Digital Matte Painting
DMP, or digital matte paintings, were used across the entire season and in many of the shots in this study. By removing modern elements and adding lived-in textures, we ground the environment in realism and maintain continuity. Certain shots fully recreate locations with dynamic components and blended CG seamlessly into the 2D paintings.
Washington Black | Case Study
CG
Set Extensions
DMP
Environments
11 year old George Washington "Wash" Black's life is upended when he escapes a Barbados sugar plantation after a shocking death.
"Washington Black" is available now on Hulu!
London
A key establishing shot of this series includes several 3 mast ships, steam boats, and even early construction of Big Ben. Buildings and hard structures included copious details such as reflections and movements in windows, the diffused sails of the ships, as well as individual streetlamps and candles. In the water simulation for the river, hyper-localized waves and ripples interacted with contact points in varying frequencies. The FX department created a marine layer filtering between the structures for the iconic London fog. DMP was the final touch, creating the expansive skyline motivating the ambient morning glow created by lighting artists.
Scope
Ingenuity Studios delivered 378 shots across all 8 episodes of this series.
Along with CG set extensions, DMP was critical to establishing the feel of the time period as well as the overall tone of the series. Heightened fantastical elements blended seamlessly into grounded world building. Focus was also put on removing modern elements and adding details to establish the time period of the early 1800s across locations around the world including Barbados, Virginia, the Arctic, Nova Scotia, London, and Morocco.
Technology used:
Houdini, Nuke, Maya, Mocha, Photoshop
Digital Matte Painting
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London
A key establishing shot of this series includes several 3 mast ships, steam boats, and even early construction of Big Ben. Buildings and hard structures included copious details such as reflections and movements in windows, the diffused sails of the ships, as well as individual streetlamps and candles. In the water simulation for the river, hyper-localized waves and ripples interacted with contact points in varying frequencies. The FX department created a marine layer filtering between the structures for the iconic London fog. DMP was the final touch, creating the expansive skyline motivating the ambient morning glow created by lighting artists.
Building Ships
Shot via drone on open coastline, the final look involved dozens of individually created assets. Artists added ships, cleared modern elements, and even raised the water levels to correct the perspective of the camera as it appears to pass through the rigging of the CG ship.
The ships seen throughout the season drew inspiration from merchant vessels from the era. Over a dozen boats were created in CG, each with characteristics that differentiated them throughout the episodes in wide shots, and allowed for close-ups on various details that would have been common on operable ships from the time period.
Butterfly
After designing the butterfly itself, we studied their natural movements to create a realistic wing beat cycle with up and down strokes.
Bioluminescence
Creating the bioluminescent algae included studying various species of similar real-life organisms. After designing particulate elements to emulate the effect, we transformed the practical lighting from the plate into the pulsating glow. Interactions with the bobbing motion of the waves and hard objects like the boat and oars added additional depth.
Bioluminescence
Creating the bioluminescent algae included studying various species of similar real-life organisms. After designing particulate elements to emulate the effect, we transformed the practical lighting from the plate into the pulsating glow. Interactions with the bobbing motion of the waves and hard objects like the boat and oars added additional depth.
Butterfly
After designing the butterfly itself, we studied their natural movements to create a realistic wing beat cycle with up and down strokes.
“This was such an ambitious project, especially considering the fact that a third of our
378 shots were CG-heavy. Every department at Ingenuity Studios understood the
assignment and gave it their all. We expected challenges, and when they arose, we
rolled with them and worked out solutions to keep the work on track. Having a great
team camaraderie and trusted leadership from Ingenuity EVP Matthew Poliquin made
our work on Washington Black run as smoothly and efficiently as possible. I’m incredibly
proud to have this experience.”
-Tyler Shanklin
Credits
Matthew Poliquin, Executive Producer
Krisztian Csanki, VFX Supervisor
Tyler Shanklin, VFX Producer
Grant Miller, VFX Supervisor
Ben Stommes, Compositing Supervisor
Adolfo Lopez Ortega, Lead Compositor
Stanislav Chernyshev, Lead Compositor
Robert Reynolds, CG Lead
Michael Stark, FX Lead
Andrea Conde, Matte Painting Lead