14 cgw m ay . j u n e 2 0 1 7
L OCAT ION,
L OCAT ION,
L OCAT ION !
CG-altered environments set the stage for
a pair of TV series
By Karen Moltenbrey
ot everything appears as it seems on television. Sometimes
an environment is so imaginative that it can only exist
thanks to computer graphics. Other times, CGI is used to
sell a realistic locale to television audiences, whether for conve-
nience, cost, or some other reason.
In the case of two television series in the spotlight, CGI and VFX
helped establish vital story lines. In Designated Survivor, 3D imagery
destroys the US Capitol, an event that is at the heart of this political
series that just ended its first season. In the award-winning
The Crown, CGI re-created famous British landmarks as they were
in the early years of the queen's reign, as opposed to their appear-
ance today.
While the shows take place in two different time periods, they both
attempt to establish believable settings that are familiar to many.
N
Karen Moltenbrey is the chief editor of CGW.