Welcome to this new Tiger Talk, where we delve into the captivating world of animation with industry experts. Today, we have the pleasure of welcoming Achraf Ayadi, Visual effects Supervisor at Mikros Animation on The Tiger’s Apprentice, who will share his journey and unique experience in the field of animation:

• Could you tell us more about your journey in Animation?

I started my journey in Animation working with Illumination when I returned from London. It was an interesting time, but I wanted to try again as a Supervisor to give my vision to an entire part of a movie. Mikros Animation gave me this chance, and I thank them for that.

• What was your role on TA?

In my role on TA, I had the responsibility of supervising the FX department, overseeing operations and creative aspects, spanning both Mikros Paris and Montreal. This role allowed me to contribute to the seamless integration of visual effects, ensuring a harmonious blend with the overall artistic vision of the project.

• How was the collaboration with Paramount’s creative teams and Mikros teams?

The collaboration was really smooth with Paramount. I worked directly with the Directors, Sandra Rabins for the production part, and Christophe Lautrette’s team on the artistic part. They were available and open to discuss every aspect of the movie. It was a pleasure to work with them; we built a real team spirit on that show.

• What were the main artistic and technical challenges on TA, and how did you overcome them?

The biggest challenge was to create good-looking FX that would integrate with the art direction. We tried a lot of paths from real 2D FX integration to full CG, and we finally found a good balance between the two. I’m really proud of my artists for that.

• Do you have a favorite scene?

My favorite scene is the end of the movie, but I won’t spoil it here, haha. So, I have a second favorite. This is when Grandma is fighting the bad guys at home. I really liked working on that sequence as we have a good mix between martial arts and magic power. I really hope that fight lasts forever in the movie!

• What are you most proud of regarding TA?

My team, without a doubt. We built an amazing FX team on that project with David Garnacho (FX producer). I tried to create mutual aid between artists that transforms into huge friendships. I’m thankful for all the energy they put into that movie, and I hope to see them again on a future project. Special thanks to the Leads that helped me a lot with the artistic vision and team management.

• Describe the film in 3 words.

Authentic, Comical, Fantastic.

• Any final words?

Thanks to the Verre Luisant for the Thursday nights, to the Karaoke sessions with the team, to the recruitment interviews in the South of France with Estelle, to all the Davids on the show (there were a lot…), to the quarantine in Montreal, to NoMachine, to SideFX Houdini, and finally to Mikros and Paramount for having me on that show and to all the Mikros team that I hope to see again soon. I will not put all the names here as I will forget some for sure, but it was a pleasure to work with you guys.

Thanks Achraf!