Fallout TV Series:
VAD, Systems Design & LED Volume Operations

Blending the physical and digital

The Visualization team used storyboards, real-time sets, and the blocked cameras from the virtual scouts to conduct both previz and techviz reviews with the filmmakers. Every shot was viz’d from the perspective of the camera, allowing the creatives to understand where and how the physical and virtual sets came together. We found these methods provided ample opportunities for the filmmakers to make creative decisions on framing, lighting, and action blocking very early in development and even helped the ADs schedule shoot days by visualizing how large pieces of equipment would enter the set and where they could be staged. 

Some sets used 180-degree photography instead of real-time virtual 3D sets. We worked with drone operators to design a multi-camera capture solution and stitching workflows to create footage for the LED wall. Then we helped design custom software for playing back that footage on a 20x95ft screen in 6K resolution at 24fps. On the day, this was all shot through multiple simultaneous film cameras through the glass of a gimbaling aerial vehicle.

Camera tests allowed for both creative and technical review of the images projected onto the LED wall by looking through the lens of a digital camera with an applied film Lookup Table (LUT) to approximate the show's final look. Using that workflow, we adjusted the color of each virtual scene to blend seamlessly with the physical environment so that it appeared as intended once captured on 35mm film. Throughout development, we collaborated closely with the director to fine-tune the shoot day requirements, ensuring we could account for any special technical considerations that might arise from putting a camera in a given location.

Efficiency

Our Virtual Art Department was brought in as part of the Fallout Art Department, rather than a vendor, which is unusual for LED stage work. This seamless integration helped with the smooth running of the production. Another move that significantly improved the speed and quality of the work was having a dedicated cinematographer just on the LED volume for all episodes. This ensured all processes were streamlined and most of the lighting and calibration issues could be solved before the shooting of each new episode.

The impact

The world of Fallout is vast, dangerous, and logistically complex. Using in-camera visual effects, we were able to fit that enormous scope into the lens and bring the world of Fallout to screens.

We created four unique and vital environments in Unreal for use on the LED volume – the picnic area and vault door scenes in Vault 33, the cafeteria setting in Vault 4, and the New California Republic’s base inside the Griffith Observatory – this granted us unprecedented flexibility and efficiency outpacing alternative methods.

We also delivered critical creative development and stage operations by running asset management, virtual art execution, camera tracking systems, and data wrangling. All in a flexible and very effective LED volume that did not require extensive removal and replacement in post. It’s rare to have so much in-camera ICVFX work remain untouched during post – the volume delivered on the promise of final pixels in the camera.