BlueBolt Studios Archives - postPerspective

David Scott is a visual effects supervisor at London-based BlueBolt, an independent studio that provides VFX for television and film.

“It’s run by a great bunch of industry pros, a lot of whom I’d worked with before in previous companies, like MPC,” explains Scott. “What is nice about being in a smaller company is the scope of work you get to do and the types of films and projects you work on. Your involvement in it is much more than in bigger studios, where things are much more departmentalized. Plus, you get to know almost everyone in the company, which is definitely not the case in bigger ones.”

Let’s hear more from Scott…

What does the role of VFX supervisor entail?
My primary responsibility is to ensure that the director’s vision and expectations are brought to fruition. The process can start during preproduction, where we break down the script, discuss approach to shooting and identify where VFX may be required. Collaborating closely with the production team, we plan the shoot to capture the necessary elements for the shots.

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Once the shoot concludes, my focus shifts to the post phase at BlueBolt. Here, we discuss the specific requirements for each shot and plan our approach. Throughout the VFX process, we maintain regular reviews with the director. Our involvement extends into the digital intermediate stage, ensuring our contribution until the final shot is graded and officially locked. It’s a comprehensive journey from initial concepts to final shots, with constant collaboration to achieve the desired look.

What would surprise people the most about what falls under that title?
The number of meetings and reviews each shot has before it’s presented as final.

How long have you been working in VFX, and in what kind of roles?
I have been working in VFX for 20 years. I’ve worked in different companies throughout my career, mainly in London but also for a number of years in New Zealand. I started in the rotoscoping department, moving into prep and then compositing. Within compositing, I’ve been a lead and a comp supervisor, and for the past three years I’ve been VFX supervising.

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How has the VFX industry changed in the time you’ve been working? The good and the bad.
So many aspects have changed, but the first thing that comes to mind is that the scale and complexity of projects has grown massively throughout my career in VFX. Before, a 300-shot show would book out a whole facility, whereas now the larger VFX houses can handle multiple shows, each with thousands of shots.

The upside is that we’re tackling more ambitious projects, pushing the boundaries of what’s visually possible. However, the downside, is that timeframes haven’t kept pace with this expansion. The challenge lies in delivering high-quality work within the same, if not tighter, schedules.

Do you like being on-set for shots? What are the benefits?
There’s a unique energy and immediacy to the on-set environment. Being there allows for instant problem-solving, better collaboration with the production team and an intuitive understanding of the director’s vision. It’s all about soaking it up and ensuring the VFX fits seamlessly into the shots.

What do you see as a big trend that is happening now or maybe is on the verge of happening? Is it AI? If so, what are your thoughts on how it could be used for the good and not the bad in VFX?
Absolutely, AI and machine learning are undeniably making a significant impact on the world of VFX. While headline-grabbing applications like deepfakes and de-aging are understandably in the spotlight, the benefit of AI across the whole VFX workflow will bring massive gains.

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As these technologies develop, there’s immense potential for efficiency enhancement, optimizing the day-to-day processes. When integrated thoughtfully, AI has the power to become a valuable ally, boosting productivity and increasing creativity in the VFX industry.

Did a particular film inspire you along this path in entertainment?
There are so many from my childhood, but the standout is Who Framed Roger Rabbit. I remember they promoted it with a lot of behind-the-scenes information about the technology and techniques used, which I found so fascinating.

Where do you find inspiration?
My inspiration comes from everywhere. Reference is key when tackling shots, so I enjoy delving into stock footage sites, exploring YouTube and referencing other movies.

What’s your favorite part of the job?
I love that every show comes with its own set of challenges to solve, both technical and creative. Working with so many talented people, sharing ideas and developing them together is my favorite part.

If you didn’t have this job, what would you be doing instead?
Definitely graphic design. I studied graphic design at college and worked doing that for four years before making the jump into VFX.

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Can you name some recent work?
I’m currently working on Nosferatu. Previous work includes, The Northman, The Great (Season 3), Avengers: Endgame and James Bond’s No Time to Die.

What tools do you use day to day?
Most of my day is spent in RV reviewing shots and in ShotGrid for everything else show-related. And if I need to work on specific shots, I’ll use Nuke for compositing.

Finally, what do you do to de-stress from it all?
When I’m mid-project, I find it hard to fully switch off, so exercise becomes key to relieve the stress. And if I have free time, the weather is good and the stars align, then I’ll play some golf.

Based on the legend of Prince Amleth, The Northman is a revenge thriller from director Robert Eggers that chronicles the story of a Viking who seeks to rescue his kidnapped mother and avenge the death of his murdered father. Its cast includes Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman and Anya Taylor-Joy.

BlueBolt was brought on board as lead vendor by producer Mark Huffam. Angela Barson was the overall VFX supervisor. Over 90% of the film has visual effects, and the majority of shots were very long. The average shot length was 474 frames, which is just under 20 seconds. Nine shots had over 2,000 frames, and the longest shot, which was made up of five plates stitched together, had 4,851 frames — that’s 3 minutes and 30 seconds. BlueBolt delivered 279 of the film’s 388 VFX shots.

Before and After

Barson was brought on very early in the prep process. She worked closely with Eggers, DP Jarin Blaschke and production designer Craig Lathrop for months before the shoot to plan what would be shot practically and what would need VFX. “Robert and Jarin were very keen to film as much as possible in-camera,” says Barson. “However, with an erupting volcano, a character without a nose and a fight on an active lava field, VFX was always going to play a big part. There are some very complex shots in the film that required a lot of planning, especially the invisible stitches for the scenes that ended up being one long shot.”

