Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1277231
e d i t i o n 2 , 2 0 2 0 c g w 4 7 scan of a quarry using photogrammetry drones and used it to create a high-reso- lution model to import into Unreal Engine. To this, the group added additional models and textures to complete the real-time mock-up. The previs enabled the director and pro- ducers to explore the conceptual environ- ment and make key decisions concerning the scale of the buildings and the set. The previs also aided in the storytelling aspect, so even though the area was called Trolle- sund Port, not all the action had to take place dockside, providing more flexibility for constructing the set, which was then extended digitally. The environments are complicated, but a good deal of the series' budget from the start went toward the complexity of the daemons, which were photoreal, not styl- ized. Aer all, the characters are a big part of the story. "His Dark Materials and Black Mirror have an air of fantasy and science fiction [respectively], but there's also a reality, a grounding, and that's the space where we fit well," says May. "And, they have a ra of very complicated, weird, and wonderful challenges that we aim to solve." Another critical piece of previs the com- pany provided was for a fight between two of the series' armored polar bears. Episode 7, called "The Fight to the Death," involves mortal combat between Lyra's friend, Iorek Byrnison, and the usurping king Iofur Raknison. According to Jamie Childs, who directed the episode, being able to exper- iment with a virtual camera on a set that did not yet exist enabled him to explore the best camera angles to maximize the scene's believability. "I wanted to walk around and look at the bear fight because I wanted that fight to feel like it was a real fight being shot, not a CG fight," says Childs. "I could actually do that with Unreal. I could move around that room physically, get the camera in the position I wanted, and see on my camera monitor what was going on, and record those shots and cut it together – and that was really freeing for a director." According to Childs, the sensation reminded him of his early days learning his cra, when he would go out and just film things to try them out, letting his creativity find the essence of the story. "I didn't really Using Painting Practice's Plan V. A visual comparison of work in Unreal (le) vs. broadcast footage (right). A sample of a video plan involving the characters in the popular series. Unreal Engine enables the director and showrunners to plan out scenes.