Archive notice: This article was originally published on November 21, 2008. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
This fall’s television schedule features content created with the full range of entertainment solutions from Autodesk, Inc. From Mad Men and Sons of Anarchy to NCIS, Entourage, Smallville, Pushing Daisies and Stargate: Atlantis, Autodesk media and entertainment technology has been a driving creative force in television production.
Los Angeles-based Zoic Studios’ portfolio includes several highly rated television series. For its work on CSI, Eureka, Eli Stone, True Blood and Reaper, Zoic used a range of Autodesk products, including Autodesk Maya 3D animation, modeling and rendering software, the Autodesk Flame visual-effects system and the Autodesk Combustion compositing system. Maya is also used extensively on J.J. Abrams’ new science-fiction hit Fringe on Fox. “Fringe is an extremely exciting production because every episode is unique. We therefore had to create a wide variety of effects,” explained Andrew Orloff, VFX Supervisor at Zoic. “For our work with dozens of layers at this level of complexity, Maya’s custom scripting languages and editable histories are invaluable. Maya allows us to focus on the artistry while efficiently incorporating our clients’ requirements.”
For Showtime’s serial-killer drama Dexter, Canadian studio Topix used Flame to create a teaser showing the central character traveling through time in a computer-generated carnival attraction. “The greatest challenge was that everything had to match,” said Topix VFX Supervisor Marco Polsinelli. “Two days, different locations, different cameras, many lighting setups and a huge number of greenscreen setups. With Flame, we were able to handle the difficult opening, which consisted entirely of digital files of sky, clouds and matte paintings with glow and lighting filters. We then seamlessly integrated every element into previously recorded footage.”
New York- and Los Angeles-based LOOK Effects used Autodesk Inferno, Maya and Flame for its work on Pushing Daisies (ABC), Life (NBC), Bones (FOX) and Life on Mars (ABC). LOOK Effects founder and president Mark Driscoll explained: “Autodesk tools allow our artists and animators to create a truly multifaceted mix of effects. The visual styles of these programs range from realistic to highly stylized, and these tools form an essential part of the creative process.”
CafeFX, a well-known name in film, moved into television with the epic HBO miniseries John Adams, which won an Emmy Award for visual effects. The series’ 320 visual-effects shots covered the full range from matte painting and virtual set extensions to 3D effects. For a complex sequence featuring computer-generated water effects, Cafe animated people on the decks and the movement of small ships using Autodesk Maya. “Maya enabled us to reproduce the reflection of the water accurately, choreograph ship traffic in Boston Harbor precisely and use visual effects to support the storytelling,” explained CafeFX VFX Supervisor Jeff Goldman.
For post-production color correction, five-time Emmy Award-winning post-production studio LaserPacific Media Corporation relies on the Autodesk Lustre digital color-grading system. It used Lustre on popular series including AMC’s Mad Men, ABC’s Pushing Daisies, the forthcoming Starz series Crash, CBS’s Medium and the pilot for the U.S. version of BBC hit Life on Mars. “Two years ago, we used our feature-film experience to move television work from hardware to software. We chose the Lustre system,” said LaserPacific President Leon Silverman. “Lustre not only delivers unparalleled performance and savings in time and cost, it also allows us to give shape to the magic of Hollywood.”
Other studios that used Autodesk solutions to create content for the 2008–2009 television season included:
o Encore Hollywood used the Autodesk Inferno visual-effects system, Autodesk Fire editing and finishing system and Autodesk 3ds Max to create House (FOX), Mad Men (AMC), My Name Is Earl (NBC), NCIS (USA) and Entourage (HBO), among others.
o Entity used Maya, Flame and Inferno for its work on Smallville (CW), Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (FOX) and episodes of Entourage.
o CIS Vancouver used a combination of Flame, Inferno and Maya for its television work on Stargate: Atlantis (SciFi), The L Word (Showtime) and the Gemini Award-nominated Canadian hit The Guard.
o The Jim Henson Company used Maya and mental ray for the series Sid the Science Kid (PBS).
