Raising the Baa: The Sheep Detectives

The Age recently sat down with our Melbourne team to explore how Framestore’s Melbourne studio helped raise the baa on live-action/CGI hybrids, honoring the brilliant minds bringing the complex characters in The Sheep Detectives to life.

Director Kyle Balda’s vision required a flock of digital sheep that could seamlessly interact with live actors, including Hugh Jackman, without losing their authentic, animalistic realism. Speaking to The Age, Lara Hopkins, our Head of Studio in Melbourne, reflected on the immense pride the team felt while tackling these complex performances:

“We felt very privileged to get some of the really emotional parts of this film... it just went some smoothly. I think that was because there was real enjoyment of, and passion for, the creatures and characters we were creating.”

Achieving that level of emotional resonance requires an immense amount of technical rigor and a deep respect for the medium. Josh Simmonds, VFX Supervisor, expanded on the human dedication required to push the boundaries of digital creature work:

“It’s become popular to use CGI as a derogatory term. But there are humans behind this work, they’re sculptors and painters and photographers, and this is its own craft... From my perspective, so much of this is about the artistry. It’s about as close to a labour of love as any project I’ve ever worked on.”

To explore the full behind-the-scenes journey, read the complete exclusive feature in The Age.