Focus on Daniel Cohen, the Compositing Supervisor, at the Emmy Awards 2021
In the midst of the pandemic, the second season of The Umbrella Academy was released, marking a transition to remote work for the VFX team at Spin VFX. Led by compositing supervisor Daniel Cohen, the team tackled complex visual effects with the help of Boris FX products.
Spin VFX used Boris FX's Sapphire for many effects, including time travel portals and massive shots. Sapphire was instrumental in creating an organic look for the time travel portals, while Mocha Pro was frequently employed for tracking and rotoscoping. The mesh tool in Mocha Pro has been incorporated into Spin VFX's workflow, aiding in the isolation and grade of elements like skin, eyes, and pupils for characters such as Vanya/Lila, and adding glowing effects and bright light sources.
The team's efforts have earned them an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Special Visual Effects Single Episode for their work on Netflix's The Umbrella Academy 2 (Episode "743"). The team is thrilled about the nomination, having put a lot of care, effort, and time into each shot.
One of the significant challenges faced during the production of The Umbrella Academy Season 2 was the two-minute opening battle sequence, which involved 7 segments stitched together, a CG set, and numerous effects. Another major hurdle was episode 10, the final battle sequence in the field, due to weather conditions, recreating the environment, and keeping it consistent between shots.
Despite the transition to remote work, the team at Spin VFX managed to deliver high-quality VFX. The transition was supported by the use of tools like Boris FX products, which saved countless hours by streamlining their workflow and reducing the need for involvement from the camera department. The team also overcame the learning curve involved with giving artists proper feedback during the remote work transition, thanks to the support of Netflix and the efforts of their systems department.
Silhouette is another important tool in Spin VFX's workflow, used for extremely complicated cleanup. The use of these tools, combined with the team's expertise and dedication, has resulted in the stunning VFX seen in The Umbrella Academy Season 2.
[References] [1] Laurent Spillemaecker, Instagram Posts, 2020. Available: https://www.instagram.com/laurentspillemaecker/ [2] Laurent Spillemaecker, Twitter Posts, 2020. Available: https://twitter.com/laurentspillema [3] Laurent Spillemaecker, LinkedIn Posts, 2020. Available: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurent-spillemaecker-4b5b6b10/
Spin VFX combined technology like Boris FX's Sapphire and Mocha Pro with their expertise to create organic time travel portals and transform elements like characters' skin, eyes, and pupils in The Umbrella Academy Season 2. The remote work transition, supported by tools such as Boris FX products, enabled Spin VFX to maintain a high-quality lifestyle in their visual effects production, resulting in an Emmy-nominated work.
