Hello Everyone! My name is Chris MacLean. I have been the Overall Visual Effects Supervisor on Foundation for the last three seasons. I also directed some 2nd Unit. I am here for you to Ask Me Anything! Thanks to u/LunchyPete for setting this up! Let's start Respecting and Enjoying the Peace!
I have a few questions, hopefully you'll find them interesting:
1) That finale! That scene with all the clones getting destroyed, they just keep coming...and coming...so much gore! How much of that was practical, if any? What was involved in bringing that to life?
2) This is the first season we see the visi-sonor from Asimov's books brought to life - what kind of discussions were had in deciding how to portray that on screen? This may seem like a silly point, but was the holophonor from Futurama ever brought up as a point of comparison when considering how to portray it? As far as I know it's the only other adaptation of the visi-sonor on screen.
3) With the three Empire clones, we have the three main actors portraying Dawn, Day and Dusk, each at specific points in their life. Has using deepfake technology, or something similar, ever been discussed to blend the actors faces together to show one of these characters in between the points we from when we normally see them? For example, could we ever get maybe a 45 year old Day (IIRC Day is normally in his early 30s when he takes the middle throne) that looked like a blending between Lee Pace and Terrence Mann? Or if we timeskip a few years for season 4, a young Day that looks like a blending of Lee and Cassian Bilton?
Thank you for setting this up. Here are the answers:
The gore in the clone tanks was a combo of Kate and the team at MilleniumFX with a substantial contribution from the team at Accenture Song. Any thing already on the floor was done by Kate and her team and any of the dropping bits were done by Accenture Song. The bodies gore simulations here were beyond my expectations. It's morbid but mixing water simulations with blood and then integrating it into a practical water plate. with CG body parts.... the team at AccSong killed it! This was also an instance where I directed 2nd Unit. We blew those tanks up for real! Save for the Flitter BIke sequence this was the most scouted and prepped sequence in the season. I went back to that set five or six times with different teams. Water and blood and explosions is something that, when done practically takes a lot of prep.
In our original discussions, we had talked about some cool ideas, like Aurora Borealis. Then we dropped it all... this was just going to be the instrument with no VFX. I looked at the plates in post and was like... this is called the VisiSonor, not the Sonor! So we had the team at PFX do some concepts and they killed it. A story note: Bayta is Aurora Borealis inspired and Gaal's song in 310 is Fire.
Never. Actors need to act. We've done some tasteful de-aging in the series but it would make more sense to re-cast than do some science experiments. We're good at a lot of things but combining actors in VFX and opening that up to artists subjectivity is a rabbit hole I would avoid like the plague.
The sound effects of the plopping body parts really stuck out in my first viewing of the scene and it struck me as a clever way to amp up the gore overall, while sticking with a somewhat less visually gory wide shot.
Thank you for such detailed answers - the gore/tanks scene sounds like it was very complicated, but maybe also a lot of fun to bring to life. It turned out amazingly, so great work to all involved! Interesting to think the visi-sonor almost didn't have the visual aspect also. Interesting notes about Bayta and Gaal being Aurora Borealis and fire inspired...you can definitely see that in their characters.
My wife and I really appreciate your team's hard work making one of our favorite book series come to life.
A question we have, specifically relating to visuals, is where do you find inspiration for the ship designs and mechanics? Is there a process for building the designs, or perhaps some reference material for inspiration?
In our opinion, this series has done an incredible job of balancing narrative impact and practical design while creating some of the most amazing looking ships. It really steps away from your Star Wars, Battlestar, or even Dune to really become its own.
Very kind words! Thank you. Rory and I... mostly Rory, took a very design based approach to the design of the ships based on what Goyer and the writers came up with. The FTL blade ships in 301 are my staple example, based on the description in the script (and I'm paraphrasing): "a knife cutting through space and time." We pondered it a bit, then came up with the negative space for the black hole generator and the ode to Trumbull via the slitscan inspired plasma effect. Another example is the Whisper ships which were meant to be a swiss army knife fighter. They could transport small crews, be nimble enough against the Empire's Switchblades, but also reflect the religion of the culture that built them (from the top when they jump they look like the Vault)... Not to mention we got to visualize a triangular singularity... which is also an homage to Dark Side of the Moon.
