Studio delivers 160 visual effects shots for the eighth and final season of STARZ’s epic time-traveling adventure based on Diana Gabaldon’s best-selling novels.
BlueBolt has just shared a VFX breakdown reel highlighting its work on Outlander Season 8 - the epic finale of the time-travelling adventure series from Sony Pictures Television/ Starz, based on the best-selling novels of Diana Gabaldon.
Led by VFX Supervisor Nic Birmingham, BlueBolt created 160 VFX shots, working closely with overall VFX Supervisor Jon Neill. The studio recreated key late eighteenth-century environments for the American settlement of Savannah, Georgia, where main characters Jamie and Claire are based. The team created CG set extensions for the characteristic Savannah estate homes and 360-degree aerial establisher shots of Savannah town and harbor - transforming and combining shoot locations in Scotland and Derbyshire.
The main focus of the work was a devastating fire at the print shop. The dramatic scene was built up using a combination of specifically filmed 2D fire and destruction elements, with volumetric CG FX smoke and smoke elements to support the increasing crescendo of the scene - in which Fergus enters the burning building to rescue his children. The work was coordinated between FX, led by Tim Jones, and compositing, led by Giuliano Vigano. The final moments play out across the settlement rooftops. This part of the scene was shot against bluescreen and all the surrounding rooftops were created in 2.5D by Tamara Toppler, based on location photography.
BlueBolt also created and animated the iconic blue Forget-me-not flowers, accelerating their growth, unfurling and blooming to support their very significant, recurring appearance at the series magical time-travel location of Craig na Dun, to complete the circular story arc of this popular series.
Source: BlueBolt
Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.
