THE HUMANBODY1998

In a 2 man team I supervised fourteen computer graphic sequences (20sec. to 2.5 mins each) for what turned out to be the most ambitious science documentary ever   - THE HUMANBODY.  
 
I had a large creative input in this work, from the pre-vis stage to the final Flame edits. While Jarrod Linton did an excellent job modelling components from scratch and modifying scanned data and intricate models from the Visible Human Data collection, I animated every sequence, completed all the texturing/lighting and managed all rendering.  
  

      

The aesthetics of the imagery changed from sequence to sequence but the emphasis was on mimicking the feel of what a medical scanner from the future would perhaps look like. A lot of the work was designed to tie in with "Voxel View" volumetric renderings (voxel view software is developed by vital images) of real  scanned bodies and to this effect a lot of time was spent degrading and blemishing textures and models to achieve a deconstructed, real look.  
   
Each sequence involved single passes of each inherent element so that fine control was secured at the edit stage. The project took 4 months in total for around 10 minutes of animation - all work was done in Power Animator.  
  
The HumanBody screened in Britain on May 19th 1998 in seven parts, and has since been repeated on various other channels and all across the globe often as a presenter-less version. During the course of the year it also picked up a huge amount of awards including NAB award for visual fx, four RTF awards including one for special fx nad various BAFTA awards. As a science TV documentary it was revolutionary to say the least and still today represents the reference standard by which other are judged.

The sequences I produced won 2nd place at IMAGINA in the simulation category - you can view the entry at the Imagina homepage. The Humanbody is available in UK stores on VHS format.

Richard C. Morris 2001