The Real Charlie Chaplin  A Feature documentrary film

Credits

Directors - Peter Middleton and James Spinney

Production Company - Passion Pictures and Archer’s Mark

VFX Design, Post-Production - Yasuyuki Otsuki

As a VFX designer for this feature documentary film, I was responsible for all aspects of post-production, including motion design, compositing, and upscaling low-quality footage.

From the award-winning directors behind Notes on Blindness comes a contemporary take on cinema’s most iconic figure. In an innovative blend of newly-unearthed audio recordings, dramatic reconstructions, and personal archives, the film traces Charlie Chaplin’s meteoric rise from the slums of Victorian London to the heights of Hollywood superstardom, before his scandalous fall from grace.

Initial Rostrum effect test

The film incorporates a number of scanned photographs and stills. Rather than simply using them in their original form, the filmmakers aimed to enhance them with subtle effects that were analog, tactile, and unobtrusive, such as a rostrum camera effect. (A rostrum camera is a specialized camera used in television production and filmmaking to animate a still image or object.)

Prologue

In addition to the rostrum effect, subtle effects such as flicker, lens effects, and film grain are added to provide an analog feel.

The Little Man, The Little Fellow, The Tramp

He Can’t talk

I added film burn, dirt, scratches, and filmy artifacts to the sequence. Additionally, I used judder transitions to create a wilder and more stylized effect.

FBI

The film features numerous sequences where scanned photographs and documents appear. The following is an example of this style, which is consistent throughout the film.

Name tag Animation

VFX Compositing

I was responsible for creating several compositing shots. Below are a few examples:

End Credits

Trailer Graphics