VFX Legion, the pioneering remote visual effects company, created a mix of digital effects for HBO Max’s dystopian miniseries, ‘DMZ.’ Produced by Emmy® winner/Oscar® nominee Ava DuVernay, and Emmy® nominee Roberto Patino, ‘DMZ’ is based on the DC comic book series of the same name. Set in the not-to-distant future during the Second Civil War, the drama unfolds in New York City, a demilitarized zone abandoned by the country and ravaged by violence.
The LA and B.C.-based company was brought on board at the start of the second episode to craft some of the complex effects that help shape the show’s visual landscape in the final three episodes of the four-part limited series. The 59 final shots delivered by Legion seamlessly blend photorealist digital elements of a fictional post-apocalyptic New York with footage of the real world.
The city of Atlanta stands in for a war-ravaged Manhattan, with the help of visual effects. Legion’s team used a mix of effects to create environments echoing the look of iconic locations in New York City.
Senior VFX Supervisor James David Hattin and VFX Producer Nate Smalley, the co-founders of Legion, headed up the project. Drawing from a diverse international collective of home-based talent the company began building nearly a decade ago, they assembled a team of VFX supervisors, producers, compositors, CG artists, animators, tracking artists, matte painters, VFX coordinators, and QC managers, tailored to meet the needs of the series.
CREDITS: Title: ‘DMZ’ Genre: Dystopia, Drama Streaming: 4-Part Limited Series Original Network: HBO Max Starring: Rosario Dawson, Benjamin Bratt, Hoon Lee
Production Companies: Warner Bros. Television, DC Entertainment, ARRAY Filmworks,Analog
Executive producers - Ava DuVernay, Roberto Patino, Paul Garnes, Ernest Dickerson Show Runner, Creator - Roberto Patino Writers - Roberto Patino, Carly Wray Producers - Tim Scanian, Paul Garnes, Dale Williams Associate Producer - Emanuel Fidalgo Directors - Ava DuVernay Ernest Dickerson
Production VFX Supervisor/Producer - Trent Smith
Visual Effects by VFX Legion LA/B.C. Visual Effects Supervisor - James David Hattin Visual Effects Producer - Nate Smalley Senior Visual Effects Coordinator - Matthew Noren Visual Effects Coordinator - Patriz Manalo QC Coordinator -Joseph Soloway Digital Compositor - Nick Guth Digital Compositor – Kim Hong Kyoung Digital Compositor - Mattias Lowry Digital Compositor - Courtney Cheesman Digital Compositor - Kate T.C. Lin Digital Compositor - Eugen Olsen Digital Compositor -Vicki Silva CG Artist - Bryan Shepperd CG Artist- Shantel Short Animator - Sebastian Weber Digital Matte Painter - Dave Tipper Tracking Artist - Ruy Delgado Tracking Artist - Lochana Deshpande Tracking Artist - Mauricio Mansilla Tracking Artist - Albrecht Steinmetz
