Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1469382
a p r i l • m ay • j u n e 2 0 2 2 c g w 5 S ometimes the greatest journeys are born from the decision to leave everything behind and chart a course for the unknown. This is the path wealthy 18 th -century aristocrat Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby) takes in the hit HBO Max original comedy Our Flag Means Death. Created by David Jenkins and based loosely on a true story, the swashbuckling series follows Bonnet as he abandons his life of privilege to become a pirate and set sail on the high seas. Known as the "Gentleman Pirate", the woefully inexperienced Captain Bonnet leads a ragtag crew of buccaneers aboard his ship, the Revenge. Executive producer Taika Waititi also stars as Black- beard, a notoriously fearsome pirate who forges an unexpected bond with Bonnet. A virtual voyage With the show set on a pirate ship sur- rounded by the ocean, the most signifi- cant challenge was the task of creating an affordable yet robust production envi- ronment for the cast and crew. Cinema- tographer and VFX supervisor/producer Sam Nicholson, ASC developed a virtual production workflow to make principal photography for the series both man- ageable and cost-effective. Nicholson is also the founder of Stargate Studios, which has provided groundbreaking VFX and production services to hundreds of television series, feature films, and other media since its inception in 1989. In ad- dition to offering compositing, 3D, matte painting, and editorial services, the studio specializes in both computer-generated and photographic plate virtual production. Virtual production, which has become an increasingly effective alternative to on-location production or traditional green screen utilization, relies on what can be delivered on set in real-time. The goal of virtual production is to recreate reality. Through a combination of well-planned off-axis projection, interactive lighting, top-notch LED display operation, and clever cinematography, the illusion of reality can be achieved. If it feels real to the cast and crew, it will elevate the content and ultimately feel real to the viewer. Nicholson knew virtual production would be ideal for Our Flag Means Death aer completing the HBO comedy thriller series Run (2020), which takes place almost entirely in a virtual train environ- ment. "It's an extremely challenging concept to do an entire pirate series on the water, on a sound stage with no water," Nicholson ex- plains. "HBO is a very forward-thinking studio. We had just complet- ed Run, which was an entire series on a train where the train doesn't go anywhere. That was great, and it worked very well in virtual production. So we carried that forward. The HBO execs called and said, 'Can you do this? Is it possible?'" The 10-episode season would require a 14-week shoot on a sound stage with limited time for pre-production. "It's a half-hour comedy. It's not a hundred-million-dollar movie. So first of all, it has to make economic sense," Nicholson notes. "We only had six weeks of pre-production. I shot a test very early on before the show was greenlit when I first heard about it, which gave everybody the confidence that we could do it." Nicholson was very excited to collaborate with Waititi, who Courtesy of Stargate Studios Behind the scenes of the virtual production setup. Sam Nicholson captures plates with a 5-camera array rig.