Grum
Characters worked with Meta Film to establish the art direction of Grum the movie. Directed by Michael Hegner and written by Nikolaj Scherfig. Based on the original novel Grum by Svend Fleuron.
Visual development process
Research and exploration
To fully understand a pike's anatomy, a careful research and study phase is crucial for the further design process. In these few examples from videos and images we are looking for unique trades that defines a baby pike.
Visual development sketches exploring the 3 different ages of Grum
Baby Grum She should feel innocent and full of wonder and excitement for this new big world that surrounds her.
Teenage Grum After several chases from other predatory fish species, Grum is living on the border to the deeper parts of the lake. She is much more aware of the dangers lurking around her, which is reflected in her cautious expression.
Old Grum She is now truly the queen of the lake! An old dragon of a fish, full of scars from each and every battle with her encounters and later meals.
Story beats
The first workbook sketches exploring key moments throughout the first part of the movie. From here the director can more easily determine which moments should go to color and design.
First concept showing the scale of Grum in her underwater macro world.
The Director wanted to get a sense of the magic and wonder at the shallow water in a large european lake. At this stage we explored a real life texture feel, mixed with more exaggerated and appealing shapes.
Based on a successful concept piece, it is time to bring the 2D concept into 3D space. The pose is sketched out to guide the translation more smoothly.
3D visual development sculpt
This is where all the knowledge from the first 2D phase, is being brought to 3D space. In a collective effort Jimmy and Tommy are taking the initial concepts onto a new level of believability. The visdev sculpt is now ready to support the production.
3D visual development sculpt.
With a fun and efficient character development process between modifying the 3D mesh and 2D paint overs, we brought life to baby Grum.
Colored key moment showing adult Grum escaping the fisherman's net and ultimately her cruel destiny.