Gone are the days when TV show VFX was a poor imitation of what we might see on the big screen. Some of the best TV shows of 2024 stood out for stunning visual effects, which helped to create post-apocalyptic worlds, historic cities and realistic visualisations of other planets.
Throughout the year, we spoke to studios and VFX artists working on some of the biggest shows for Netflix, FX, the BBC, Amazon Studios and more. Here’s our pick of the highlights of TV VFX in 2024. For more magic, see our roundup of the best movie VFX of 2024 and the best CGI movie moments of all time.
01. Shōgun
VFX artists had to recreate 17th century Japan in modern-day Vancouver for FX’s adaptation of Shōgun. This meant studying historic artworks from the Sengoku era, sketching designs and then creating modular architectural models along with foliage and tens of thousands of inhabitants. SSVFX, the primary visual effects vendor, had nearly 150 crew members working on the show, led by VFX supervisor Ed Bruce and working with production VFX Supervisor Michael Cliett.
Michael told us in our interview about the Shōgun VFX that the most challenging aspect, both creatively and technically, was the creation of cities that had to respect historical accuracy. “It wasn’t like throwing the castle or Osaka together. It was studying numerous historical maps and then creating the city from them,” he told us. “We found a maquette from 1597 and created the castle based off that.”
VFX was also used to create period weaponry, including arrows heads. In one scene, the arrows were set on fire, for which Barnstorm VFX used a simulation to make the fire appear real, with the flames almost going out as arrows fly through the air.
02. Fallout
Amazon’s adaptation of the iconic video game series Fallout succeeded in turning Los Angeles into a post-apocalyptic wasteland in an alternative universe while respecting elements from the games, including the aged retrofuturistic look. This required set extensions, the removal of real-life modern elements and stitching camera array footage for LED walls.
But perhaps the highlight of Fallout VFX was FutureWorks’ creation of the Ghoul’s nose, which need to look mutilated but realistic. Head scans and prosthetics were used to make the process easier, allowing a negative space for the VFX elements that look so realistic you wouldn’t notice they were there.
03. Masters of the Air
Apple TV+’s World War II miniseries brought movie-quality aerial combat sequences to TV with immersive detail and historical accuracy. in the story of the 100th Bomber Squadron. DNEG contributed over 1600 shots and 200 assets for 32 sequences, which included creating 1940s 3D landscapes and cloudscapes, from deserts in Africa, to the Fjords in Greenland and cities in Europe, plus hundreds of plane models, liveries and damaged variations that would have to perform in complex choreographies.
Virtual production was used to film cockpit sequences, to immerse the actors in the scenes they were shooting and provide precise eyelines and timings for the action shots. For the dogfights, the planes were crewed by digi-doubles, travelling at 600 mph.
04. Solar System
TV VFX isn’t only for fiction. Lux Aeterna specialises in VFX for documentary series, particularly science-based programming. In 2024, it contributed to BBC Studios’ Solar System, a docuseries that takes the viewer on a journey through the fascinating events that occur on the planets and other bodies in our solar system.
Full VFX builds were needed for most of the shots and, unlike with science fiction, the results had to be strongly based in reality, with acute attention to detail. The result is a blend of scientific accuracy and extraordinary, cinematic visuals.
05. Star Wars: Skeleton Crew
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From space fact to space fantasy, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew follows the journey of four kids lost in a strange and dangerous galaxy, where they meet a range of colourful characters. A host of big names in VFX worked on the Disney show, including Industrial Light & Magic and DNEG.
ILM used motion-controlled miniatures, including the Onyx Cinder spacecraft, to blend practical and digital effects. Built by John Goodson, the model had servo-operated engines and was used in both in-camera final shots and to inform the digital model. ILM also worked on creating the elephantine creature Neel.
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6. Avatar: The Last Airbender
Finally, Avatar: The Last Airbender made great use of digi-doubles to represent the Fire Nation and the Air Nomads. Rodeo FX says the show pushed it to develop new skills to integrate crowds and cloth simulation for the opening sequence of the show set in the air temple, which required intricate crowd simulations and set extensions, seamlessly integrating digital elements with live-action footage.
Detailed digi-doubles of main characters like Aang, Katara and Sokka. were used throughout the show to blend the characters into action scenes.
For more roundups of the year that’s passed, see our pick of the biggest AI art controversies of 2024 and the best indie games.