Inside VFX on Escape at Dannemora

Showtime’s Ben Stiller-helmed series, Escape at Dannemora, is the true story of two inmates, David Sweat and Richard Matt, who escaped from prison with the help of a prison employee. The Phosphene team led the effects on set and in post.

Phosphene’s VFX Supervisor Djuna Wahlrab oversaw effects ranging from elaborate scene stitches to CG stunt enhancements. VFX Producer Matt Griffin adds that, “From even the smallest detail, it was crucial that everything be totally believable.”

Being a seven-part series, the show required an extensive shooting schedule, and VFX was involved throughout. “It was a long production,” says Wahlrab, “shot out of order and across several state lines. VFX isn’t always folded into the crew, but it was a priority for Ben, and we certainly felt the benefits of being on for the majority of the shoot days. VFX can sometimes be an afterthought but on this set, we were equal partners in solving all the problems that arose, and it felt great to be a part of that conversation at such a reasonable juncture.”

“Probably the most tantalizing detail of all was the escape itself. We affectionately refer to this as ‘Sweat’s Run,’” says Wahlrab, referring to the opening sequence of the series’ fifth installment, when David Sweat times his prison escape route. The sequence appears as a roughly nine-minute “oner,” when in reality, it was sixteen shots spanning four different locations, which the visual effects team stitched to appear as one continuous take, often by going so far as to execute CG enhancements and set extensions. Aside from being a technical showcase, guiding the audience through the route’s unrelenting variety of obstacles in a seamless shot displayed the escape route as an exhausting and interminable gauntlet, and as a result, demonstrates the incredible resolve and determination involved in breaking out of the correctional facility.

Series DP Jessica Lee Gagné intentionally lit the sequence minimally, so that Sweat’s headlamp would often be the only source of light. Wahlrab says of the look, “the director loved the contrast, and the way the environment caught the light—from dust hits to water drops from the working prison steam pipes. Ben also wanted to be sure that the spatial orientation was felt—he wanted you to feel Sweat’s progress as indicated by the changing functional structure around him.” These changes communicated Sweat’s advancement as he comes closer and closer to his final escape point. While a dark, heavy contrast look was the aesthetic directive, the team wanted to ensure that none of the dark moments could be mistakenly interpreted as stitch points or cuts. To protect the sequence from that perception, says Wahlrab, “We were tasked with supporting that tonal aesthetic and subtly filling out the texture of the space. We leaned heavily on the tone Jess set, and tried to fill in light and texture sparingly.”

A sequence of this magnitude involved extensive planning in pre-production. Orthographic views were built using the blueprints of three shooting locations and the plans for the eventual set. These allowed production to plan for camera rigging and handoff in great detail. Additionally, using those views, the camera department was able to custom build several rigs which were required for maneuvering through constricted spaces along the route.

The entire sequence was pre-visualized by a pre-vis vendor, and Wahlrab coordinated with the locations, art, wardrobe and stunt departments.

After Wahlrab scouted locations with production, they determined that four locations would be required to best address the needs of the sequence. These locations would allow them to transition from one location to another without simply a wipe or a dip to darkness. At each location, they rehearsed and documented the camera move so it could be repeated at the corresponding “A” or “B” side of the respective transition, then tracked both sides of the stitch in post to recreate and sometimes re-project the space within the overlap, generating VFX’s own new camera through the transition.

Given the specific limitations of each location, stitches spanned an array of approaches and problem-solving techniques. Among them were 3D projections, augmentation of physical spaces, and re-texturing and environmental enhancement.

3D PROJECTIONS AND AUGMENTATION OF SPACES

Often, the locations and sets were built out to accommodate production elements like camera and stunt rigs, which meant the passageways were much more obliging than they were in the actual route. Although a camera was built as small as possible, it still necessitated a relatively wide berth for its path.

At these times, in addition to the stitches, VFX augmented physical spaces (with CG bricks, full walls, etc) to compensate for the technical limitations and further constrict environments. This use of effects to tighten the spaces supported a sense of claustrophobia, to remind the viewer of the (literally) narrow escape.

At other times, VFX created full set extensions to heighten the labyrinthian quality of the underground maze.

RE-TEXTURING

Due to the lighting limitations of some locations, the footage sometimes lacked detail. VFX often re-textured environments, to root viewers in the route’s geography during every step of the route.

In addition to impressing the viewers with the quantity and variety of obstructions along the route, the duration of the sequence makes the actual escape all the more triumphant.