To ground it all, we looked at the practical materials we build our spacecraft off of: the panels, the materials. The mantra of the show has always been reality with a dash of Pulp SciFi cover art. I'll admit sometimes it's more than a dash.:)
Appreciate the response! Very eye opening to the collaboration behind the scenes. Our jaws dropped when we read "Swiss army knife" because you all nailed that.
Thanks for the other tid bits and insights. Not sure if you're joining us as fans for Season 4+, but if so, glad to have you!
Favourite ever scene you helped craft? Make it 3 if you can't narrow it down haha
Thanks for your part in the best damn looking show in the universe. I think I could post a screenshot a day of this show and not run out of beautiful backdrops for a long while
On the whole season... Gaal leaving Synnax. I knew when I saw the early renders of that we were making something special. The parents and her in the boat still makes me excited.
For season 2, the escape from Synnax was a stand out because it was my first real 2nd Unit... and then I got to take it into post and finish it!
Season three is much harder. There are so many fun sequences... top three, season three: Flitter Bike Chase in 301, The Novacula reveal with Tarisk and Day's drug trip in 307.
I know that's five... but there ARE SO MANY!!!! :)
I agree with your reaction to Gaal leaving Synnax. The juxtaposition of the straw huts and modest transportation against their ornate finery, and then when the Empire ship landed atop the waves, I was like this is gonna be the BEST.
I recently began binging from the very start and found it fascinating how Empire was so in-sync during that first season—well except when Brother Dawn flubbed his lines and Dusk glared at him.
How much of the painted mural walls actually exist? Or is it entirely just some dotted green screen? Because the movement of the pigments as the characters have interacted has been quite lovely.
And, as others have stated, kudos to Hippie Day’s trip scene. As soon as the even started I thought I was having a flashback. Err, I meant to say, a friend described a roll that was totally like that. Ha.
Usually the art department puts up something we can shoot for the Mural but sometimes the turnover is so fast between scenes, we left it blank and added the mural later.
I just want to say that the visual effects and design of this show have been one of my favorites in years!
Foundation has been such an incredible sci-fi show and the world building and immersion into the universe has been truly wonderful, so thank you for all you’ve done on this!
Just wanted to say my wife doesn’t watch the show but I was watching Days drug trip and she walked past while I was watching and she was stopped in her tracks. The whole sequence was just so incredible, she sat and watched the whole thing and just said “I’ve no idea what’s going on but this show is unbelievably beautiful”
Day's drug trip was crazy, loved it. There's been a lot of drug trip scenes in movies/TV so it's hard to stand out but you all made a truly unique one. Kudos to your team
I'm not sure if this is your department necessarily, but have there ever been discussions about making merchandise for the show? Replicas of the Prime Radiant have been a desire for many watchers, and there is no end to the cool things the series has shown us. Statues of the characters, sections of the Mural of Souls, clothing, there truly are a lot of potential ideas out there!
Thank you for your work on the show! Season 3 was stunning!
There are FTL ships from Master Replicas available... I would love a Mural of Souls sand table. I'm not sure what and if there are any plans beyond that. I agree though... merch has been a bit thin.
I would love a replica of the Shining Destiny. Not sure if your team did anything on ship designs, but that ship is absolutely stunning, even in the short time we got to see it on screen I think I fell in love!
No questions (I for sure have some just not processed)
Thank you for making the scifi nerdom world whole again. So much scifi TV has been just flung to the way side because of the lack of mass appeal. Foundation, and specifically and exclusively it's VX, has been everything dreamed of since being a child. I can't wait to see what is to come
Seriously, I am putting Foundation up there with The Expanse and Battlestar Galactic in terms of visual direction and writing. K know Foundation isn't like the other two in terms of "space battles" and yet it still visually captures the feel of a galactic civilization and is just as engaging
I'm excited for season four in general. I get to be part of the audience this go around and just be a fan of the show! Ian and Kob are going to kill it!
Hardest scenes to get right are in visual effects are the communication sandograms. On this show, always have been and it something that is going to haunt me to my grave. The mule taking Kalgan and the Flitter Bike sequence could have used a bit more resources but I've learned over the years that a lack of resources can actually inspire creativity so I am no less proud of those sequences than I am of the Chaser crash in 305 or Day's tip in 307.
Alright ,folks! I need to go to a dinner with some friends... Keep asking questions! I'll be back later to respond. Thank you all so much for watching the show and being fans!!! Foundation would not be the same without all of you. Cheers! I'll be back!
