The ‘Ted’ VFX Team Had to Improvise Like Jazz Musicians

“Ted” might be one of the funniest sitcoms on TV, but from a VFX perspective, it’s also one of the most technically intricate shows that aired this season. The fact that it centers around an animated talking teddy bear who lives in an otherwise live-action world ensures that almost every shot requires elements of VFX. And the constant interactions between Ted and the human actors that surround him created an exciting challenge for the entire team.

During IndieWire’s recent Craft Roundtables, “Ted” co-VFX Supervisor Hoyt Yeatman explained how his team was forced to adapt to the workflow of what was otherwise a conventional sitcom production process.

“On ‘Ted,’ there’s a lot of physical interaction between Ted the character and the human cast,” he said. “And so we have this Ted character — we have several stuffies, and he’s puppeted across the set where we’re doing it. And that’s where everyone gets to talk about it and look at it. The actors work against it and the cameramen get to set their camera moves. Seth [MacFarlane] reads the lines in real time, and therefore he can adjust very quickly to the actor, or the actor to the performance.”

Yeatman embraced those quick adjustments, recalling that the entire crew quickly developed a shorthand that allowed everyone to seamlessly adjust to the needs of the production without having to stop and discuss every little change.

“What was really fun on this one is it was like jazz. You know what the script is, you know what the lines are, but it would change,” he said. “It was very fluid. And everyone, having worked together so much, knew exactly [what to do]. No words were being passed, it would just happen.” 

Per Peacock, “the hit comedic prequel series to the ‘Ted’ films finds us in the ’90s, and Ted the bear’s (Seth MacFarlane) moment of fame has passed. He’s now living back home in Framingham, Massachusetts with his best friend, 17-year-old John Bennett (Max Burkholder), along with John’s parents, Matty and Susan (Scott Grimes and Alanna Ubach) and cousin Blaire (Giorgia Whigham). Ted may be a lousy influence on John, but at the end of the day, he’s a loyal pal who’s always willing to go out on a limb for friendship.”

“Ted” is now streaming on Peacock. For more from all of our Craft Roundtables, click here.