Watch the breakdown real showcasing how the visual effects studio delivered 500 shots on the Paramount+ series, based on the novel ‘The Blue’ by Lucy Clarke, creating a foreboding seascape for the fleeing friends who find themselves in dangerous waters with seemingly ‘no escape.’
Vine FX delivered 500 shots for the Paramount+ series No Escape, the seven-part series launched on the streamer last month. Based on the bestselling novel “The Blue” by Lucy Clarke, the show follows two best friends as they flee the U.K. police, seeking refuge on a yacht in Southeast Asia. Finding themselves in a series of crises, the friends — Lana and Kitty — end up trapped in perilous waters with seemingly no escape.
Tasked with creating the look and feel of the vast Asian oceans, where the friend’s nomadic journey unfolds, the VFX team enhanced land masses that seemingly enveloped the yacht in the depths of an “almost endless” environment, creating a sense of isolation.
As the project grew, so did the effects requirements; the Vine FX team created storm sequences that appeared to tear through the yacht - including the development of a CG ocean full of crashing waves, seafoam, mist, rain, and fog across more than 80 shots. The threatening look resulted from carefully layered FX geometry and uniquely crafted elements that integrated with the intensity of live-action material. Careful direction on location helped the team produce a range of assets to blend seamlessly with the footage.
“The client was happy for us to take the lead with the storm development,” said 3D supervisor Pedrom Dadgostar. “We had a lot of room to be creative in our approach, which allowed us to explore new ways of doing things — including working with CG creatures to add life to the oceans.”
Vine FX modeled, animated, and composited a school of CG stingrays contributing to the authenticity of the scenes — showcased in shots both above and beneath the water's surface. The asset team focused on developing realistic movements, working closely with director Hans Herbots to ensure appearance and motion accuracy.
“It’s important to prepare meticulously for this kind of asset creation,” continued Pedrom. “Having the latitude from the client team was vital here. In much the same way as we approach invisible effects work, creatures need to blend perfectly with their environment to avoid pulling the audience out of the narrative.”
Now part of most productions, invisible VFX is seen (or not..) throughout No Escape in CG sails, mountainous set extensions, towns, and even characters falling from cliffs. The team used a digi-double approach rather than live-action stunts to achieve the latter.
“Blending CG into a live-action shot needs to look realistic to ensure continuity,” commented lead compositor Alesja Surubkina. “We work carefully to ensure that none of the VFX work we do can be seen by the audience. It’s not about making that side of things obvious. It’s the opposite.”
Watch the No Escape before and after breakdown reel:
No Escape is produced by Living Films for Paramount+ and is available to stream now.
Source: Vine FX
Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.
