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j u ly • a u g u s t • s e p t e m b e r 2 0 2 2 c g w 3 9 We also experimented with different rendering speeds to make the animation feel correct with the proper amount of motion blur. There were all kinds of variables." The careful preparation paid off. "On production day, I sat with an iPad next to the techs who were driving the video sequence and gave them direction. It worked so well, we were able to shoot normally," observes Pontikos. "It was just a matter of getting the ex- posure right and ensuring that the speed was correct. We also had to make sure the direction of the train was right and the timing of its arrival in the station was correct. In the end, it felt perfectly real." Series director and executive producer Alex Buono was im- pressed. "All we had to say was 'start the subway,' and the seamless illusion of a moving car appeared," he recalls. "We could choose the speed of the car, which platforms we pass, and when other cars would stream by. Trying to do that with a real subway would have been insane." Buono adds that the illusion benefitted the actors' performanc- es. "It was a very organic experience for them," he notes. "It's a lot to ask of actors to be 'in the moment' when they are on a green screen stage surrounded by fake surfaces, but inside this LED world it was easy for them to believe they were in a moving car." Break+Enter also created numerous invisible effects for scenes set in the past. The series includes a subplot set in subterranean sections of Cold War Berlin that were shot in Budapest, the site of continental Europe's oldest electrified underground railway system. Artists altered signage, removed modern features, and performed other detailed work to make the environment look like underground parts of the former East German capital. Regentin was on the set both in New York and Budapest, over- seeing the execution of visual effects shots. "We shot for a month in Budapest and got into some amazing locations you wouldn't find anywhere else," he recalls. "We were in tunnels deep below the ground and in cisterns with water up to our waists. In post, we used visual effects to heighten the unique aesthetics of those locations, adding lighting to give them an otherworldly feel." Throughout the project, Break+Enter worked hand in hand with Lyonne, Buono, and other members of the production staff to devise ways to add to the show's comically trippy atmosphere. "Na- tasha and Alex were amazing partners," Regentin says. "They leaned into the visual effects process and included us in the conversation" Buono says that given the new season's high concept, a tight- knit relationship with the visual effects provider was crucial. "Time travel is a big part of the narrative, and the visual effects were essential to creating that illusion in a convincing way," he concludes. "Break+Enter worked with us as partners in figuring out how to make it happen. They helped us turn back the clock on Astor Pace and make it the '80s again." Both seasons of Russian Doll are now available on Netflix. ¢