Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Alkemy X Talks Creative Behind the Leftovers.

20/02/2015

The Leftovers Move Forward

The Guilty Remnant from HBO's The Leftovers may have taken a vow of silence, but luckily ALKEMY X has not, The New York -and Philadelphia-based visual effects company, acted as both on-set and post supervisor during the first season of the popular sci-fi drama based on Tom Perotta's book of the same name.

The series created by Damon Lindelof (Lost) and Perotta revolves around a small suburban town three years after two percent of the world's population has mysteriously disappeared. Justin Theroux stars as Captain Kevin Garvey tasked with trying to keep the peace between those who are struggling to move on with their lives and The Guilty Remnant (TGR), a chain-smoking, compulsively clad in all-white cult.

Ed Mendez, the Visual Effects Supervisor at ALKEMY X, and his team relied heavily on mocha Pro from Imagineer Systems to create invisible and seamless effects to help drive the dramatic story. We pretty much use mocha for all of our 2D tracking and a lot of our roto-masking. We import tracked data into Nuke, and do the compositing work inside there, says Mendez. It was a lot of fun to work on The Leftovers. The staff was really creative. Every episode presented our team with different creative and technical challenges.

Deer in the Headlights

A memorable image in the beginning of the series involves a roaming pack of wild dogs and an elusive deer on the suburban streets of upstate New York. We could not have a deer running around New York for obvious reasons, so we ended up digitally filming a deer on stage in California. Director, Damon Lindelof was very specific on how he wanted the deer to look on camera and where it's feet and head should be positioned, recalls Mendez. So, we ended up masking pieces of the different takes of the deer and Frankenstein compositing them together to build the deer's digital performance in that sequence with 2D techniques. mocha Pro was very handy for accurate planar tracking and making sure that the textures of the deer, the muscles would follow along. https://vimeo.com/118547399

Fire Safety

Another particularly complicated sequence from episode three Two Boats and a Helicopter called for ALKEMY X to get creative; and ended with a new technique and workflow. The scene is a flashback dream-like nightmare in which the town's Reverend (Jamison) catches on fire and becomes engulfed in flames. We shot multiple passes for this, notes Mendez. We shot the actor in the bed with no fire. Next we shot a pass of a stuntman wearing a suit and lighting him on fire, but he had these really big safety hands on. Then we shot a third pass with the stuntman wearing tight black gloves and added on our stock and CG elements. The producers wanted his hands to ignite first to act as the fire's catalyst, but also felt like the scene needed another element.

They wanted a burn texture to appear on him in the fire, continues Mendez. He's moving all around and we had to make it look like he was wearing almost black gloves. We used mocha to track the hands. The texture then animates and ascends up his arms.

We were trying to create a match move in 2D, where we could easily work with 2D elements to try to mimic what 3D rotation his hands and arms would have in the real world, adds Ruben Rodas, ALKEMY's 2D Supervisor. Rodas first used mocha Pro to solve 2D planar tracking. Next he combined 2D corner-pin projections and spine-warps using mocha Pro's ability to paste tracked masks directly to Nuke's warper. We essentially created our own match move in Nuke, explains Rodas. From there we were able to assign the textures that we wanted to match move and everything went for the ride as far the tracking data permitted.

mocha Pro's complementary workflow with The Foundry's Nuke plays a big part in ALKEMY's workflow. mocha Pro was extremely useful. It helped us develop a powerful and fast technique, states Rodas. We've used it in other sequences and other jobs. It has become part of our workflow. We just continue working with it. https://vimeo.com/118548131

VFX for Television

ALKEMY X continues to make a name for itself nationally and is carving out a niche in the growing area of high-end visual effects in television dramas including recent work on Starz series, Black Sails, and Power. The Leftovers team works out of ALKEMY X's New York office. https://vimeo.com/118549750

http://www.imagineersystems.com/case-studies/alkemyx/

For more on Alkemy X, please visit: www.alkemy-x.com

###
LINK: https://news.creativecow.net/story/878316...
See more stories from creativecow

Most recent headlines

04/08/2024

Dalet Appoints Santiago Solanas as CEO to Lead Next Era of Growth and Innovation

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....

03/06/2024

Dalet and Veritone Reach Agreement to Distribute, Transact and Monetize Media Archives

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...

31/05/2024

Orange County Expansion Helps Aerojet Rocketdyne Boost Solid Rocket Motor Production

A U.S. Marine fires an FIM-92 Stinger missile during a training exercise in Yuma...

31/05/2024

IAB Tech Lab Expands Open Measurement SDK Capabilities to Support Samsung and LG TVs

NEW YORK The global body that sets technical standards for digital advertising h...

31/05/2024

Study: Max, Apple TV+ Have Fewest 'Committed Customers'

In a new analysis of what services might make up a good bundle and what services might benefit the most from bundling, Antenna has released new data that highli...

31/05/2024

Report: Older SVOD Subscribers Unfazed by Price Hikes Will Drive Revenue Growth

Global SVOD revenues will increase by $116.6 billion by 2031, a growth rate of 13.3% per year over the next eight years, according to a new report from MIDiA Re...

31/05/2024

FCC Media Bureau Incorporates 2020 Census Data into TVStudy Software

WASHINGTON, D.C. The FCC Media Bureau has announced that effective August 1, 2024 the Commission's TVStudy software will incorporate the most recent U.S. Ce...

31/05/2024

NBCU's FAST Channel TNBC to Rebrand as NBC Comedy Vault

NBCUniversal has announced that its FAST channel TNBC will be rebranding to NBC Comedy Vault on June 1 and that the free streaming service will officially launc...

31/05/2024

TVRI Taps Ateme for Transition to 4K UHD OTT Streaming

PARIS Ateme has announced that the Indonesian public broadcaster TVRI is making the transition to 4K UHD OTT streaming using Ateme technologies....

31/05/2024

Marlow Film Studios considering next steps' as council blocks plans

The proposal had received support from James Cameron, Andy Serkis, Paul Greengrass, Richard Curtis, and Jeremy Irons By Matthew Corrigan Published: May 31, 2...

31/05/2024

Skydance submits new Paramount Global bid, Sony talks still progressing'

According to multiple reports, the new bid from Skydance offers a better deal to Paramounts Class B shareholders, who were said to be unhappy with the companys ...

31/05/2024

2024 Rise Awards open for entries

The awards recognise women and companies who are stand-out performers, innovators and leaders in the broadcast media technology industry By Matthew Corrigan ...

31/05/2024

Samsung, LG Adopt IAB Software Kit for CTV Ad Measurement

NEW YORK The global body that sets technical standards for digital advertising has expanded the reach of its measurement software development kit to include Sam...

31/05/2024

The Old Investment Cycles of Broadcast Technology are Being Run Over'

The rise of digital platforms is fundamentally changing the broadcast newsroom and its investment in technology according to Jon Roberts, director of technology...

31/05/2024

Study: Max, Apple TV Have Fewest 'Committed Customers'

In a new analysis of what services might make up a good bundle and what services might benefit the most from bundling, Antenna has released new data that highli...

31/05/2024

State Broadcasters Urge Passage of Broadcast VOICES Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. Fifty state broadcasters associations, including the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, have sent a letter to Congressio...

31/05/2024

EVS Names Richard Katz SVP Operations for NALA region

EVS has announced the appointment of Richard Katz as senior vice president of operations for the North and Latin American (NALA) region. This appointment is par...

31/05/2024

CommScope to Buy Cable Business Assets of Casa Systems for $45.1M

CommScope has announced that it was selected by Casa Systems, Inc. as the highest to acquire Casa's cable business assets and that the two companies have en...

31/05/2024

NAB Withdraws De Niro's Service Award

Robert De Niro won't be receiving the Service to America Leadership Award from the NAB Leadership Foundation after all....

31/05/2024

Viant Integrates With Google Cloud's BigQuery Clean Rooms

Viant Technology said it formed an integration with Google Cloud's BigQuery data clean rooms...

31/05/2024

The CW To Broadcast Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl

The CW said it will broadcast the 2024 Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl presented by Gin & Juice by Dre and Snoop Last year, The CW aired the game when it was called Bar...

31/05/2024

Allen Media Makes Carriage Deal With Amazon Fire Channels

Allen Media Group said it made a deal with Amazon's Fire TV Channel that will make content from several of Allen's outlet available via Fire TV and Echo...

31/05/2024

Robert De Niro Will Not Receive Service to America Award

Robert De Niro, announced as the winner of the NAB's Leadership Foundation's Service to America Leadership Award on May 28, will not get the award. The ...

31/05/2024

Comcast Technology Solutions To Manage Channels for AccuWeather

Comcast Technology Solutions was selected by AccuWeather to create, manage and distribute linear and over-the-top video channels....

31/05/2024

Attention to Connected TV Ads Grew in Q1, TVision Study Finds

Connected TV is becoming a bigger deal for consumers and advertisers, according to a new report from TVision....

31/05/2024

VEON discloses April YTD trading update at its AGM

31 May 2024 VEON discloses April YTD trading update at its AGM Amsterdam, 31 May 2024 07:00 CEST - VEON April YTD 2024 Highlights Total revenue of USD 1,278 ...

31/05/2024

VEON Announces Its New Board, Names Founder Augie Fabela as Chairman

31 May 2024 VEON Announces Its New Board, Names Founder Augie Fabela as Chairman Amsterdam, 31 May 2024, 16.00 CET: VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON, Euronext Amsterdam...