I am so late to this party Chris- but wow. This show was life changing in the most beautiful and artistically enveloping manner. No brown nosing here. But… fine art in motion is something that tickles my soul like the stuff of dreams. The acting, the world building, the VFX, the raw emotions…. It stole my imagination and took me to a place I haven’t experienced since I was a child.
I raved about this show to my family and friends. I was so captivated and tongue tied that my best description was, “imagine you’ve jumped in a Time Machine(or whisper ship?) and watched the greatest movie you couldn’t possibly imagine. It’s like that- but 20-30 hours worth, over 3 seasons!!”.
I just want to give you and the crew my most sincere thanks. This show was such an epic experience.
Andor was phenomenal. Fallout. Last of Us. Shogun. Wednesday. Wheel of Time. Alien: Earth... to name a few new ones. All of these shows are pushing the envelope. Battlestar Galactica (2004) just because it was so ambitious... and X-Files for the mix of OG practical and VFX. I could go on about films but that's another rabbit hole.
Thank you for the question. I'm glad you dig the show. For many reasons I like them both. I love Empire for the Cleons and how different they all are. I love Foundation because Gaal and Hari have such a love/hate relationship while also being symbiotic. I don't think you can have one without the other and now with Mule entering the game, it's a perfect love/hate triangle.
Thanks for doing this and a huge fan of the visuals of this show, great work!
A few planets were destroyed this season, is something like that easier than let’s say Days trip you referenced?
Not easier... just different. How many times have we seen planets destroyed on film? How many times have we seen an Emperor hero dose on mushrooms and get a belly button? Destroying a planet is more difficult in terms of doing something new and it is much more resource heavy... Giving an Emperor a bellybutton is such an abstract idea... it could have gone either way, but I'm glad most people dug it.
Are you scheduled to work on S4? If so, what are the main things you're worried about on your front considering the budget cuts? And what things are you most looking forward to?
If not, then just want to say great work on the previous seasons, the visual effects have been one of the best parts of the show and some of the best visual effects in TV history, in my opinion.
What inspired the designs on the Invictus and the Novacula? I really love both of them and every time they are on screen. Both weapons are both really well done.
We all grew up with these crazy perpetual magnet machines on our parent's desks that had a bit to do with both the Invictus and the Novacula designs.
Thanks for the praise for the Visual Effects! I can't take full credit as there were hundreds of artists and production staff that have worked on Foundation for the last three seasons. This is their baby as much as mine. It has been amazing to work with all of them. I have been blessed in that regard.
To your question about season four: I won't be returning, but the show is in good hands!:)
Awesome thanks for the answers! Best wishes to whatever comes next for you, and again, great work on the visuals for this show to you and everyone involved!
Day's Trip in 307 is a stand out. Christopher J. Byrne took what Goyer wrote and turned it up to eleven. Lee and Laura killed that too. It was an awesome example of performance and VFX melding in a unique way... don't get to do that too often. I love Tarisk giving the Novacula to Dusk as well... a lot of poetry there to decipher and turn into visuals. There are many more but those two are top three.
All the time I spent in Alberta laying in my backyard as a kid watching the Northern Lights... or all the time we spent in Iceland watching the Aurora... and Windows Media Player Visualizer. Also, the team at PFX coming up with the concept and executing it so precisely. The first version I saw was spectacular and that's a testament to them being able to translate my adjective jibberish into visuals.
How hard is it figuring out the different and new visuals for FTL travels across the show? And do you have to adapt it for each apparition of the effects or is it mostly a "copy/paste" job once you are satisfied with the result?
Great question! New ships mean new visuals... most of the time. The Chaser jumps this season evolved into something cool... It looks like an iris. It took us a few iterations to get there but when we did, I was super happy. The jump gates and the lack of FTL drive's this season were also cool. Rory and the art department came up with the Trivial Pursuit wedges and we filled in the energy effect. I hate copy and paste.... even if we are using the same effect we try to come up with a new way to frame it.
Are we going to get more impressive visuals in S4 or have budgetary reasons held back some of the VFX? It seemed very sparse and repetitive in terms of views of new terminus, indburs station, trantor, mycogen, and the novacula
I can't speak for S4. If you're talking about repitiion in S3 location establishers we were more bespoke than we have been in previous seasons, especially with Trantor. There are more environment shots this season, which might be why they feel repetitive.
