This Definitely “Ain’t No Bull!”

The Earnhardt Automotive Dealerships are a legend in the southwest and Tex’s “That ain’t no bull!” has been heard by many millions across three generations.  That’s why we’re proud that the Earnhardt folks asked us to take that famous line and a collection of Tex’s other classics and virtually put them into the mouth of their iconic “Chisholm” the “No Bull” steer.

After talking things over with the Earnhardt marketing team, we set about developing the overall project and planning the shoot. For flexibility in post-production, we filmed Chisholm in 4k in front of a large green screen at Tex’s Chandler ranch. Chisholm is pretty docile but he has a 6 foot horn span and he’s BIG! For safety we handled and maneuvered him using reins attached to his nose ring. The ring and reins would have to be digitally removed later – as would a whole bunch of pesky flies.

With the shoot complete it was time to do all the digital work back at the studio. The plan was to create a new 3D snout to give Chisholm a bit more character and, of course, as a way to help him “talk.” We needed to design and texture that new snout so that it was both attractive and realistic. In addition to removing those reins and flies, we had to track Chisholm’s head movements so that we could precisely match the new snout to how he moved. Even with the latest digital tools, this was a time consuming and tedious process. And we still had to lip sync his dialogue, color correct the footage, and composite Chisholm into a range of different locations throughout the state!

Take a look at the demo video linked above to see how it all came together. It offers a peek at some of the steps involved and how we progressed from the shoot on the Chandler ranch to the finished talking shots.

And, of course, you can watch Chisholm speak his piece in the final spots by clicking on the video below.