The Ice Age 3 and Carlos Saldanha, Director
Dawn of the Dinosaurs Makes its 3D Debut
Oct 30, 2009 Christine Pollock
The stress level was intense for Carlos Saldanha, director of Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs and his creative team as they created Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. In a recent telephone interview from sunny California, Saldanha reflects not only on the journey of the beloved Ice Age characters, but on his own journey into animation and 3D animation as well.
Born in Brazil, Saldanha developed a passion for art at a very young age. He was a smart lad, ready to go to college at the tender age of 16. However, his parents guided him away from following his artistic tendencies, feeling as if attending art school wouldn’t help him develop a solid career. This wasn’t too much of a problem for Saldanha since he also enjoyed working with computers. He went on to pursue a more technological career.
From Ice Age to Dawn of the Dinosaurs
After a few years in the computer industry, Saldanha discovered that something was missing. He lacked a creative outlet. Not wanting to let go of computers, Saldanha looked around and eventually discovered that he could merge art and computers in animation. Excited, he decided to take a huge leap and move to the United States to earn his masters degree in animation.
Less than a decade later, Saldanha proved his talent to the world in popular films such as Fight Club, Robots and the ever-popular Ice Age series from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment and was nominated for both Annie and Oscar awards. As Dawn of the Dinosaurs captured viewers’ hearts, Saldanha relaxed a bit. He and his team broke the third film curse. The first Ice Age film to come out in 3D animation format, Dawn of the Dinosaurs took the world by storm becoming a $800 million worldwide blockbuster.
Working With 3D Animation in Ice Age 3
Directing the film was a huge challenge with the added members of the motley Ice Age family. To make matters even more challenging, the team still had to meet tight deadlines. Figuring out the best way to work with emerging 3D technology kept everyone on their toes even though most changes came in the post process according to Saldanha. Once the animation concluded, they had to render the left eye and the right eye to create a completion of depth. The team had to re-render and recreate the frames while integrating all the layers and the ideas behind it. They had to adjust to a brand-new creative process, developing a keen awareness of camera placement and composition. The rules are trickier. The animators couldn’t break the side of a frame, but had to keep all drawings within a frame. They had to consider wide lenses and flat lenses. The story didn’t change, but the way they perceived the story did.
Faced with stress on a daily basis, Saldanha got through the filming process by facing challenges one at a time rather than worrying about the end result. He opened his brains and extended his horizons as he focuses on the input of other team members-not just hearing, but listening. If they had one little comment that would make the film better, it was critical for him to hear that comment.
Saldanha acted as cheerleader for the 306 people on the production team for Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, pumping them up even if he was having a bad day. In return, the team members helped remind him that is was important to have fun, too. He chuckles as he remembers an important day in the film’s production. During one morning meeting an animator was about to present the scene depicting the birth of the baby mammoth. Saldanha knew that the animator had worked long and hard on this scene, trying to capture the sentiment of the moment perfectly. Saldanha felt the emotion building as the music swelled. The animator unveiled the baby. And Saldanha dissolved into laughter. The baby mammoth had Sid’s head. “I had quite different expectations, and it had me laughing all day.” Saldahna recalls. “That’s what’s so great about the team. We have fun even when it’s hard, and we are dealing with tough deadlines. It’s very refreshing.”
Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs in 3D animation is out in a three-disc combo pack (Blu-ray, DVD and a Digital Copy*) from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. Saldanha feels that, “we can expect more of this lovable franchise” in the future. Currently, Saldanha is working on a new animated film entitled Rio, which brings him back to his beloved Brazil.
- Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
- Starring Ray Romano, John Lequizamo
- Written by Peter Ackerman and Michael Berg
- Directed by Carlos Saldanha and Mike Thurmeier
- Running time: 94 minutes
- Studio: 20th Century Fox
- Rating: 4/5
Carlos Saldanha
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Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
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