The Art of Crave-ability

CG Food

Scholar is no stranger to making food look irresistible, from Popeye’s to McDonald’s, we’ve worked closely with tasty brands to highlight the best in their food. There is a surprising amount of crossover with 3D design and on-set cinematic magic: flowing shapes, color contrast, and extensive pre-production planning make our tasty stars shine. So if you are wondering how to make the digital delicious, you’ve come to the right place.

First and foremost, it’s about the FOOD.

Craveability isn’t just about good-tasting food — it’s about food you gotta have. Whether it's a perfectly sauced Wingstop wing or a piping hot made-to-your-perfect-order Domino's pizza, you crave it, and we are here to make sure every bite looks as good as it tastes.

With a storied background in both live action and animation, we can confidently say that there is beauty in the act of capturing real food on camera, and even more insider tricks to get it to look that perfectly-just-right-way, from stuffing burritos with mashed potatoes, using gold foil to illuminate a crisp pint of beer, to using glycerine to get that slow-moving, thirsty, ice-cold, drip on a glass bottled beverage, we’ve done it all.

Which is why we also know how much freedom can be found in animation and the art of CG food.

Need an exploding hamburger to morph it into a set of ribs? Yeah, that’s easier to do in animation. Trust us, we’ve tried.

But when it comes to food, nailing craveability in animation has traditionally been a challenge. We recognize that the brain wants the real deal, no uncanny valleys of cheese puffs or tacos here –finding the balance between what something really looks like and what someone wants to eat, is delicate.

So how do we do it? We start with the craveability.

For any given campaign, the product is not just mere ingredients, but vibrant characters with personality and heart. The details in the minutiae are key –the cheese density is as important as the caramel apple filling, and our approach focuses on bringing these culinary stars to life while preserving their appetizing allure.

Just like we do in all our animation projects, it’s about making a caricature of the true nature of each bite.

Let’s look at a juicy, mouthwatering burger.

We start with reference, tons and tons of reference. Whether that's in the studio, shooting and scanning prime ingredient models, or trawling online for the most delicious-looking meals, then we get into the details...

How many creases are on the bun?

What’s the texture?

Poppy seed count? Let’s create it.

How does it feel?

Should the texture be a little smoother than real life?

Do I want to grab the fluffy, just-baked goodness off the screen and eat it?

How many grill marks on the meat?

How dark?

Does the shine look edible, drippy?

Is the viscosity right?

Is the cheese melting the right way?

Are the pockets of shine in the bacon enough?

Too much? You get the picture.

Then we create it. To do this, we lean into our Live Action Toolkit and turn it up to 11.

Where before we were on set painting grill marks with soy sauce to get that delectable finish, now we use digital strokes. Although the process is different, the same things are important.

Lighting is key to making the food feel warm, rich, and appetizing. We highlight the glossy shine of the sauce, the golden toast on the bread, and the juicy tenderness of the meat.
Tasteful choreography and vibrant cinematography make all the difference. Imagine, we push in and tilt up on drinks with a movement that has a fluid, yet human feel, growing the anticipation of what we all know: We have got to take a sip.
We pair crisp, high-quality imagery that showcases the craveability and richness of each dish, ensuring that the compositions are perfect and the macro shots get right into the heart of the food to highlight its intricate textures and freshness.

Cooking up an end result that will pull viewers in and make them crave what they see.

And once things are craveably crafted in animation? The possibilities are endless.

CG food opens up a world of possibilities when it comes to animation and cameras - think dynamic shots, lensing, or elaborate performances that would be otherwise unachievable on set. Not to mention the ability to adjust specific details or to repurpose assets down the line.

Whether it’s through animation or live action, Scholar knows one thing for sure.

Delicious, crunchy, juicy, refreshing, and craveable, food and beverages reign supreme.