VFX Legion LA/B.C. Burbank, CA

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VFX Legion created the visual effects for the highly anticipated crossover episodes of 'Scandal 'and 'How to Get Away with Murder.' The storylines of the political thriller and legal drama intersect in the back-to-back two-hour event, which premiered March 1st on ABC, and continues to rank as a streaming favorite on Hulu.

The scenario for the tie-in opens with 'How to Get Away with Murder's' high-powered defense attorney, Annalise Keating (Viola Davis), making an appearance on Scandal's turf in the aptly titled episode, 'Allow Me to Introduce Myself.' Keating travels to D.C. for a face-to-face with political fixer Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) to elicit her help fast-tracking a class-action case to the United States Supreme Court. The storyline plays out with the guest appearance of Pope on 'HTGAWM' episode, ‘Lahey vs. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.'

Both shows are shot in Los Angeles, while Scandal, and HTGAWM, are set in D.C. and Philadelphia, respectively. These dramas unfold far from the Hollywood Hills, yet the trip from 'The City of Brotherly Love' to the nation's capital didn't require the cast to do any traveling, thanks to the experience, creativity and technical ingenuity of the team at VFX Legion.

The Los Angeles-based company created a mix of photorealistic CG environments and other effects that made it possible to transport the actors into a variety of digital surroundings that seamlessly match the live-action footage, and defy the viewer’s eye. The 'invisible' effects dramatically augment the shows’ visual landscapes with shots that would be either too expensive or impossible to shoot on location.

Legion has handled all of the visual effects for both shows for almost three-years and is slated to work on the next season of 'HTGAWM.' Over the years, the Shondaland Productions have tasked the company with creating high-quality CGI for almost 100 episodes. However, the crossover episodes required visual effects that blended with two shows that each use different tools and have their own look, presenting a more complex set of challenges.

For one, 'Scandal' is shot on an ARRI Alexa camera, and 'How to Get Away with Murder' on a Sony F55, at different color temps, and under varying lighting conditions. The DPs’ preferences required VFX Legion to shoot the same environments twice, once with greenscreens for 'Scandal' and then again using bluescreens for 'HTGAWM.' Its team addressed all of these variables, finding creative solutions to bridge the look and match the texture and tone of both series.

Washington, D.C.’s Supreme Court Building is central to the crossover storyline. Replicating its exterior facade, and interiors of the courtroom and rotunda digitally, from the ground up, were the most complex effect created for the episodes.

The process began during preproduction, with VFX supervisor, Matthew T. Lynn, working closely with the client to get an in-depth understanding of each show’s expectations. Lynn collaborated with Legion’s head of production, Nate Smalley, production manager, Andrew Turner, and coordinators Matt Noren and Lexi Sloan, streamlining workflow and crafting a plan that aligned with the shows’ shared vision, as well as their budgets, schedules, and resources. Several weeks were spent on R&D, pre-visualization and creating mockups. Legion's presented its end-to-end approach to the staffs of both shows during combined VFX meetings and finalized a plan.

CG supervisor, Rommél S. Calderon, headed up the team of modeling, texturing, tracking, layout, and lighting artists that created the courthouse from scratch.

“The CG model of the exterior of the building was a beast and scheduling was a huge job in itself,” says Calderon. “Meticulous planning, resource management, constant communication with clients and spot-on supervision were crucial to combining the large volume of shots without causing a bottleneck in Legion’s digital pipeline.”

Producing the CG asset required some creative problem-solving to achieve a balance between the look of the brick and mortar structure, and the texture and tone of both shows.

The team constructed a rough 3D model of the set from hundreds of reference photographs stitched together using Agisoft Photoscan, and a technique called ‘photogrammetry.' Legion’s VFX supervision team also shot HDRI panoramas and 360° multiple exposure photographs of the set, which were used to match the 3D lighting with the live-action film. CG modeling and texturing artists, Trevor Harder, finished detailing the interior 3D models of the courthouse.

Tracker, Ruy Delgado achieved a perfect lock on the camera moves in SynthEyes using photogrammetry, lens specs, camera measurements and other on-set survey data. The depth of detail enabled him to match the marble columns inside the courthouse exactly. Many of the set’s walls were ‘wild,’ moving in and out of place depending on the camera angles, requiring Delgado to adjust the 3D model for each shot so that everything lined up.

The team ran into some interesting issues while working with footage of the shows' lead characters, Pope and Keating, filmed on the concrete steps of LA’s City Hall. Since the Supreme Court's steps are marble, meeting this challenge required more than merely a color correction fix. Legion's lead modeler, Ken Bishop, did a considerable amount of work on the texture, and comps to retain the marble, yet allow it to be porous enough to blend with the concrete.



