VFX supervisor Chris White discusses how the visual effects team utilized their expertise in digital character creation from the “Planet of the Apes” films to bring a unique character to life in Netflix’s superhero series.
With a recent Season 2 renewal, the Netflix original series, The Umbrella Academy, is set to return with more episodes. The popular live-action series is based on the Eisner Award-winning comics and graphic novels of the same name, created by Gerard Way, illustrated by Gabriel Bá and published by Dark Horse Comics.
A leading VFX studio, known for its impressive visual effects, has a proven track record of creating realistic and emotionally resonant digital characters – from Gollum in The Lord of the Rings trilogy to the primate characters in the Planet of the Apes movies. They brought the character of Caesar to life, captivating audiences worldwide, and now, for Netflix, they’ve crafted a digitally animated chimpanzee named Dr. Phinneus Pogo, or simply, Pogo.
An interview with Chris White, the VFX supervisor on the project, provides insights into the creation of Pogo.
Interviewer: What was your role on the project?
Chris White: I am a VFX supervisor. I’ve been in the industry for about 15 years. My work on the show specifically involved the character of Pogo. I joined the project early on, working with the overall VFX supervisor and the series showrunner to discuss the character’s vision. The team contributed to Pogo’s art direction and design in addition to his production.
Interviewer: In what ways did you draw upon your experience with digital characters, especially Caesar and the primates from the three Planet of the Apes films?
Chris White: We definitely leveraged our history working on those kinds of characters, especially the Apes series. We approached this series similarly to how we’d approach any feature film, with some modifications due to the schedule. We took over 10 years of Apes research and applied it to Pogo, including his modeling, hair, and animation, as well as every detail in his face, taking advantage of what we had learned.
Interviewer: How does TV VFX work differ from film VFX work, aside from scheduling?
Chris White: There’s a scheduling difference. Since we delivered on a per-episode basis, we had deadlines, allowing the production time for sound and editing. We modified our pipeline so that our departments could work in parallel. We were extremely efficient. As plates came in, we began lighting. For example, we started lighting Ken Hall before animation was finished to set up our lighting pipeline. Once we had animation and Adam Godley’s performance finalized, we had a solid lighting baseline. Because of the episodic deliverables, these changes helped keep departments working in parallel.
This worked well. Lighters started working on the next episode as the previous one was being finished, while animation could look ahead. Otherwise, everything else was done the same way as a feature film, with a similar approach. This show was also different since we applied ADR from one actor to a character performed by a different actor on set. The approach to everything else was the same—renders, comps, and delivery.
Interviewer: You’ve pioneered capturing performances in various extreme locations. For Pogo, his performance mainly took place within the Umbrella Academy house. How was his character shot on set, and how was the performance captured?
Chris White: Though Pogo was shot primarily in the house, we rendered him in all the different home environments as well as outside in the courtyard. This was to ensure he would work well under various conditions. A key difference was the performance capture process. Ken Hall worked with the actors on set, while Adam Godley did Pogo’s performance for the voiceover, facial capture, and acting. We would then bring those performances together. We would recapture Adam’s performance to modify the body motion. Then, we’d put together a complete animation for Pogo.
The facial work with Adam was mostly keyframed, with good cameras to capture what he was doing. So, we used a different animation pipeline but had no real issues. Lighting and compositing to integrate him into the set was crucial, and working in parallel gave us the time to apply the nuanced lighting that enhanced his actions in a scene.
Interviewer: Does the final output for TV require the same level and amount of detail compared to a feature film?
Chris White: We treated it the same. We ensured enough detail in every part of him. We wanted to be sure he’d hold up to close-ups. We included the smallest details, such as the screws in his glasses. Tons of work was put into his fur and clothing, utilizing a new fabric model to simulate individual fibers on his jacket, shirts, and pants, which gave incredible detail and matched well with the clothing from the costume department.
We ensured enough detail for any instance. We showed everything, from his fingernails to his cane. We didn’t have to make modifications throughout the production, which was great. We also created different versions of him for when he was younger, modifying his clothing. His character was consistent from the first to the last episode.
Interviewer: What were the biggest challenges you and your team faced?
Chris White: The biggest challenge was the more difficult shots featuring Pogo interacting with the actors, such as the early hugging scene with Vanya. There were challenges in compositing and integration. Compared to human hands, ape hands are very different. We needed to consider those differences when creating shots where Pogo handed something to someone. The final sequence with Vanya was also quite challenging, with effects of him being lifted in the air and other character dynamics.
Interviewer: What appealed to you most about this project?
Chris White: One of the biggest appeals of this project was the character of Pogo. From the early design stages, people were drawn to him. Also, everyone quickly took to him, even at the beginning. Personally, it was a fun project working with the team. They were open to our suggestions about details, having had such experience working with that type of character. Having that kind of collaboration with the client made the project even more fun.