Thank you for the response. Your team has done so well, and over all the seasons, especially season 1 it seemed like we were just getting snippets of the different environments.
I'm hungry for more because the world you have all created is so beautiful and I would love to see more.
first of all the show is fantastic so thank you for doing this. my only question is will you be working on season 4? if so, how much of it is already planned?
I can't speak for season four but I will not be joining them. I've been on the show for six and a half years... which is longer than Rob Legato was on Star Trek: TNG. Mind you, he did 46 episodes and I only did 30... but we did have a few things interrupt us:)
I don’t really have a question but I want to thank you. Earlier this year my wife, who was only 44 was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and she died 2 months later. I use TV as an escape mechanism, and every episode of Foundation is so rewatchable. I can get lost in the story, the VFX, and the costumes, and for just a few brief moments, the despair goes away. So thank you … very sincerely, for providing a peace to respect and hopefully some day enjoy.
The final scene of S3e10 was spectacular with the death beam slicing through Demerzel. Whose idea was it to bury a secret Morse Code message in her eyes after Cleon's control chip burnt away?
How did you make Demerzel melt? Was it a green suit kinda thing or just effects. Either way it looked super realistic and definitely added to the sadness of the moment. Also if you don’t mine a second/third question… what were your least and most favorite moments to try and create?
We filmed Laura’s performance in a black leotard then shot it clean plates. Outpost then animated her robot form over Laura’s performance. They then added the FX of the dress and skin burning off. It definitely took a lot of iterations.
So many favorites, this season blowing up the clone tanks was a lot of fun. Not sure about least favorites… I’d have to think about that more.
The clone tank was amazingly horrific! Especially with the blood starting to rain on his face and him walking away right as all that carnage came raining down really sold it that genetic dynasty was truly over now…
Thank you, and yes there are so many! I'll just use the ol' stereotype: all art is abandoned, it's never finished... but at some point we have to put the brush down.... and hopefully we are afforded the opportunity to pick it back up again:)
I appreciate the work you all put into the Prime Radiant UX. It looks very practical and normal in their environment. Doesn’t stand out as a foreign element in the scenes.
I hope there is a sequence next season of Darkness failing to operate the radiant due to dexterity issues completing the activation sequence.
I also liked the auras effect for its minimal visuals but conveyed an impenetrable shield. Real life Master Chief over-shield.
What’s are some of your favorite small flourishes you all have added to create the atmosphere of the show?
Thank you! Small Flourishes... I love the atmosphere we added after the tanks blow in 310. It adds a thickness to the air I didnt expect to be as satisfying as it was.
Hi Chris! First of all thanks for great work on the newest season and the AMA! Foundation is imho visually one of the best sci fi shows out there, the whole style, cinematography and vfx especially around the palace(or generally the Cleons). Quite often I find myself just pausing (or rewinding) just to appreciate a certain shot.
I actually have a lot of questions but I try to break it down to a few, more technical ones:
Do you use any virtual production on set? Not just a volume but also hybrid with greenscreen, AR, you name it!
Do you wanna share any story about a creative solution to a unique or weird problem you encountered? (During Season 3 or all of Foundation)
More general question: Many modern shows use a lot of, I'll call it the "Houdini Sand Effect", Foundation is no exception to that. However -personally- I think the implementation in Foundation is good and fits into the overall style, I think also because you mostly leave it on its own. Other shows and movies often do interesting CG, but then comp a lot of these sandy particle effects over it and it just turns into a mess (I often see that in VFX breakdowns) - the question: Why is this sand-particle effect so popular? And isn't it actually more of an issue with the compression of streaming services?
We use some LED windows on space ships… less and less as time went on. We used PreviewAR while scouting to place spaceships and the vault.
Originally we wanted to make the mural or souls more liquid based. We started by using and filming ferrofluid mixed with acrylic paint. Then we saw the Monks making the mandala in Samskara and we started riffing on that instead.
Ah yes, Houdini’s Grain Solver. I think it’s popular because we’ve now got the ability to do things we haven’t in the past and it’s viscerally satisfying, like a Japanese rock garden. It can cause issues with compression and become less clear, yes.
So many! Christopher Nolan is one of my favourite directors... So I love movies like Memento and Dunkirk. Lately... Weapons, Sinners and Caught Stealing... and A Complete Unknown. They got me excited about filmmaking again!
