Season of TV Q&A: Ollie Bersey, Deputy Head of 2D
Framestore works with the biggest television producers and distributors to bring the latest series’ to life. From the photoreal creatures in the landmark His Dark Materials and the magical worlds of The Witcher to the invisible VFX of The Crown, we’re celebrating our ‘Season of TV’.
As part of that we’re conducting a series of Q&As about the work, the television department and the shows featured in the season. First up is Ollie Bersey who led the team to deliver VFX for the latest series of the Netflix smash hit The Crown.
Follow along on social media using #SeasonOfTV.
What’s your name and title?
Ollie Bersey, Deputy Head of 2D
Period shows aren’t the usual kinds that you’d think would have VFX work in them; can you talk a bit about the kinds of work we’d provide on this kind of series?
You’d be surprised at just how many VFX shots there are in a period show. The majority of the work will be environment led, recreating or augmenting a location as it was and adding crowds, things like that. There will also be plenty of de-modernisation — removal of CCTV cameras, changing road markings, shop fronts, cars etc.
What impact does this invisible VFX have; what does it help to sell to the audience?
It’s hugely important in a period show to help audiences believe they’re really there. It’s also critical that the viewer is not aware of the work we’ve done — if they are, then we have a problem! So there will be key moments when we’re happy that audiences are in awe of the painstaking recreation before them, but once they’re invested in that scene, our job is to ensure it’s entirely believable.
Are there any recent projects where you’ve provided invisible VFX and what impact did it have on the visuals?
For the third season of The Crown on Netflix, we handled several airport and aircraft shots. We transformed a solitary military aircraft on a quiet airfield to a row of BOAC VC10s on the busy tarmac at the former London Airport in the 1960s.
What kind of research do you have to undertake if you’re recreating a well-known location for a period piece?
For The Crown, The London Airport eventually became Heathrow and, fortunately, there are plenty of reference images available for how it looked in the sixties, mostly black and white, but some colour material was found too.
What’s the most important thing to keep in mind when you’re delivering these invisible VFX?
This sort of work is there to compliment the shot. It has to feel natural; the audiences eye shouldn’t really be bothered by it. With The Crown, a lot of the work was DMP-led, so we then breathed some life into it by adding people walking around, crowds in viewing galleries, flashing lights of vehicles, flags blowing, stuff like that.