The BlueBolt team was made up of 47 2D artists and 36 3D artists, all led by VFX supervisor David Scott, VFX producer Theo Burley, CG supervisor Philip J. Robinson and head of 3D Nic Birmingham. A lot of their work consisted of creating extensive environments, including CG ships and water, creature work and an erupting volcano. The character Finnr, referenced earlier by Barson, had to have his nose digitally removed and replaced with a stump. In addition to this, the feature was shot on 35mm film, so the team had to work with the film exposure and grain and dust-bust many dust hits.

Before and After

The environment work was a must because most of the film was shot in Ireland and had to be altered to look like Iceland. Lathrop designed and built extensive sets on stage as well as on location. There were three main village locations that were practical builds, only one of which needed to be extended with CG buildings. “I was amazed at how much Craig was able to build practically,” says Barson. “The Hrafnsey village set was built on a very exposed piece of headland on the northern coast of Northern Ireland. It was constantly battered by wind and rain, with shear drops down the cliff face to the crashing sea below. It was an incredible location and an impressive build.” The team enhanced environments by adding snow, Icelandic mountains and the Hekla volcano; artists also performed sky replacements and modern-day removals.

Before and After

The second shot in the film is of the king’s ships approaching Hrafnsey village, and it’s particularly VFX-heavy. There’s a full-CG sea with four CG sail ships, each of which containing a full-CG crew, cargo and horses. “The original plan had been to shoot a practical ship out at sea, but they weren’t able to sail in the very rough seas at the location,” explains Barson. “We shot a sea plate from a helicopter, but the water wasn’t rough enough, so it was fully replaced with CG water. However, the plate was a great starting point for the framing, timing and lighting of the shot. Plus the headland with the Hrafnsey village build was in the plate, giving us a major starting point for the village extension.”

Another sequence, in which the characters travel to Iceland by ship, required the team to create a CG stormy sea. “There was one wide shot of a full-CG ship traveling through a very rough CG sea, with large waves, spray, lighting and rain,” says Barson. “The close-up shot on the ship was filmed on a greenscreen stage with a partial ship on a gimbal, and huge dump tanks were used to have practical water crashing over the sides of the ship. We added massive CG waves into the background.”

This film is very heavily rooted in Norse mythology, which brought with it a few sequences that centered on Yggdrasil (the tree of life), Valholl and the Place of Visions, which depicted Amleth’s ancestral lineage. These were all CG constructions paired with macro chemical photography elements by artist Chris Parks, which had to sit within the gritty realism of the film. The studio was challenged with creating a balance between mysticism and photorealism.

Before and After

The Place of Visions was heavily prevized. The audience first sees it when King Aurvandil’s body melts away to reveal a “blood tree” growing from his beating heart. The camera then travels up the tree, past numerous ancestors and through various FX elements of atmospheric halocline and particulate. The ancestors (five in prosthetics and multiple extras in costume) were filmed against greenscreen at high speeds — all to the specifications that were determined by BlueBolt during the previz and techviz stages.

When the story moves to Iceland, the Hekla volcano plays a central role. It is visible from Fjölnir’s farm and is the location of the final battle. A camera team waited out poor weather to shoot clear plates of Hekla. BlueBolt then added large-scale FX plumes of smoke, with volcanic lighting emitting from within the plumes. Hekla then appears in full eruption mode — the mountain split open, and lava, rock and smoke are thrown from the volcano and spew down the side of the mountain. The long durations of these shots gave artists the chance to produce beautiful imagery that holds the eye.

The final fight between the two main characters takes place on the side of the erupting volcano, requiring the addition of lava, fire and smoke, as well as face replacements for stunt doubles and blood and wounds.

“This was shot at night in November in a quarry just outside Belfast. To say it was cold is an understatement,” says Barson. “Both actors were naked, wearing just enough clothing to protect their modesty and their feet, but not enough to keep them warm. It all had to be removed in post to leave them fully naked. Lights were placed on the ground and sides of the quarry where the CG lava was to eventually go, so that the lighting on the actors would work with the CG lava. We filmed with some SFX smoke and fire, which was then heavily augmented in post.”

The opening shot of this sequence was filmed in sections and then stitched together into one long shot. Artists swapped actors and stunt doubles in and out during this scene, which required seamless switches and some face replacements.

The team added CG lava flowing down the hillside in the background, with a river of lava flowing through the area of the fight action. There were CG sword extensions and the addition of some nasty wounds, blood and a beheading. Artists also added fire, smoke, ash and embers in CG. The resulting sequence makes for a visually stunning and memorable fight.

As mentioned earlier, the biggest challenge for BlueBolt on this production was the sheer length of the shots. “Working on them, rendering, reviewing, tech-checking all took 10 times longer than usual,” says Scott. One of the hardest shots to put together was a sequence in which the character Finnr, whose nose had to be removed, walks through a village at night holding a flaming torch. Getting the lighting on the nose stump was tricky. “This was a night shot, which had the added difficulty of lighting gels and a noseless character in the center of the frame, close to camera, carrying a firelight torch throughout the whole shot for 2,500-plus frames,” says Scott.

Working with the lighting setup was also extremely challenging. DP Blaschke used custom-made filters to remove certain wavelengths from the color spectrum when filming at night. The team filmed a series of tests before the shoot began using different combinations of film stocks, lights, filters, gels, bluescreen, greenscreen and redscreen to work out the best combinations for the shoot.

In terms of tools, for 2D work, the studio mostly used Nuke 11 and Mocha, with the additional use of Nuke 12 for the in-paint node for marker removal. For 3D, they used Maya, Houdini, Arnold and 3DE.