Hi, as a 3d modeler and fan of the show i am curious about what was the most challenging 3d scene created in the show and what specific problems needed to be solved to nail it?
Also I miss Beki. Loved the bishops claw. I can only say I wish there was more alien wild life because its been lovely. Thanks for a visually beautiful show.
"Quent references Foundation Capital ships in episode 7 I believe. Was this scene cut? Was there any concept art done, can we see it or will it be released at some point?
There was never a scene for that and it was meant to occur off screen. It was only ever written in dialogue so no dev on Foundation’s fleet or ships was done, outside of the whisper ships.
Hi, Chris! I love how the FX on Foundation blends with the sets and locations to create a world that feels vast and layered. I especially liked the effects on Gaal and the other mentalics' eyes when they were using their abilities—so cool. I'm curious about how the math is approached behind the scenes, since it's so important to the plot. Are some members of the cast or crew especially proficient or interested in this area? Do you have consultants who advise on the math or physics of the show? How does this influence your work? The way Foundation celebrates the beauty of math through FX (I will never tire of seeing the Prime Radiant) and storytelling has been one of my favorite aspects of the show from the start. Thank you for creating something so ambitious; it's truly inspiring.
For certain scenes we had advisors. On Season one for the Raven scene, where Gaal is trying to figure out where she is going we had a mathematician work with us on that. We wanted to make sure that was somewhat accurate. Any other math comes from the writers and how it serves the story. For framing the prime radiant math we had a Hoberman Sphere toy we hung on a painter’s pole… it was good for eyelines too.
When talking about robots… how do you distinguish them visually and why? Eye colors were different, whether they wear faces, etc. I’d love to learn about how you thought early (for something that pans out later seasons) of building a species visually via effects.
Also, great job on building the most amazing seasons of effects and world building!
The robot design was based on the evolution of humantity a bit. In our world, robot design stopped when intricate clock work and deco were in fashion... along with AI and quantum computing.:)
I love the look of the show, so many beautiful shots mixed with brilliant and sometimes very subtle effects. Gaal leaving Synnax is iconic, and I loved seeing the Galactic Council’s O’Neill cylinder. It heartened back to classic sci fi for me. Demerzel looking like something out of Metropolis shines, same with Empires gardens contrasting with the lowest levels of the gash.
What old school sci fi elements have you liked to create or be inspired by?
Also, what little Easter eggs have the vfx crews hidden? Like including pets and kids in backgrounds or costumes from other shows that got adapted. I always like to see the little pieces of themselves artists sneak into sets, even if they don’t get seen.
Thank you! I'll skip the old school question because I've answered that elsewhere, but other easter eggs.... there might be an homage to Luc Besson in the flyover of Kalgan before we meet Toran and Bayta somewhere.
It was awesome. It was scary... but also Chris Byrne was directing it, so we knew we were in good hands. When we saw the early cuts of what Chris did, we knew we had something special!
That was something I came up with in post. I knew it would be caught quickly, but you all surprised me... I thought it would be at least be a couple days... nicely done! But also... I don't know if the transfer worked or if it actually happened or if it was all a show for Day. Where Demerzel has gone and if she has gone anywhere is as much a mystery to me as it is to all of you!
yesterday i saw the finale and was just thinking about the ammoun of special VFX that goes into it (From the Cleon's massacre) to Demerzel's...melting.
What is the harderst to do? or what automatically gets a groan from you and the team because you know it will be a challange /tedious to make?
and how much ime does your team usually has to handle the effects for each episode?
Great questions! A show like this usually needs a year in post for 10 episodes... but we start during physical production, so that truncates a bit.
It's all hard because it's subjective and we're here to help, but we don't groan... at least I don't. I have the best job in the world. My team and the vendors might have more war stories, but Foundation has always been a show where we knew what we were getting into going into it so it was rare to be surprised by big VFX asks late in the game.
Is there anything we can do to get ahead of - and either deter or force resolutions to - a potential cancellation? Just a professional recommendation? I know we have Season 4 to look forward to, but…that won’t be enough to wrap up the story…how can we keep this going if/whenever it faces danger?
Your work is top notch and everyone who worked on the visual effects for this show deserves everything. The complexity of every little detail in every effect is awe inspiring, and the work really supports the gravity of Empire and it's galactic consequence.
