Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/834195
16 cgw m ay . j u n e 2 0 1 7 The Crown, available through Netflix, is a royal gem. It provides a history lesson about the still-reigning monarch Queen Elizabeth II as she uses a steady yet firm royal hand while on the throne, even when those around her may act less than regal at times. The production covers the queen as a 25-year-old newlywed in 1947, as she is faced with a declining empire during an unstable political time, and follows her to the present day. The Crown is expected to span 60 episodes over six seasons. Season 1, which has garnered a great deal of attention (receiving a Golden Globe for Best TV Dra- ma Series and recently a BAFTA Cra Award for Special, Visual and Graphic Effects), depicts events through 1955. Claire Foy, who plays the role of the queen in Season 1, also received a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a TV Drama. Indeed, the series is a realistic glimpse into this royal's life, yet visual effects were required nonetheless. This duty was com- pleted by One of Us, which was the sole VFX provider, covering all 428 effects shots over the first series. The facility is also han- dling the work on the second series. ENVIRONMENTS The VFX are primarily focused on creating a believable world to support the narrative. It was exclusively invisible, photoreal work, including digital set extensions, environ- ments, crowd replication, CG aircra, and a re-creation of Buckingham Palace. Among the range of environments One of Us created was one required for the coronation sequence in Episode 5. Shot on a greenscreen stage at Pinewood, it needed to look like the famed Westminster Abbey. It was not possible to film or take photos inside the sacred locale, even for refer- ence, making it even more challenging to replicate the grandiose scale of the abbey. Alternatively, the artists had to use online and archival information for reference during the reconstruct. Next, they used Ely Cathedral as a base on which to build the abbey for the scenes, following filming at the cathedral for the royal wedding in Episode 1. "So for the coro- nation, we ended up with an amalgamation between the two architecturally," says Ben Turner, VFX supervisor at One of Us. Other main environments included the Downing Street rooops in Episode 4 and the Buckingham Palace courtyard, which appears throughout the series. For the work, the artists used Autodesk's Maya and Banzai Pipeline's Enwaii for the pho- togrammetry. Compositing was done with The Foundry's Nuke. BUCKINGHAM PALACE The 3D crown jewel for the series was in fact Buckingham Palace, a 3D model com- prising 202,333 polygons. "We had many scenes across the series of people driving in and out of Buckingham Palace, and it's not possible to get access to film at the actual location," Turner explains. Thus, an archway set piece was built on the backlot of Elstree Studios for cars to drive through, and the artists added the rest. "The first series only covers a short period of time across the '40s and '50s, so the model was a much dirtier version additional shot showed the crowd from a distance of about a mile – from the perspective of an assassin. Moreover, "a lot of the effects we create for the show go by without the audience recognizing them as effects," says Hayden. FuseFX's work also includes such things as a CG aircra and enhancing gunfights. The work, says Hayden, is highly variable and story-specific. Additionally, he notes, the studio's shot list oen grows as epi- sodes move through production. "Designated Survivor is a very creative show; the producers and writers continue to refine and improve each episode virtu- ally through to delivery," Hayden explains. "We need to be on our toes so that we can react to new requests." Hayden adds that the studio is well prepared to accommodate such changes. "We have a very well developed pipeline that allows for changes without disrupting communication across the team of artists. It is something that this studio has prided itself on from its beginnings. Our workflow complements the television production process in ways that are efficient and deliver the best results." T he C r ow n