Bringing Rocky to Life: Animation Secrets and the Creative Process in Project Hail Mary
Arslan Elver Senior Animation Supervisor | 8 May 12:00 - 13:30 CICCA - TEATRO PRINCIPAL
How do you give soul to a faceless alien, question?
Senior Animation Supervisor Arslan Elver deconstructs the collaboration with directors Chris Miller and Phil Lord to bring Rocky, the alien co-lead of Project Hail Mary, to life. This session moves beyond standard character work to explore the unique challenges of faceless performance, where empathy and intent must be conveyed without the aid of traditional facial features or eyes.
Arslan will detail the development of Rocky’s non-humanoid language of movement, specifically focusing on the hybrid performance pipeline. He will explain how the team utilized a practical puppet on set not just as a reference, but as a foundational anchor for the final keyframe animation. Attendees will gain insight into the technical and creative workflows used to ensure the practical and CG iterations of Rocky coexist seamlessly, proving that a character's soul is built through the precision of timing, weight, and silhouette.
Meet the Speaker
Arslan Elver | Senior Animation Supervisor
A self-taught animator, Arslan specialises in conjuring nuanced, deeply resonant characters. His craftsmanship was most recently displayed throughout John Krasinski's IF, a huge, animation-heavy project demanding dozens of unique hero characters.
An AMPAS member who has worked on blockbuster franchises like Harry Potter, Star Wars and the MCU (he was key to establishing the hugely-popular 'Baby Groot' character), Arslan has also lent his skills to projects like Where The Wild Things Are and the Oscar-nominated Christopher Robin - both of which were praised for their quiet, zen-like approach to character animation. Arslan recently finished working on Project Hail Mary.
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