Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1277231
44 cgw e d i t i o n 2 , 2 0 2 0 more difficult as we started doing more and more big-scale environment work," Jacobson explains. "Houdini is a great tool for assem- bling very complex digital builds. Also, the integration is so smooth, having everything in one package [for effects and worldbuilding]. Our effects TDs can do setups and provide them to our lighters to refine certain aspects. It's a lean approach, getting everyone using the same soware." In addition to Maya, the artists at ILP use Autodesk's Mudbox and occasionally Blender, as well as Foundry's Mari for textur- ing. They also employ asset libraries, such as Quixel's Megascans for high-detailed scanned models. Compositing is done in Foundry's Nuke, and rendering is achieved in Arnold. "It's integrated into Houdini, so we didn't have to switch to a new render engine while we were making this big [soware] transition," Jacobson points out. As stunning as the Mimasery envi- ronments are, the most difficult set, in Paterson's opinion, is toward the end of the episode, when the Pact soldiers arrive in zeppelins and begin to shoot the faeries from the sky as they hurl Molotov cocktails at the soldiers. An all-out battle rages as the sky fills with airships, which rain destruction down on the monastery. "We built the airships that are wreaking havoc in the Mimasery. The fight includes effects work such as fires and explosions, as well as digital doubles and the blimps themselves, plus the destruction," Jacobson points out. Whenever we see the action from the airship's point of view, the shots are com- pletely digital. "We're seeing the top of the mountain and the Mimasery, with all the faeries and the Burgue soldiers in the court- yard below, and it's all-CG," says Paterson. "There's a tiny postage stamp of practical people in the courtyard, but everything else – all the faeries flying out, the mountain, the trees, the snow – it's all created by ILP. They built the whole mountaintop, really. It's beautiful." As Jacobson points out, ILP has tackled some amazing creature and other type of work since it was founded 12 years ago, but for the past three to four years has been called on to do larger-scale environments, culminating in what he calls "a milestone in an environment build for us" on Carnival Row. Pushing Boundaries Some recent streaming and television series, including Carnival Row, are pushing the quality and quantity of visual effects like never before – a trend mastered by Game of Thrones, also known for its the massive scope of work. And, Paterson is aware of the comparisons being made between the two fantasy series. "It's rare that you get a show where you're doing this type of creature work in addition to these environments," she says of Carnival Row. "And the environments themselves are much more complex than you usually do for television." Amazon Prime Video dropped the entire first season of Carnival Row simultaneously, though the VFX teams work on a staggered delivery for the episodes. Still, all the teams had what Paterson describes as a fairly long post on the series, and even did a bit of added editorial work at the very end. Overall, the visual effects teams had an average of 16 weeks per episode, and since they are being done concurrently, some of the shots were completed quickly while others were in process nearly the entire time. For Episode 3, however, ILP was in production for nearly nine months. And, the results show the effort that was taken. The episode is a visually stunning piece, but it also gives audiences a much-ap- preciated backstory for these two main characters, as well as context for the faeries' struggle in the series' present day. The Season 1 finale solves a number of the series' central mysteries, but it also sets the stage for the growing inequality and tension among the humans and the creatures as we enter Season 2. Karen Moltenbrey is the chief editor of CGW. ILP craed an extensive digital environment, including rock, snow, and smoke. A partial practical set at the Mimasery. ILP orchestrated a complex battle scene using CGI.