Army ants attack Eastwick Historical Society head Bun (Veronica Cartwright) on the day Darryl Van Horne (Paul Gross) arrives in town. The swarming anthill was animated by Entity FX's David Alexander using a custom script in Maya.

BD: What tools did you use?

EJ: We use Maya and a proprietary script that was created to produce the large amount of ants. Compositing falls within After Effects, Flame and Nuke and 3D tracking in boujou and PFTrack.

BD: What were some of the other noteworthy effects?

EJ: We've been called upon to create CG rain, which was incorporated into a dry environment.  We've also done an ice effect that shows up in an unexpected location.  There's an upcoming episode where the plot point called for a lunar effect known as Luna Solvo, which is based on the moon’s close proximity to the earth. It's like this massive thing in the sky and has an effect on all the residents of Eastwick. This [phenomenon] happens every 90 or so years and should make for a night to remember.

And then there are also the magical powers these women have. Sometimes the magic needs to be grounded in such a way that it makes the viewer do a double take, questioning if what they just saw is real or sleight of hand.  One example would be the coin toss. The three women toss coins above a fountain and the coins clink together at the last moment. It's a very iconic moment and a complex shot to implement at the same time.

An upcoming episode calls for a lunar effect known as Luna Solvo, which is based on the moon’s close proximity to the earth.

BD: How was that achieved? 

EJ: Plate photography, 3D tracking, replicating the actual real coins used on the show and then animation on top of the background plates. These all needed to coincide with what the director, David Nutter, envisioned in terms of how that appears magical in the execution of the scene.

BD: Do you previs?

EJ: Yes, we set up the whole shot as a previs prior to the shoot so we could get a feel for timing and composition, as well as technical execution of the shot.  As we were shooting, we could call this previs up and make determining answers to what we should be using like camera lens focal information or how deep the camera crane is from the street, the type of move or even how fast the move should be to really affect and maximize the potential of the shot. Having a really nice previs not only got everyone in sync but also helped achieve the shot with the maximum effect.

BD: So, what else can we look forward to throughout the season?

EJ: Our effects are used to introduce some of the magical powers that these women have or are in the midst of discovering You know, this is a new show, so the audience isn't really privy to the capabilities or magic these women have to offer. But the effects are there to complement the storyline, and we look forward to introducing more and more of these capabilities throughout the season. We've enjoyed the creative freedom to have input. David Nutter and Maggie Friedman, the writer, really support this process. So it's great to offer up these ideas and have some of them accepted into the show.

Bill Desowitz is senior editor of AWN & VFXWorld.