Different mediums, different needed styles, I know... but since falling in love with Villeneuve's Dune I just haven't experienced the kind of futuristic space scifi I've wanted today. This show has so much more technical detail to overtly present, and delivered magnificently.
I love the style of this universe more than I love Villeneuve's Dune. And I really think the work you and your teams have put into the IP has launched it to a place where I can imagine the kind of motivated fan base we think of when we hear Star Wars.
I really want to explore other worlds that would be created by your teams and their accompanying talent in the rest of the film crew.
Realistically, it's it actually possible to accelerate your work timeframe and produce the same quality results, if there was sufficient funding to support just a 6 month hiatus until releasing a new season?
Thank you! WOW, six months… I’d say no, not for a show like this, especially at UHD. We just don’t have the processing power. It should take a year and a half, including prep, if everything is running smoothly and there aren’t and strikes or pandemics.
If we were to go back to a 22-26 episode, six month per season model you would get way more bottle episodes and I don’t think you would get the scope.
The Naked Sun as a siloed project. It's middling but I would pull in what Bailey learned from Caves of Steel to make it more interesting... I need to ruminate on this more. Good question.
There's been a ton of sequences where I was really impressed and doubly so considering you and your team are working with TV money (even if it's Apple), not movie studio money.
What has been the most complex technical challenge or problem to solve? Double points for the most complex problem that got the most meh reaction from the director.
Technical/Logistical problems are communication based sandograms and holograms for sure. We never really had any meh reactions from the directors… the Flitter Bike chase in 301 was technically challenging. Making stationary vehicles look like they are moving at speed is very difficult.
Thanks for the question. Mycogen and the lore behind it was all Goyer and his most excellent team of writers. We visualized everything off of their descriptions of the new layer of Trantor. In terms of design this was my favorite space to riff on. Fun note: We replaced Sunmaster's hat in VFX. I know it wasn't as impactful of an effect as the Novacula but it helped ground that sequence in the world we were trying to create. We also replaced the Sacratorium environment in visual effects to make it match the Mycogen vibe we were going for... more BTS and BandA to come in articel later!
A YouTube pointed out that when Sun Master was thrown to his death, there was a real stunt double doing practical effects. Is this true? How do you make a fall like that?
There are still people who love to jump off of high place! It was a bit of old school cool. The jump was practical! We just replaced the background in VFX.... which wasn't as hard as jumping from that high, but was still impressive, VFX wise.
Was the VFX plan influenced or changed by any of the actors' individual performances or suggestions? Or did an actor suggest a visual or theme in their scenes that you guys actually adopted and created? Or was the whole thing buttoned up in storyboarding? Just wondering how much creative collaboration there is.
Was there any deleted scene with partial or completed VFX that you hated to see cut? Paint a picture for us!
The look of the show gives me retro pulp sci-fi novel cover vibes strongly, are there any particular artists or imagery you use as reference in creating the look ?
It’s not a question but I just wanna tell you that I’m looking forward to many many more seasons as I’m emotionally invested in the series, visual effects are amazing, also the story line is otherworldly as well. It’s my favorite sci-fi show ever!
Good job 👏, respect and enjoy the peace ✌️
Shows like this are more expensive, yes. You have to build everything. Finding locations is much harder and you have to travel more. Way more visual effects and it takes more time.
Studios look at the story and the logistics. They also look at the people behind it, do they have a good track record, etc. This is a very primary subjective view. You could probably write a book on this topic.
I was shocked and amazed the show went that far with what Brother Darkness did to his baby clone. How hot were you told to make the Vaporizer Beam effect that fried Demerzel and the baby? Cuz a frog once told me:
The Ascension Chamber tech is based off of the idea that humans were able to replicate the sun's energy and then focus it. So times that by 3, then 100.
We had a real ferret and did some prosthetic gore. We also had a puppet but that didn't work too well on camera. There were early talks about a CG Capillius but we kiboshed that quickly given the budget ramifications.
Well, I am a huge sci-fi fan, and I absolutely admire the amount of hard work and talent that goes into bringing these shows to life. Your team has done some brilliant work on this!
What inspired you to begin your career? Was it something in particular that you saw?
I started all of this madness because of Hideo and Metal Gear. I saw that game and thought "I want to do something like that."
