VFX company Iloura will create complex character animation work on over 250 shots for Seth MacFarlane's feature comedy Ted.
MacFarlane (Family Guy) will direct the film, which revolves around a man (played by Mark Wahlberg) whose childhood teddy bear (also played by McFarlane) comes to life.
MacFarlane gave some insight, according to media reports, about the film's visual effects earlier this year. “I’m doing that whole motion-capture thing where they put me in a suit with a lot of electrodes on it and I’m playing a teddy bear,” he said.
Iloura creative director, Glenn Melenhorst, said the company's early R&D was instrumental in establishing the overall look and nuances of the character.
"This included development and testing of facial expressions and body movement, all the way down to the matted and worn texture of his fur. All this work formulated our pitch which assisted us to win a significant package of shots on the film," he said in a statement.
Iloura has built a reputation around its character animation work and counts upcoming films such as Don't Be Afriad of the Dark and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengence among its work.
Ted will receive the government’s 30 per cent Post Digital and Visual Effects (PDV) offset and Film Victoria’s Production Investment Attraction Fund (PIAF).
The film, due for a July 2012 release, also stars Mila Kunis and comedian Joel McHale. MacFarlane voices the bear on top of writing the screenplay alongside Family Guy co-writers Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild.