22 August, 2019 - 08:02
FX Legion recently completed a complex mix of visual effects for History Channels new docudrama mini-series, The Food that Made America. The Burbank-based company worked on every phase of the production, from start to finish. Its team was on-site during locations scouting and on-set during production in New York, all the way through the final delivery of a show open assigned during the eleventh hour of production.
Produced by Lucky 8 out of New York, The Food that Built America tells the stories of visionaries - such as Milton Hershey, John and Will Kellogg, Henry Heinz, C.W. Post, the McDonald brothers - who built the brands and invented the technology that revolutionized the food industry. The docudrama recounts these titans roles in the reshaping of the countrys culinary landscape at the turn of the century, using dramatic reenactments that replicate the look of the period with spot-on accuracy.
Among VFX Legions most challenging tasks was building out present-day structures with large-scale set extension to recreate warehouses and factories from a by-gone era. Legion stepped in to meet another challenge when the plates originally shot didnt show off the Hershey factory and surrounding landscape to their best advantage. Its team built a fully digital replica of the factory and the vast landscape surrounding it - from the ground up. The shot recreated the style of the period architecture, as well as the documentary-like feel of the series.
Luck 8s Creative Director Yoshi Stone worked closely with Legions LA In-house VFX Supervisor Matthew Lynn and Creative Director James Hattin. They developed the look of the sets based on the technical scout sessions that VFX Legions New York-based On-Set Supervisor Eric Pascarelli attended.
Pascarelli made sure that Luck 8 had the shots Legions artists needed back in Burbank. The detailed descriptions and measurements of each shoot that he provided ensured that they got it right the first time and were able to turn around the all of the visual effects quickly and cost-effectively. VFX Legion used Zoom video conferencing to collaborate during every phase of the production, and to go over the continually evolving plan of action and ensure that the teams on both coasts were always on the same page.
Late in the game, Legion to create the show open graphics package. The team pitched a number of designs and styles of both treatments and logos. The companys LA team designed and animated the open, and fine-tuned it based on the clients editorial decisions.
The Food That Built America was a fixed cost show because of the way it was structured, says Hattin, Legions founder. It required the kind of practical solutions that our pioneering pipeline and forward-thinking approach to visual effects production was created to handle.
Working on a docudrama with Lucky 8, a New York-based company thats produced a prestigious roster of documentaries, was a great experience, adds Hattin. History Channel is home to a continuing line-up of documentaries and docudramas that captivate and engross audiences with dynamic programming about the past and present. Legions team really enjoyed and appreciated the opportunity to work in this genre.
VFX Legion used a mix of equipment to create the shots for the series, including The Foundrys Nuke for compositing, Adobe Photoshop for matte painting, Redshift for 3D rendering, Autodesks Shotgun for project management, Autodesks Maya for 3D lighting and animation, motion graphic design was created using Adobe After Effects/Illustrator and Signiant Media Shuttle was used to transfer files.
For additional information about VFX Legion LA/B.C. and its services, visit www.VFXLegion.com, call 818-736-5855, or email contact@VFXLegion.com.
CREDITS:
Title: The Food That Built America
Type: VFX for Mini-Series/Docudrama
Airdates: August 11-13/History
Client: History Channel / NYC
Executive Producer: Jim Pasquarella
Executive Producer: Mary E. Donahue
Executive VP and Head of Programming: Eli Lehrer
Produced by: Lucky 8 / NYC
Director: Nick White
Executive Producers: Yoshi Stone, Greg Henry, Kim Woodard, Isaac Holub
Visual Effects by: VFX Legion / LA, B.C
Creative Director: James David Hatting
VFX Supervisor/Show Open: Matthew T. Lynn
On-Set VFX Supervisor/NY: Eric Pascarelli
3D Supervisor: Rommel S. Calderon
CG Dynamics: Eric Ebling
Compositing: Nick Guth
Compositing: Brad Moylan
Compositing: Eugen Olsen
Camera Tracking: Guy Delgado
Pipeline Tools: Brandon Rachal
Matte Painting: Marc Adamson
Matte Painting: Christian Haley
Matte Painting: Jim Hawkins
Matte Painting: Eric Mattson
Matte Painting: Yvonne Muinde
VFX Coordinator: Lexi Sloan
VFX Coordinator: Amanda VanDeCar
Bookkeeping: Michaela OBrien
Embedded video for VFX Legion Creates Effects For The Food That Built America on History Channel
Television
Americas United States
SJ Golden, vfxlegionla@yahoo.com
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/07/2026
Broadcast Management Group (BMG) has announced the appointment of Kathy Samuels ...
