Digital content creation and delivery leader Deluxe Entertainment Group deploys its VFX workflow The Portal for STARZ’s original series adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s ‘American Gods.’
Bruce Langley as Technical Boy
LOS ANGELES -- STARZ’s original series American Gods adapts Neil Gaiman’s novel into a feast of visceral imagery. Developed by Bryan Fuller and Michael Green, and produced by FremantleMedia North America, the ambitious project features extensive visual effects, which were facilitated via The Portal, Deluxe’s cloud-based proprietary service. The Portal simplifies ingest and automates distribution of original camera plates to VFX vendors, dramatically reducing post production turnaround times. The Portal was part of overall post-production services provided for American Gods that included color grading at Deluxe’s Company 3, conform at Deluxe’s Encore and dailies via Deluxe Toronto.
From left to right: Kristin Chenoweth as Easter and Ian McShane as Mr. Wednesday.
The Portal allows VFX vendors to securely access files instantly through a web browser, once the VFX editor submits EDLs: an increasingly valuable capability as VFX for television productions become more sophisticated.
Familiar with The Portal’s capabilities from use on a feature film, American Gods VFX editor Shannon Leigh Olds decided to deploy for the television series. Deluxe worked with each VFX vendor to establish desired file sizes, formats and color spaces. Individual profiles were created so that shot selections submitted by the VFX editor would automatically appear in the preferred format for each vendor.
Pablo Schreiber as Mad Sweeney.
Deluxe’s creative and technical expertise brings a dark and unique, ultra-realistic aesthetic to the show. Company 3 Colorist Dave Hussey worked closely with executive producer David Slade and the Company 3 color science team to create Slade’s vision: complex color references essentially unachievable through traditional methods; a custom show node incorporating texture, grain and sharpness variation and LUT combinations that Hussey, Slade, and EPs Bryan Fuller and Michael Green then refined.
Comprising eight one-hour episodes, American Gods premiered on STARZ April 30, 2017.
Ricky Whittle as Shadow Moon (right).
Source: Deluxe
