PRODUCTION. TALES FROM THE EXPLORERS CLUB
INDY FILMMAKERS ARwall’s team of experienced industry professionals know precisely how to roll with the punches on a fast-paced shoot
effects. “Coming from a background of creatives and indie filmmakers, we understand the fast-paced nature of
seen another team attempt to achieve at this level,” enthuses Amador. “It was a credit to the ingenuity of a team focused on guerrilla documentary re-enactments; they truly unlocked the tech’s capabilities and gave themselves time to learn and become comfortable.” IMPROV CLASS When it comes to key scenes, ARwall was charged with providing backdrops for nearly all the re-enactment sequences in all six episodes of the first season (Discovery has yet to announce if Season 2 is on the horizon). “This includes all stunt and outdoor sequences,” states Amador. “We did the backdrops for the Tibetan temple and Mount Everest, as well as the Himalayas, the Gobi Desert, the frontlines of World War I, a raft in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, the edge of the stratosphere, dense mysterious forests, the Arctic Circle and Antarctica!” Despite having skin in the game, Amador admits Tales from the Explorers Club is unlike any other project he and his team have worked on before. “On some days, we had 50 set-ups where we went all around the world – that’s getting into the territory of the fastest TV productions out there,” he recalls. “When we inquired about how they achieved this speed, we learned that the team came from sketch comedy. There was some level of improvisation on-set
productions,” he assures. UNLOCKING THE TECH
“Technical challenges can make or break a project, which is why we developed user-friendly software to ensure the process goes as smoothly as possible,” Amador explains. “By having tools in place such as the ARFX Pro Plugin, we were able to eliminate and deal with any technical issues quickly and efficiently. Its ease of use means practically anyone on set can tag in and help. This demonstrates how easy it has become to incorporate virtual production into shows.” ARwall used its own on-set solution, which consolidates all virtual production settings from Unreal Engine’s Editor software into one place without need for coding or programming. It relied on the colour management system, which allows much quicker control over an image, an advancement in software UI/ UX and an easier workflow for a single operator. This was spearheaded by the virtual production technician at ARwall, Ryan Arms. “From the production’s side, the extensive use and variety of special effects and practical set pieces in combination with the virtual environments and LED backdrop was something we’ve never
PLAY IT BY EAR The combination of advanced tech and the agility of sketch comedy made for quick work
as well. New locations were thought up by the filmmakers and generated on the same day using stock assets by ARwall’s team. We were excited to explore how the technology could integrate well with sketch and improv comedy. In particular, the combination of virtual production, comedy and inhospitable or historical settings could mean a boom in comedic period content. Especially when you consider that, at ARwall, we’re historically saving productions up to 70% of what would typically be spent on effects and location budgets for such sequences.” Each episode is peppered with eye- catching moments: “The team pulled out all the stops on production design and
“On some days, we had 50 set-ups where we went all around the world – that’s getting into the territory of the fastest TV productions out there”
34. DEFINITIONMAGAZINE.COM
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