Queen's Gambit VFX Breakdown - Interview with ChickenBone FX (John Mangia & Arissa Blasingame)
606In today's video we talk directly to the VFX Supervisors of Queen's Gambit in an exclusive interview and uncover a hidden Easter Egg in one of the scenes. Also we debut an entirely new song named "See No Evil" which you can listen to below!
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The Queens Gambit is a Netflix Series that, after just four weeks, had become Netflix's most-watched scripted miniseries. Netflix has also recently released a little documentary about its beautiful set design and enthralling storyline, although sadly, nothing about the VFX.
But not to worry, as we got together with the people responsible for the VFX on The Queen's Gambit, ChickenBone FX, and had the opportunity to speak with ChickenBone's VFX Producer and the VFX Supervisor on The Queen's Gambit to find out just what went into creating these very tasteful VFX. Also, stay tuned until the end of the video as we'll be revealing an "exclusive to FameFocus" Easter egg hidden in the VFX that, as far as we know at the time of making this video, hasn't been found yet!
Packed full of beauty and emotion, The Queen's Gambit does a wonderful job of drawing you into every scene and making you feel well connected to the character and her feelings. The VFX are subtle but when they do appear in the foreground in the form of a chessboard on the ceiling, they somehow still manage to feel natural and full of emotion.
But, aside from this very obvious and necessary use of VFX, The Queen's Gambit's VFX weren't about simulating massive explosions or creating state-of-the-art motion-capture technology. They were about helping to tell a story, instead of controlling it, helping to convey emotion, rather than dominating it, and most importantly, they were about subtlety.
The Orphanage
But that doesn't mean to say the VFX weren't extensive. Quite the contrary, in the queen's gambit, they were everywhere. Just take, for example, this establishing shot of the Methuen Orphanage:
This shot of the orphanage, set in winter, was actually of a mansion filmed in the summer. So to fix this, they had to remove trees, switch out the tree behind the gate, add CG trees, CG snow, add a CG tower, and make digital modifications to the building. But, despite the amount of CGI used in this scene, there are multiple reasons as to why a scene like this isn't just redone, fully CG.
Mental Chess Board
Now, VFX budgets are often the bane of any VFX company, especially as VFX shots can vary greatly in complexity and importance. Take, for example, the imaginary chessboard that Beth sees on the ceiling. This is an important and characteristic shot that is both artistic and symbolic. Therefore, in order to get the effect just right, more work is needed, meaning less budget for other VFX shots. So keeping a consistent quality of VFX throughout the series can quickly become challenging.
This is another reason why aside from helping decide what shots will need VFX and then making sure every VFX shot has been adequately set up on every set, the VFX supervisor has to also be constantly looking out for anything that could alter or affect the VFX budget. When there are last-minute changes or an unforeseen problem happens and you're left with a compromised chroma key...
Pretty Set Extensions for Pretty sets.
Most of The Queen's Gambit was filmed in Berlin, Germany because the interiors found there could work for the majority of the show's locations. These sets were developed to portray the 1960s era, making sure the props and furnishings depicted both the set's location and the personalities and history of its occupants. The CBFX team then had to create and/or extend the exterior and establishing shots for these different locations.
Having wrapped shooting in December 2019, The shooting of The Queen's Gambit wasn't affected at all by the COVID 19 outbreak. However, it did have an impact a few things in post-production.
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