Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1522701
o c t o b e r • n o v e m b e r • d e c e m b e r 2 0 2 2 c g w 7 v ampiric lore traditionally conjures up images of ancient ghoulish creatures tucked away in isolated Transylvanian castles, shrouded in secrecy. FX's What We Do in the Shad- ows puts a fresh spin on this classic narrative by document- ing the idiosyncratic exploits of four modern-day vampire roommates who call Staten Island home. Based on Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi's 2014 comedy/ horror film of the same name, the acclaimed mockumentary series follows the lives of Ottoman Empire warrior vampire Nandor the Re- lentless (Kayvan Novak), British noble vampire Leslie "Laszlo" Cra- vensworth (Matt Berry), Greek Romani vampire Nadja of Antipaxos (Natasia Demetriou), and energy vampire Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch)—a "day walker" who drains the life force from his unsus- pecting victims by being excessively dull. The foursome share a residence maintained by Nandor's endear- ingly underappreciated human familiar, Guillermo de la Cruz (Harvey Guillén), who struggles to balance his dream of becoming a vampire with his secret slaying superpowers—thanks to an ancestral link to legendary vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing. They also oen cross paths with an unnamed floating vampire known as The Guide (Kristen Schaal), who serves as an envoy to Staten Island's Vampiric Council. As the roommates navigate the challenges of modern life, they frequently clash with other supernatural entities—and with each other. With five seasons aired and a sixth confirmed, What We Do in the Shadows has racked up 21 Emmy nominations while garnering criti- cal acclaim and building a passionate fan base. Muse VFX played an essential role in bringing Season 5's visuals to life, delivering effects that run the gamut from entirely invisible to over-the-top outrageous. The boutique Hollywood, CA and Atlanta, GA-based visual effects company helped cra the season's most memorable moments, in- cluding the reappearance of Baby Colin—the infant offspring that burst from the energy vampire's chest on his 100th birthday—and a hilariously action-packed sequence in which Guillermo miraculously evades a precarious gauntlet of deadly booby traps. We connected with Muse VFX's Fred Pienkos (chief technology officer & VFX supervisor) and Stefan Bredereck (CG supervisor) for an inside look at the team's visual effects workflow for Season 5. Pi- enkos, who co-founded the company with senior VFX supervisor/ creative director John Gross in 2013, is known for his leadership and expertise in the realms of pipeline, color, and post-production tech- nologies. Bredereck, who has worked with Gross and Pienkos since 2006, specializes in smoke and explosion effects as well as look de- velopment, lighting, and compositing. Congratulations on Muse VFX's recent ten-year anniversary! Can you tell us a little about your history with the company? Fred Pienkos: John [Gross] and I formed Muse aer working to- gether for 14 years previously. The Muse team is a group of dedicated people that we've worked with for years. We love adding new people to our team, and our employee retention is usually very high. It's a team that has worked together for a while now and we all have a great shorthand with each other. It's weird now that we're all sort of multinational, spread across the United States, and it's harder to get together for parties. We'll Muse VFX is based in Hollywood, California and Atlanta, Georgia.