Show has Oregon native thinking 'Grimm'

MCMINNVILLE, Ore. (AP) — If you'd told Jerod Bogh a couple of years ago that he would soon be designing demonic villains for a network television show, he'd have thought you had lost your way and wandered into la-la land.

But here it is, the beginning of August 2012, and he's working on the NBC hit TV series, "Grimm." In fact, he's playing a key role in the creation of some very creepy characters for that show.

And he's up to the challenge. The almost McMinnville native — he came to Mac at the age of 3 — began demonstrating exceptional artistic talent early on.

After graduating from McMinnville High School in 2006, Bogh's initial goal was to pursue a college degree. So he enrolled at Linn-Benton Community College.

However, he quickly became disillusioned with the curriculum's meager art offerings. Returning to McMinnville, he took some time to ponder what he should do next.

He then decided to attend the Art Institute of Portland, where he spent several months adding solid fundamentals to his inherent abilities.

But to land a job as a commercial artist or designer these days, one must not only possess first-rate artistic talent. but also top notch computer graphic skills. So he enrolled at the Art Institute of Seattle, which promised an intensive focus on digital media art and animation.

Once again, reality fell well short of expectations for Bogh.

"I had already been learning the latest animation program on my own," he said. "When I started the classes in Seattle, I realized they didn't know any more than I did, if as much."

By the "latest," he was referring to ZBrush 4, a way-ahead-of-the-curve, 3-D digital sculpting program.

According to Pixologic, the company that developed the program, "It gives you access to unparalleled power and control previously unknown in digital art creation software." And Pixologic is being heralded as the Pixar of computer generated imagery, known as "CGI" in the animation industry.

Having now built some credible samples of his work using ZBrush, Bogh decided to pursue an internship in digital effects production, known as "FX" in the pantheon of industry acronyms.

He found just what he was looking for with HIVE-FX, a Portland-headquartered digital graphics firm, where he landed an intern job. And the timing couldn't have been better.

"It's all about your portfolio," Bogh said. "You can have all sorts of credentials and degrees, but if you can't show examples of your talent and skills, none of it means much."

That basic body of work made him a perfect fit at HIVE-FX, which had just landed a contract with the "Grimm" producers to create some of its starring creatures.

NBC calls the series, which debuted on Oct. 28, 2011, "a dark fantasy." It follows Portland Police Bureau homicide detective Nick Burkhardt, played by David Giuntoli, who learns he is descended from a group of hunter-guardians known as the Grimms.

With the help of a friend, Monroe, a supernatural villain who has reformed, and detective Hank Griffin, his partner on the squad, Burkhardt battles supernatural creatures threatening the world as we know it.

Tension-filled tales punctuated by macabre metaphors lend each episode a flavor that fans admiringly call "really creepy."

HIVE got in on the ground floor with "Grimm." The company was able to make a key contribution by ensuring that the show set a new standard for excellence in "morphing" animation

The success allowed HIVE to move from a modest office to a huge warehouse in inner southeast Portland, and to staff it with some of the best and brightest talents around.

Bogh loves being part of the team and working in a cutting-edge environment. He's enthralled with his animation mission — to make the transformation from human to some other life form seem so real it will give the viewer chills.

Bogh creates the "look" of each character. He does that by rendering full-view images called "turnarounds," a term 3-D animation has borrowed from its 2-D predecessor.

In the old Disney days, this rendering was all done with ink on drawing paper. Now it's done with pixels on a computer screen.

A sculptor would work in clay to create a life-like three dimensional image. The virtual sculptor, using programs like ZBrush, uses what has been dubbed "cloud clay" to do the same thing.

When Bogh has completed the creature's appearance, he passes his rendering along to other members of the team. They enhance the image with appropriate skin texture and other visual embellishments.

Digital programming required for realistic head and facial movements is then meticulously added. The sum total truly brings the character to life on the screen.

For the show's first season, which ran October to May, the HIVE-FX team created 30 characters. It is now immersed in the creation of a like complement for the second season.

Bogh couldn't be happier about that.

"This is an L.A. budget show being produced in Portland," he said. "We've been given a wonderful opportunity. We're working our tails off and we're glad to be doing it."

By the time the second season debuts later this month, the crew will have a whole stable of new creatures ready. For now, their shapes, sizes, identities and powers are being kept under close wraps, but you can count on some surprises.

During the show's run, additional creatures will likely be commissioned, often on short notice.

"The time we have right now is actually more than usual," Bogh said. "As we get into the season, the writers may come up with an idea that requires us to create a new creature in just three or four weeks."

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.