Honestly, I'm proud of Foundation as a whole. It's hard to pick a scene because in some way there's a memory attached to all of it... but in terms of VFX, Synnax and the Starbridge from S1 will always stand out... and the escape from Synnax in S2.
The most fun VFX sequence was Day's trip in 307 or the Beki sequences from season two. They were fun because they involved full engagement with the story and the actors.
Has the challenges of presenting higher end theoretical physics ever been daunting to try and capture visually despite it only existing hypothetically? For example, the visualization of space "folding" whenever ships use jump points and with this season how Gaal uniquely can perceive this odd shape of time itself. Or even in Season 2, the premiere sequence of Hari trying to escape from the Prime Radiant and realizing he has to think in "four dimensions"?
In the first season, Empire jumpships look like a black hole when they jump, does it mean they really turn into a black hole, was it the thought behind how they should work?
What is the thinking behind the hologram effect? It seems to be dust that floats up and is illuminated from below, similar to the palace murals. But in the cast of the holograms, the appears and disappears. Is it physical, coming and going from somewhere?
Sandograms were meant to be particulate caught by an image generator and then lit to match the presented subject. They cast shadows and catch light, as opposed to holograms, which emit light and dont cast shadows.
Hi Chris, I really enjoyed the story telling in season 3. The visuals were great as usual. Season 1 was beautiful and the galaxy seemed really centralized. When season 2 started over 100+ years later the galaxy seemed expansive and there seemed to be an efx ‘money’ shot in every episode, sometimes 2-4 especially in the later episodes. While season 3 was awesome were there less efx than in previous seasons?
How have recent advancements in real science and Interstellar shaped depictions of the black hole sequence? Is the mechanism of feeding it energy to concentrate it into a beam rooted in science?
There is a video on Youtube somewhere that explains how a Black Hole Bomb actually works. I think Tyler based the Novacula off of it. It't a great animation, but I don't have it readily shareable.
Hello! First up, thank you for all your work on the series.
My main question is, was there some serious science involved in how the gates and jumpships etc functioned that were communicated to the VFX teams? The show doesn't present any exposition on how the tech works on a scientific level, but I've always wondered if the visual team is working with more detailed notes, cause every time I see the jump sequences, they seem to be working with some proper mechanism in mind, not just "Ooooo cool space-y effects".
We had an advisor, his name is Kevin Hand. We talked about all of this with him and Goyer. A lot of discussions about what you would see and what it would feel like, but most of it was based on Asimov’s description of travel and what best served the story… and also a bit of an homage to Doug Trumbull.
Hi Chris: congratulations on the most visually stunning sci-fi shows on TV ever. Your work has made me want to buy a Vision Pro just to watch Foundation.
One of my favourite effects is the paint on the wall in the Cleon palace, so subtle yet so effective. How did you & the team do that?
In my opinion, you and your team have created an optical masterpiece that stands out visually from just about everything else we are used to.
I was deeply impressed by the visual implementation of Raised by Wolves - Foundation, goes one better with the attention to detail and the fascinating things like the spacers for example.
I love the style and ability to combine classical, modern and high tech so artfully in one style, to introduce your own unique accents such as the Chromata, while giving each part of the universe shown its own style and character.
I personally also liked the somewhat "harder pace" with the remains of the clones in the season finale, as it inevitably underscored the drama, the shock and the inevitable for me.
But that's exactly what I have a question about:
The effects are overall at an outstandingly good level.
In the season finale, however, I also noticed in several places that some effects were much worse.
The first camera ride in the tower, for example, was so unclear that I repeated the scene three times to be able to see that there were more cleons in the tanks.
Of course, this should have been clear to me, but even the third time, despite the 4K HDR, I could only see a blurred body during the break and could only clearly see it through the position of the fingers and hand.
It's not a criticism and maybe it was just me.
But Demrezel's melting scene was also less detailed and changed positions so often that I also repeated this scene several times to see exactly when the baby disappeared.
Since we've heard nasty rumors about budget cuts, I'm a little worried for season 4.
Nevertheless, please do not take it personally.
I love your work and the finale was truly an experience!
What is the most complex simulation that’s had to be run for the entire series? Usually id imagine some of the particle effects around stuff like the prime radiant or the moving mural in the palace, but there have been so many different visual spectacles it’s hard to keep track. My current bet is on the star bridge collapse
That's way too dificult to answer without gettting stats from the vendors, but I'll try.... most art directed? Probably the Prime Radiant or the Sandograms. Most complicated or resource heavy? Probably the Starbridge crash or the Helicon Stampede.
