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To folks with experience with CG, prosthetic makeup and puppetry, how would you create Chopper for season 2 of One Piece?

How

  • CG (UE5?)

    Votes: 93 32.6%

  • Puppetry

    Votes: 79 27.7%

  • Prothestic Makeup

    Votes: 19 6.7%

  • Combination of all the above

    Votes: 94 33.0%
  • Total voters
    285
dosh

dosh

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,281
On set puppet or prosthetics/costume if only to get the lighting right and a ton of post on top to make it work. Full CGI when you have no other option and/or Chopper moves a lot. I'd be very impressed if they go all CGI all the time and it doesn't feel cheap.

Con-Amalgamate said:
Puppet for on-set reference and interaction, wholly CG when it absolutely has to be, and a shit-ton of compositing to make it work and convince everyone that it was, in fact, all the puppet. Like with Sweet Tooth's Bobby - there is a ton of work in post, atop of the puppet, to make it workable onscreen. Yes, the puppet's on set, yes, it does a lot of large-scale movement, and it's great. But performance, eyes, ears, mouth, hands, all dialogue, it only works because of the combined disciplines. It's going to be expensive, be onscreen less than you'd hope, the design may well change to accommodate production realities, and if the show continues to be popular, many keystrokes after the fact grousing about how shitty it looks.
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Well, you explained way better than I did, but exactly this :)

Small person in costume and prosthetics would be easier than a puppet though.
 
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sirap

sirap

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,232
South East Asia
I don't have any experience in puppetry but I did do a lot of work in fur sims and digital doubles at R&H.

My suggestion would be to go with child actors + costume + CGI head replacement. Compromises will have to be made regarding Chopper's base height, and you have to worry about the kids growing up. That's really the cheapest option I can think of that still gives you decent enough results.
 
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RagnarokX

RagnarokX

Member
Oct 26, 2017
15,844
They will use a live reindeer and change his story so he stays in that form most of the time even after Drum Island because he doesn't want to be a monster.
 
Panquequera

Panquequera

Member
Feb 8, 2021
1,224
Are the people saying to cut him serious lol? even if you don't like or don't care for the character he's part of the main cast and important. I don't like either sanji or brook but I wouldn't suggest ever cutting them from the adaptation. If season 2 reach Alabasta Chopper has to be in it.

I like (hope) to think that they already have some idea of how to adapt him, the question is if they are going to have the money and time to do it properly.
 
Kinthey

Kinthey

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
22,543
Aaronrules380 said:
More importantly, Chopper is extremely merchandisable so you can't cut him lol
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Even more importantly, he's Robin's BFF

FkvUakPWIAACq6p.jpg:large
 
Rosebud

Rosebud

Two Pieces
Member
Apr 16, 2018
44,132
DashReindeer said:
How much Chopper should we reasonably expect in season 2? His introduction in the anime and manga was about where I dropped off the series, but I feel like depending on how they adapt things, he could only be involved in the final few episodes of the season.

There are a whole bunch of One Piece characters that I never cared for in the source material and Chopper is one of them, but considering how much I like Koby and Buggy in the LA, I actually have high hopes that they'll surprise me with their interpretation of the character.
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If they adapt Alabasta he would be introduced right at the beggining of the season
 
DashReindeer

DashReindeer

Perfect World
Verified
Oct 27, 2017
534
Rosebud said:
If they adapt Alabasta he would be introduced right at the beggining of the season
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Right. I guess I'm wondering if it makes that much sense to do Arabasta next season. It encompasses around 40 episodes of the anime, which was basically the entirety of what they covered in season 1. On top of that, it doesn't kick off until like 40 episodes after the point we left off for the LA.

Arabasta could really be a whole season, right? And if so, then it wouldn't be next season. I dunno. Someone who is more knowledgeable about this stuff can correct me here.
 
Lowblood

Lowblood

Member
Oct 30, 2017
5,283
DashReindeer said:
Right. I guess I'm wondering if it makes that much sense to do Arabasta next season. It encompasses around 40 episodes of the anime, which was basically the entirety of what they covered in season 1. On top of that, it doesn't kick off until like 40 episodes after the point we left off for the LA.

Arabasta could really be a whole season, right? And if so, then it wouldn't be next season. I dunno. Someone who is more knowledgeable about this stuff can correct me here.
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They would almost certainly do Alabasta next, yeah. It's a complete story they can fit into the season, plus you get some other things like the ability to have Smoker be the B-plot like Garp was in Season 1.

If it were up to me, I'd do an eight episode season like this:

1 episode for Loguetown
1 episode for Laboon and Whiskey Peak
1 episode for Little Garden
2 episodes for Drum
3 episodes for Alabasta proper

That puts Chopper starting in episode 4, so he'd end up with roughly similar screen time to Usopp in season 1. He'd be a significant focus.
 
BrickArts295

BrickArts295

GOTY Tracking Thread Master
Member
Oct 26, 2017
13,951
Grogu style; Puppet for close ups and actor reference, CG for movement and far shots.
 
xyla

xyla

Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,453
Germany
Go full Puppet/Muppet and cg that into a person in costume when needed.
I feel the show could pull it off with the earnest way it went about any of the silly costumes so far.
This would fit right in.
 
