The One
Love and Lies: Seamless Set Extensions Sell The Story In New Netflix Thriller
Vine FX worked as the sole vendor on Netflix's thriller The One, delivering a total of 250 VFX shots. The eight-part series follows the founder of a fictional company which claims to scientifically match people to their perfect partner using a single sample of DNA. Urban Myth Films furthered their ongoing collaboration with Executive VFX Supervisor Michael Illingworth of Vine FX, with key tasks ranging from CG builds, set extensions and crowd replications.
A majority of Visual Effects in the show were located at the company’s fictional, ‘The One’ headquarters and enhancements involved a vast quantity of shots. The main office was built in a studio with huge windows covered by greenscreens. VFX Supervisor Michael Illingworth was then asked to use the interior of Central St Martins Atrium and to recreate the look for the scenes shot in the studio.
This task was broken down into numerous stages, initially a photogrammetry version was created of the Atrium with our on-set supervisor taking measurements of the location, along with a series of high resolution still images. These stills were then added to Reality Capture to create a high polygon mesh of the location.
The polygon mesh was then used to build a low resolution model in Maya, ensuring everything was true to real-world scale. The low density mesh was taken back into the photogrammetry software to re-project the textures.
The VFX team were able to use reflection from the windows shot in the studio which led to a visual exploration of how to get the correct density for the illusion of glass. Having the 3D asset meant convincing reflections could be created as and when they were needed.
The team created crowd replication in the most recognisable sequences of the show, notably the opening Ted-talk. Sections of the crowd sitting in the auditorium were shot separately and being stitched together in order to create the feeling of a packed and busy space. Furthermore, there were various set enhancements required throughout the show. Plates shot in Wales were augmented to feature an iconic London cityscape at night - integrating Canary Wharf to the harbourside with the addition of blinking lights.
Other tasks involved carefully placing The One logo throughout the series and video footage throughout various London locations and the addition of a knife blade was digitally imposed into the final episode's shocking murder scene.
The One is created and written by Howard Overman and Executive Produced by Johnny Capps and Julian Murphy, in association with Studio Canal. The series is based on the novel by John Marrs and distributed by Netflix.