31/05/2024

Tribeca Festival and Open AI Announce Sora Shorts

May 31st, 2024 TRIBECA FESTIVAL AND OPEN AI ANNOUNCE SORA SHORTS' Five Commissioned Short Films Created Using Sora Debut at 2024 Tribeca Festival New ...

31/05/2024

In-Venue Technology Wrap-Up: How 4K, IP, and More are Changing the Game Pres Game

In-Venue Technology Wrap-Up: How 4K, IP, and More are Changing the Game Pres Gam...

31/05/2024

UEFA Champions League Final 2024: The Facts and Figures Behind This Weekend's Knockout Between Real Madrid CF and Borussia Dortmund

UEFA Champions League Final 2024: The host broadcast facts and figures for Real ...

31/05/2024

UEFA Europa Conference League Final 2024: Bringing the Broadcast to Global TV Screens With the Production Facts

UEFA Europa Conference League Final 2024: Bringing the broadcast to global TV sc...

31/05/2024

Willow Offers Free 2024 ICC T20 Cricket World Cup Preview via DirecTV, Verizon, Optimum

Willow Offers Free 2024 ICC T20 Cricket World Cup Preview via DirecTV, Verizon, ...

31/05/2024

Women's College World Series: ESPN Brings Live Drone, Two-Point Cabled, and Cinematic On-Field Cameras to Oklahoma City

Women's College World Series: ESPN Brings Live Drone, Two-Point Cabled, and ...

31/05/2024

SVG College Summit Brings Video-Production Industry Together in Atlanta in the Midst of Unprecedented Change

SVG College Summit Brings Video-Production Industry Together in Atlanta in the M...

31/05/2024

UEFA Champions League Final 2024: CBS Sports' UCL Today Studio Show Is Pitchside at Wembley Stadium

UEFA Champions League Final 2024: CBS Sports' UCL Today Studio Show Is Pitch...

31/05/2024

Master of the House' Unveils a Scandalous Tale of Power and Greed on July 18

Back to All News Master of the House' Unveils a Scandalous Tale of Power and Greed on July 18 Entertainment 31 May 2024 GlobalThailand Link copied to ...

31/05/2024

JEEtu Bhaiya is Back: Kota Factory' Season 3 Arrives on Netflix June 20

Back to All News JEEtu Bhaiya is Back: Kota Factory' Season 3 Arrives on Netflix June 20 Entertainment 31 May 2024 GlobalIndia Link copied to clipboar...

31/05/2024

Thales has completed the sale of its Ground Transportation Systems business

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn With around 9,000 employees, Ground Transportation Systems is a global leader in Rail Signaling and Train Control Systems, Telec...

31/05/2024

RT 2FM is the home of music this summer

RT 2FM is the home of music this summer, entertaining listeners across the day and night, with the best music, chat and interviews providing the soundtrack to ...

31/05/2024

NVIDIA Grace Hopper Superchip Accelerates Murex MX.3 Analytics Performance, Reduces Power Consumption

After the 2008 financial crisis and increased risk-management regulations that f...

31/05/2024

RT Supporting the Arts: What's On this June

RT Supporting the Arts: What's On this June Watch our promo: RT Supporting the Arts | What's on YouTube This June, RT is delighted to support Lim...

30/05/2024

When to Upgrade Software or Firmware

When to Upgrade Software or Firmware This post is from our blog and news archive. The information may be out of date. Please contact us for further information ...

30/05/2024

The City of San Jose Chooses Utah ScientificAgain!

The City of San Jose Chooses Utah Scientific Again! This post is from our blog and news archive. The information may be out of date. Please contact us for furth...

30/05/2024

Empowering Media Leaders: Transformative Insights from the Executive Learning Series

Navigating Strategy, Ethics, and Innovation in the evolving European media lands...

30/05/2024

Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Thea Hvistendahl, the Filmmaker Behind Handling the Undead

By Bailey Pennick One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festi...

30/05/2024

CHOOSE CHICAGO, CITY OF CHICAGO ANNOUNCE PROGRAMMING DETAILS OF SUNDANCE INSTITUTE X CHICAGO 2024 (June 28 - 30)

Tickets are now available for the first-of-its-kind event in the United States f...

30/05/2024

UNICEF and Spotify's Award-Winning Mental Health Hub, Our Minds Matter, Comes to Latin America

Mental health and well-being are fundamental components of a child's healthy...

30/05/2024

After 64 days, the winner of Alone Australia has been revealed

After 64 days, the winner of Alone Australia has been revealed 29 May, 2024 Media releases *Contains Spoilers* After 64 days alone in the extreme and wild...

30/05/2024

Alone Australia finale delivers strongly as SBS confirms it will join VOZ streaming

Alone Australia finale delivers strongly as SBS confirms it will join VOZ stream...