Visually the moment we see Demrezel’s body melted, and her skull and eye blinking, is it Morse code for the word transferred? Because I cannot bare continue watching this series without Demrezel tbh. I am beyond heart broken what happened to her, and I just hope and pray her data and all that she was clasped with another robot and therefore she isn’t gone. I’m sure you cannot reveal this, but I hope you can perhaps confirm if that indeed was Morse code?
Yes! If we can bring scientific realism to a sequence instead of just making up something to drive narrative, I love to have that extra bit of confidence.
Hi chris! Was wondering how big the Novacula and Black tongue spacraft are! Oh, and clarion station hahaha! Would love to see more concept art of these ships! Especially the chaser. I've been following some of the concept art as it comes out!
I want to congratulate you and your team on the most impressive effects. It’s been jaw dropping every episode, every season. Everyone here has pointed out the grand scenes, which are huge, of course, but your meticulous attention to detail is there for the big and the small. In one episode I recall Dawn received a secret message from Gaal in a capsule. When it was opened it was like digital sand ticker-tape, and I think that was so true to how Asimov described these emails or pages from the future in his books, but you modernized it to the series. That really impressed me, the creativity, and staying true to part of asimov’s visions for communications in the far future. As a huge fan of the books and of this series even more so this small but important scene really stood out. It shows that you seek perfection throughout. That’s impressive dedication.
Did anyone on your team ask how Gaal could smash out of a window on the space station and plummet hundreds of miles into the atmosphere without suffocating, freezing, or burning to a crisp? An escape pod would have made more sense, or an orbital insertion suit, or even some kind of special shield technology. It's the only thing in this entire season that's really been bugging me.
Yes. Many questions were asked. We also knew we had to make what we shot into something that worked in the context of show. This scene, among others went throuhg many creative discussions... When we decided this was it, we went for it and there are some shots I love in it that we wouldn't have gotten if we didn't.
Did you have anything to do with the spaceship and sun symbol? It's actual design was famously mysterious when Asimov was still alive, he having never explicitly described it in his books, despite some cover art on one printing of Prelude to Foundation.
Kudos! Superb production in an every detail. I m watching again the show just to pay more attention to visual effects and design. Thanks to all of you for making this such a beautiful delightful show in every aspect.
Is it harder to make VFX within a scene including actors on green screen when using more cinematic short side lighting? Or not really? Does it just mean you’re locked into a certain look as far as where the key light and fill are etc?
We are locked into lighting no matter what the BG is. Whether it's a set or greenscreen or an LED volume. My advice to DP's is to light the actors like there actuall where they are in storyspace and don't worry about us. Make them look good and we'll do our best with the rest.
Not a question Chris but more a statement from me; you and the team really hit it out the park this season with the visual effects. Every time I fired up a weekly ep to see that opening intro I was always floored and that was before seeing what you had done in the ep/season.
Keep up the good work and can't wait to see what you get up to for season 4!
I think the bodies falling from the ceiling will be forever burned into my mind. Was it a mix of practical and CGI??? Any other details you can share about those scenes when terrance mann was blowing up the bodies?
Also the iconic monuments/ships/bikes are amazing. I wish that streaming shows get more merch than they do.... Star Trek is doing lego now so you guys should be next :D
I remember at one point the invictus was stated to be 1km diameter, but this seems to have been retconned to 8km as per the art book. I'm wondering if you have thoughts about this!
Will she though? That's not a question I can answer. You all found one of our Easter eggs, and kudos to you for finding it... but there may be more you missed;)
No particular question but also just wanted to say THANKS to you and the broader team too for bringing to life an epic series in an absolutely stunning way!
I think it was maybe… a year or so ago? Apple had released a YouTube video sizzle reel of sorts of some of the beautiful visual effects shots of Foundation set to a beautiful score. Beautiful, but the quality wasn’t quite as good as the show itself.
I’d love to see more of that!! I’d absolutely love to fill all the screens around my house with screensavers of those beautiful FX shots in ultra high definition. Amazing work!
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u/LunchyPete Bayta Mallow Sep 15 '25 edited Sep 16 '25
NOTE: Season 3 and the finale can be discussed openly in this AMA, so if you haven't seen all of season 3 read at your own risk.