VFX Legion Creates VFX for 'Scandal' and 'How to Get Away with Murder’s' Crossover Episodes
Shot in LA and Set in D.C. and Philly, 'Scandal' and 'HTGAWM’s' Stories Unfold in Virtual Environments That Blend Seamlessly with Live-Action Footage, And the Looks of Both Shows, Defying the Viewer’s Eye
Los Angeles, CA.— VFX Legion (www.vfxlegion.com) recently created the visual effects for the highly anticipated crossover episodes of 'Scandal' and 'How to Get Away with Murder.' The storylines of the political thriller and legal drama intersect in the back-to-back two-hour event, which premiered March 1st on ABC, and continues to rank as a streaming favorite on Hulu.
The scenario for the tie-in opens with 'How to Get Away with Murder's' high-powered defense attorney, Annalise Keating (Viola Davis), making an appearance on 'Scandal's' turf in the aptly titled episode, 'Allow Me to Introduce Myself.' Keating travels to D.C. for a face-to-face with political fixer Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) to elicit her help fast-tracking a class-action case to the United States Supreme Court. The storyline plays out with the guest appearance of Pope on HTGAWM episode, ‘Lahey vs. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.'
Both shows are shot in Los Angeles, while 'Scandal, and HTGAWM, are set in D.C. and Philadelphia, respectively, thanks to the experience, creativity and technical ingenuity of the team at VFX Legion.
The Los Angeles-based company created a mix of photorealistic CG environments and other effects that made it possible to transport the actors into a variety of digital surroundings that seamlessly match the live-action footage, and defy the viewer’s eye. The 'invisible' effects dramatically augment the shows’ visual landscapes with shots that would be either too expensive or impossible to shoot on location.
Legion has handled all of the visual effects for both shows for almost three-years and is slated to work on the next season of HTGAWM. Over the years, the Shondaland Productions have tasked the company with creating high-quality CGI for almost 100 episodes. However, the crossover episodes required visual effects that blended with two shows that each use different tools and have their own look, presenting a more complex set of challenges.
For one, Scandal is shot on an ARRI Alexa camera, and How to Get Away with Murder on a Sony F55, at different color temps, and under varying lighting conditions. The DPs’ preferences required VFX Legion to shoot the same environments twice, once with greenscreens for Scandal and then again using bluescreens for HTGAWM.
Its team addressed all of these variables and more, finding creative solutions to bridge the look and match the texture and tone of both series.
Shot in LA and Set in D.C. and Philly, 'Scandal' and 'HTGAWM’s' Stories Unfold in Virtual Environments That Blend Seamlessly with Live-Action Footage, And the Looks of Both Shows, Defying the Viewer’s Eye
Los Angeles, CA.— VFX Legion (www.vfxlegion.com) recently created the visual effects for the highly anticipated crossover episodes of 'Scandal' and 'How to Get Away with Murder.' The storylines of the political thriller and legal drama intersect in the back-to-back two-hour event, which premiered March 1st on ABC, and continues to rank as a streaming favorite on Hulu.
The scenario for the tie-in opens with 'How to Get Away with Murder's' high-powered defense attorney, Annalise Keating (Viola Davis), making an appearance on 'Scandal's' turf in the aptly titled episode, 'Allow Me to Introduce Myself.' Keating travels to D.C. for a face-to-face with political fixer Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) to elicit her help fast-tracking a class-action case to the United States Supreme Court. The storyline plays out with the guest appearance of Pope on HTGAWM episode, ‘Lahey vs. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.'
Both shows are shot in Los Angeles, while 'Scandal, and HTGAWM, are set in D.C. and Philadelphia, respectively, thanks to the experience, creativity and technical ingenuity of the team at VFX Legion.
The Los Angeles-based company created a mix of photorealistic CG environments and other effects that made it possible to transport the actors into a variety of digital surroundings that seamlessly match the live-action footage, and defy the viewer’s eye. The 'invisible' effects dramatically augment the shows’ visual landscapes with shots that would be either too expensive or impossible to shoot on location.
Legion has handled all of the visual effects for both shows for almost three-years and is slated to work on the next season of HTGAWM. Over the years, the Shondaland Productions have tasked the company with creating high-quality CGI for almost 100 episodes. However, the crossover episodes required visual effects that blended with two shows that each use different tools and have their own look, presenting a more complex set of challenges.
For one, Scandal is shot on an ARRI Alexa camera, and How to Get Away with Murder on a Sony F55, at different color temps, and under varying lighting conditions. The DPs’ preferences required VFX Legion to shoot the same environments twice, once with greenscreens for Scandal and then again using bluescreens for HTGAWM.
Its team addressed all of these variables and more, finding creative solutions to bridge the look and match the texture and tone of both series.
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