Working from overcast and flatly lit plates, lighting artist Bryan Shepperd added interest to the feel of the shots, while maintaining the continuity needed to blend with the shows.Once again Legion’s team struck a balance between maintaining the recognizable details of the iconic building, while matching the nuanced look of the live-action footage of the actors.

When the deadline ruled out a traditional approach, VFX Legion came up with a creative alternative to replicate the detailed statues on the parapets outside of the building. They purchased two seven-inch figurines and ran them through photogrammetry software. It took a full day, and a good deal of finesse, but the end result was two highly accurate models.

“These episodes required a combination of good planning and a talented team of over 25 artists and support staff,” says Lynn. “We pulled out all the stops to deliver the large shot count of complex, high-quality VFX, and make last minute changes, while still meeting a tight deadline and getting the most value out of the budget.”

“The crossover episodes of 'Scandal 'and 'How to Get Away with Murder' showcase some of the best television visual effects that VFX Legion has created to date,” adds James David Hattin, the company’s founder, creative director, and senior VFX supervisor. “I’m very proud of all of the hard work that our team put into the crossover episodes, and the results we achieved. Watching the final shows on air was jaw-dropping.”


About VFX Legion/Los Angeles:
VFX Legion specializes in providing end-to-end visual effects services for episodic television and feature films. Launched in 2013 by founder, creative director, senior VFX supervisor, James David Hattin, the LA company’s veteran management team, a core group of senior talent, support staff, and a collective of over 70+ artists, consistently produce high-quality VFX, while meeting tight deadlines for multiple projects with ease.

Located in the epicenter of the film and television industry, VFX Legion provides studios with a full-service approach. Collaborating closely with producers, directors, DPs, camera operators, editors and post teams, the data gathered and input provided enables its team to maximize the efficiency of the production and postproduction process and get the most out of every budget.

The company’s TV credits include Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder, Madam Secretary Suits, El Chapo, Eye Candy, Revolution, and Gone, to name a few. Legion has also created the VFX for a steady stream of feature films, including Hardcore Henry, Sinister 2, The Purge: Election Year and The Purge: Anarchy.

For more information about VFX Legion call 818.736.5855.
CREDITS:
Project; VFX for 'Scandal' + 'How to Get Away with Murder' – Cross-Over Episodes
Show: Scandal; Episode: 'Allow Me to Introduce Myself'
Creator: Shonda Rhimes
Production Company: Shondaland, ABC Studios / LA
Director: Tony Goldwyn
Writer: Raamla Mohamed, Shonda Rhimes

Show: 'How to Get Away with Murder': Episode: 'Lahey vs. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania'
Creator: Peter Nowalk
Production Companies: Shondaland, ABC Studios / LA
Director: Zetna Fuentes
Writers: Morenike Balogun, Sarah L. Thompson

VFX Company: VFX Legion / LA
Creative Director/Senior VFX Supervisor: James David Hattin
VFX Supervisor: Matthew T. Lynn
Production Manager: Andrew Turner
VFX Head of Production: Nate Smalley
VFX Coordinator: Matthew Noren
VFX Coordinator: Lexi Sloan
CG Supervisor: Rommel S. Calderon
CG Layout: Alex Keller
CG Lighting: Bryan Shepperd
Tracking: Ruy Delgado
CG Modeling & Texturing: Ken Bishop
CG Modeling & Texturing: Trevor Harder
CG Dynamics: Mark Hennessy-Barrett (HTGAWM)

Compositing Supervisor: Daniel Short
Compositor: Nick Guth
Compositor: Bruce Harris
Compositor: Christopher Klassen
Compositor: Jonathan Reid
Compositor: Kevin Shawle
Compositor: Johan van Huyssteen
Compositor: Martha Soehendra (Scandal)
Compositor: John R. McConnell (Scandal)
Compositor: Evan James (Scandal)
Compositor: Allan Torp Jensen (HTGAWM)
Compositor: Brad Moylan (HTGAWM)
Compositor: Sam Scott (HTGAWM)
Compositor: Eugen Olson (HTGAWM)

Color Conform: Technicolor/LA

Music Company: Chop Shop Music/LA
Music Supervisor: Alexandra Patsavas

MADEIT CREDITS

  • Shondaland Productions/ABCClient
Project featured: on 19th March 2018

VFX Legion - VFX Created for 'Scandal' and 'How to Get Away with Murder' Crossover Episodes

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