Platy

Platy

Member
Oct 25, 2017
27,883
Brazil
sirap said:
My suggestion would be to go with child actors + costume + CGI head replacement. Compromises will have to be made regarding Chopper's base height, and you have to worry about the kids growing up. That's really the cheapest option I can think of that still gives you decent enough results.
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If the head is replaced than just change the children =P

hateradio said:
i always wondered why a baby would be wearing a potato sack. wouldn't he be in more fun clothes?
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he was a jedi padawn, potato sack is the only thing jedis wear
 
TheCthultist

TheCthultist

Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,457
New York
Chopper needs to be a muppet or just a blatantly animated character, but like a Who Framed Roger Rabbit kind of animated character…
 
808s & Villainy

808s & Villainy

Member
Oct 27, 2017
42,975
Lotus

Lotus

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
106,804
Poltergust

Poltergust

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,911
Orlando, FL
DashReindeer said:
How much Chopper should we reasonably expect in season 2? His introduction in the anime and manga was about where I dropped off the series, but I feel like depending on how they adapt things, he could only be involved in the final few episodes of the season.

There are a whole bunch of One Piece characters that I never cared for in the source material and Chopper is one of them, but considering how much I like Koby and Buggy in the LA, I actually have high hopes that they'll surprise me with their interpretation of the character.
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Chopper is a main part of the crew. He'll be getting as much screen time as anyone else in the Straw Hats once he joins.

As for S2 specifically, he won't be around for the first 1/3rd or so depending on how fast they go through the stuff prior to his first appearance.
 
JonnyDBrit

JonnyDBrit

God and Anime
Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,087
Okay, after seeing those clips from Sweet Tooth, it seems utterly feasible technologically to do Chopper's brain point as a decently convincing puppet, and then do the rest via makeup and CGI

Now, whether or not there'll be the budget for it on top of everything else in the voyage to Alabasta, harder to say
 

jdstorm

Member
Jan 6, 2018
7,587
Based on no knowledge I'd suspect

Brain point = little person in costume. CGI the face

Walk point = Boston Dynamics robot in costume

Heavy point = 7ft man in a costume. CGI face

Voice and Mo cap for facial expressions done by VA
 
lvl 99 Pixel

lvl 99 Pixel

Member
Oct 25, 2017
44,895
Puppet, like Farscape. But the smart thing for the budget would be keeping him more often in the sasquatch mode with an actor.
Maybe get a real reindeer for a brief scene or two. They're already showing they don't have a problem with silly practical effects front and center.
Keep that Detective Pikachu nonsense as far away as possible.

Practical is far more charming than CG. Netflix killing off Dark Crystal I don't think i'll forget about.
 
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Aiqops

Aiqops

Member
Aug 3, 2021
14,198
Kid in a costume Ewok style for his small form. New kid every season.

An adult in a practial costume for his human form. Rest can be cg for short transformations during battles.

All forms voiced by a voice actor.
 
Lord Vatek

Lord Vatek

Avenger
Jan 18, 2018
21,640
I don't see how without taking the coward's way out (kid with antlers) or making a horrifying monstrosity and it will only get harder from here.

God help the people who have to include Brook and Chopper in nearly every scene.
 
Maffis

Maffis

Member
Oct 29, 2017
1,315
Better to CGI him in the beginning and the flasback and then just make him use his human form and put on extensive makeup for that; kinda like Arlong's makeup. That would probably be the most efficient, budget wise.
 

Deleted member 129013

Dec 12, 2022
1,338
I guess I now know he's not in season 1...thanks OP. Ignore you go.
 
lvl 99 Pixel

lvl 99 Pixel

Member
Oct 25, 2017
44,895
Im surprised anyone thought there was even a small chance they would reach that point of the story in 8 episodes. That would be insane lol

CG is kind of how you get fake looking characters devoid of charm though, unless you have the budget to do something like Davy Jones from POTC, or a mix of practical and effects like Grogu.
 
Dever

Dever

Member
Dec 25, 2019
5,374
I think his basic form could just be a kid with horns and some makeup. Just say the human-human fruit made him look a lot more human than in the manga/anime. Then full CG for when he goes full reindeer etc.
 
Dr. Dr. Dogtooth

Dr. Dr. Dogtooth

Member
Oct 12, 2020
1,163
I posted that in the other thread, but CGI Chopper would cost too much budget, he would just get put into the background to save money. Puppet Chopper for his normal form may work, but you would lose so much on physical comedy and sequences, and you need to plan a lot ahead.

I would take a young adult (a small woman so that his voice can sound more like a child) playing him in a costume. A lot of fur with transition to skin, hooves as hands and a mask to make his nose more animal like. This would tip the scale more into his human form, but it would also save a lot of budget and have him stronger interact with the crew, which is the most important element in One Piece.

Amin-Tony-Chopper-ONE-PIECE-Cosplay-Kost-m-Tony-Tony-Chopper-Personification-Cosplay-Kost-m.jpg_.webp


Then in fights you can use a different actor for Heavy, Horn, Jumping, Arm Point, since it looks more human (Heavy Point can also be used in towns, since it is Chooper's most human form and he still is insecure at that time) . They could use prosthesis to highlight those bodyparts (bigger arms, bigger legs, bigger antlers).

irx25no1g4jb1.jpg


Walk Point is simply CGI.
7k7yjphgq1wa1.png
 
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