01/07/2026
Shade has announced Custom Objects and Automations, a platform expansion releasing June 29, 2026, that adds database and workflow automation capabilities direct...
01/07/2026
FOR-A America has announced the addition of Jaz Wray and Fernando Cruz to its U.S. sales team. Both report to Ernie Leon, Senior VP and Head of Sales and Strate...
01/07/2026
NBC Sports will air all 15 MLB games nationally on Sunday, July 5, across NBC, P...
01/07/2026
Clear-Com has announced a wireless communications upgrade for Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune, deploying FreeSpeak II and FreeSpeak Icon systems across both prod...
01/07/2026
England's performance team will use Sony's STATSports APEX GPS tracking system to monitor player physical data in real time during FIFA World Cup 2026 m...
01/07/2026
Adder Technology has announced the appointment of Neil Hillier as Chief Executive Officer, effective July 1, 2026. Hillier succeeds Adrian Dickens, who transiti...
01/07/2026
Bitcentral, Inc. has announced a strategic transaction creating two separate companies. The Production and Playout business will continue as Bitcentral, now own...
01/07/2026
DAZN has announced results from DAZN48, its creator initiative for the FIFA World Cup 2026. Launched in April 2026, the program received thousands of applicatio...
01/07/2026
Sarah Rose, VP, global services, Daktronics (NASDAQ: DAKT), will be inducted into the Information Display and Entertainment Association (IDEA) Hall of Fame at t...
01/07/2026
Gravity Media and the World Economic Forum's production team provided broadc...
01/07/2026
Insight Productions has announced the launch of Insight Storm, a 53-foot mobile broadcast unit built for esports production. The truck is built around a Ross Vi...
01/07/2026
ESPN has announced several content initiatives marking America's 250th anniversary, as part of The Walt Disney Company's Disney Celebrates America pro...
01/07/2026
Eleven production kits, REMI workflows, and cloud distribution bring 40 World Cu...
01/07/2026
The conference also discussed the opportunities offered an industry that is endu...
01/07/2026
The Mountain West Conference has announced the launch of MW , a direct-to-consumer streaming platform powered by Kiswe. The platform will carry live Mountain We...
01/07/2026
New AI Assistant, Multi-channel Audio, ARA2 improvements & more
Tracktion's DAW software has just received its latest major update, gaining a selection ...
01/07/2026
Stammering, stuttering, strangulated tones
The Crow Hill Company's latest creation promises to be the most original sound set they've produced to d...
01/07/2026
Exclusive run of limited-edition modelling pedals
Sweetwater and Andertons M...
01/07/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce that the ca...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Manfrotto Introduces UNCOVER, the new premium camera bag collection for modern h...
01/07/2026
Blackmagic Design Powers Houston Tamil Sangam Literacy Competition
Brie Clayton July 1, 2026
0 Comments
Volunteers use ATEM Mini Pro, Blackmagic Desig...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
PlayBox Technology has published State of Broadcast Infrastructure 2026, an in-depth industry research report examining the technologies, operational challenges...
01/07/2026
LONDON, UK, 1 JULY Jigsaw24 has appointed Alan Henry as Head of Sales for Media and Entertainment, reinforcing its continued investment in helping broadcaster...
01/07/2026
Content Vault, the patent-pending secure content distribution platform protecting high-value media from disclosures, theft and unauthorised access, today announ...
01/07/2026
Bitcentral, Inc. a leading provider of enterprise software and digital media solutions for news, sports and entertainment broadcasters, as well as streaming pla...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Groundbreaking First Nations Screen Business Accelerator launched through nation...
01/07/2026
Chyron Launches the All-New Chyron Academy: A Reimagined, Hands-On Learning Expe...
01/07/2026
Amplium Captures Kawasaki Brave Thunders Game with Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersiv...
01/07/2026
Boris FX Optics Expands Plugin Support to Apple Photos, Capture One, and Affinit...
01/07/2026
UKTV has today announced the appointment of Matt Berry to the newly created role of General Manager - Marketing, effective 1 July.
Matt will take on this senio...
01/07/2026
Sky Zero Footprint Fund-backed TV campaign featuring Deborah Meaden challenges consumers to rethink everyday bathroom wasteWednesday 1 July 2026
Fussy asks Bri...
01/07/2026
Constituency-level analysis reveals where girls miss out most on sport - and where targeted action could unlock more than £640 million in economic and health be...
01/07/2026
Wuppertal July 1, 2026
Riedel and SKAARHOJ Expand Collaboration With SimplyLive IntegrationRiedel Communications today announced an expanded collaboration wit...
01/07/2026
Apple today introduced power-packed updates to Apple Creator Studio, a groundbre...
22 August, 2019 - 08:02 
