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Released a few weeks ago, the series Shōgun follows Japanese lord Yoshii Toranaga in 1600, opposed to a council of regents. The series also focuses on John Blackthorne, a European arrived by sea, who will have his role to play in this saga at the crossroads of politics and war.
To bring the series to life, besides remarkable work from the teams in charge of costumes, sets, and stunts, visual effects obviously played a crucial role. Here are a few breakdowns and behind the scenes.
To begin with, this promotional video highlights the importance of the 5000+ VFX shots. VFX Supervisor Michael Cliett goes through the overall process.
Goodbye Kansas provided numerous effects for the series and unveiled a breakdown. Joel Lindman was the VFX supervisor, Alexander Darrell the VFX Producer. Detailed credits are available on the studio’s website.
SSVFX also revealed a breakdown. The studio explains that their task was to bring Osaka to life as it was in the 1600s. The project was managed by VFX supervisor Ed Bruce, VFX producer Nicholas Murphy. More comprehensive credits are available on the studio’s website.
Specializing in characters and creatures, Refuge VFX worked on multiple bloody sequences: combat scenes, ritual suicide, torture. The team was supervised by Kyle Rottman, Fred Ruff.
ILP worked on 7 episodes, with extensive 3D environments, crowds, a landslide sequence, fluid simulations.
The studio explains that they used motion capture, to create extras and crowds, both and land and for naval sequences. Like SSVFX, ILP worked on Osaka.
Full credits are available on ILP’s website. Philip Engström was the VFX supervisor, Chelsea Mirus was the production manager.
Other studios like Barnstorm VFX, Render Imagination, Pixelloid Studios also contributed to the series’ effects but have not yet published images of their work.
