We interview Chas Jarrett from The Moving Picture Company, CG Supervisor for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Potter mania is back with the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his friends battling the forces of evil in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The Moving Picture Company in the UK created much of the digital effects for this second installment, producing over 250 shots for the film over a thirteen-month period. I recently spoke with Chas Jarrett from MPC, CG Supervisor for the film about how some of the spectacular digital effects were achieved.

About Chas Jarrett
Chas Jarrett was a lighting cameraman and Steadicam operator in London and San Francisco for five years, during which time he shot music promos, documentaries and corporate videos for a variety of clients throughout Europe and America. He first used 3D as a pre-visualization tool for set lighting in 1997 which, along with various high-profile effects movies, sparked his interest in CG animation. Later that year he devoted his attention to high-end 3D and began freelancing. He has now worked for MPC for several years and brought his expertise to projects such as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Body Story (series for Channel 4), Enemy at the Gates, The World is Not Enough and Miracle Maker.

Image: From flying cars to whomping willows, The Moving Picture Company produced over 250 shots for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Leonard Teo: You were the CG Supervisor for the film, what exactly does that mean?

Chas Jarrett: It means that I’m creatively and technically in charge of how we approach any shot that contains CG in the film. I’ve been on board from the very beginning of the project and was also part of the planning team for scheduling and allocating resources for the project. I’m very much part of the creative team that interacts with the Director, our clients and the visual effects crew for the production.

We go through a lot of meetings at the early stages to develop the look of things and discuss how things are going to move – the more creative side of it. Based on those meetings, come back and start assembling a team of people to start thinking about those issues and start dealing with them. Traditionally, I’ll pick a software lighting lead (TD), modeling lead, animation lead, then go through meetings figuring out how to do the shots.

It’s really overseeing any element of everything that gets done by the CG department. Anything that involves CG, I’m the first person that the client talks to within MPC – rendering, motion blur, etc. It also crosses over into 2D, I’m still responsible for CG when it’s composited. Generally there will be a 2D compositing supervisor and we’ll work together to find the best methods for CG to fit in the scene. It’s a pretty broad job description but basically it means that I’m in charge!

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