from soft to hard) on Hiccup — especially his hair and clothing — which required constant adjustments due to shifting defocus, varying camera angles, and his continuous motion.

Matching the CG horns of Hookfang to the on-set reference — where Snotlout holds them while flying on a bluescreen-mounted saddle — was one of the most technically satisfying challenges I tackled.

I was also responsible for several comp blocks* — notably on the sailboat sequence transitioning from the high sea to the dark river where soldiers encounter monsters. On the high sea part, I used extensive keying and roto techniques to create clean associations of the alphas for the soldiers and the boat. Additional work included “faking” on-set lighting on helmets and faces to match the sun position in the HDRI-based matte-painted background. The setup was prepared and handed off cleanly to other assigned artist for the EC** stage.

I then handled the full river sequence, where the boat and its long oars interact with CG wet rocks, waves, monster’s spines resurfacing the sea, and dense layers of mist overall — one of the biggest challenges to match the surrounding shots. This involved complex hold-outs on multiple AOV passes from environment, creature, and FX renders.

Finally, I led a major shot change — from the first to the last stage — on the cliff sequence shot from sky view, redesigning matte paintings and projections for the cliff top (grass), cliff face (removing snowy areas), headland, and extending the environment into the distant background and sea. I also reworked the ocean surface by breaking up CG waves with noise-based projections to create a more realistic large-scale water look.