Ball State University alumnus Benjamin Vu worked on a movie that is making film history in theaters.
Directed by Henry Selick, "Coraline" is the first stop-motion feature film to be shot in 3-D. To do this, separate pictures are taken for each eye and then the images are projected together onto the screen, Vu said.
"We didn't want the 3-D affect to be a gimmick," Vu said. "We used the technology to immerse the viewer in a really subtle way. You almost forget that it's 3-D and that's where we were successful."
After graduating from Ball State with a telecommunications degree in 2000, Vu earned his associate degree in animation. He was hired as an intern to work on the 2005 Henry Selick film "Moongirl."
Based on this work, Vu was given the opportunity to work on "Coraline," which Vu described as a "dark version of 'Alice in Wonderland.'"
The crew of about 150 people was comprised of artists who worked on films such as "The Nightmare Before Christmas," and "James and the Giant Peach."
Vu said he worked in the story and art departments and contributed to visions of the world Coraline lives in.
The team drew creative inspiration from the Japanese fashion artist Hiro, whose style emphasizes flat surfaces, he said.
Once the images had been conceptualized, Vu said the most challenging part of the job was translating the 2-D images into 3-D hand-made models. Vu said this process required patience because it takes longer to make a stop-motion product than computer animated films.
He said "Coraline" took about four years to complete.
"It was frustrating at times, but rewarding to see it on film," Vu said. "It was fantastic to see our drawings come to life."
"Coraline" earned $16.3 million during opening weekend, according to a national box office report.
Vu said he was worried that the movie would be watered down by the Hollywood atmosphere, but that he was glad to see several risque and scary sequences make it into the finished film.
"I think it will stand the test of time because it's a unique film," he said.
Ball State telecommunications professor Stan Sollars taught Vu to design sound during his time on campus, Vu said.
Sollars said Vu was equally adept at the technological and creative sides of storytelling.
"I am very proud of Ben," Sollars said. "I could see in him a direction, purpose and a joy about his work. When you have that, you're better able to express ideas and stories."
Vu said the interdisciplinary skills he learned at Ball State have helped him in his career.
Since working on the film "Coraline," Vu and his brother opened their own animation studio, Skyvu Pictures Inc., with offices in Omaha, Neb., Singapore and Vietnam.
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