Jack Ryan
Based on the bestselling novels by Tom Clancy, Jack Ryan is an American political action thriller television episodic series. In season 4 the titular character, now an up-and-coming CIA analyst, is thrust into a dangerous field assignment for the first time and uncovers a pattern in terrorist activity that threatens destruction on a global scale.
Framestore was tasked with executing various visual effects for the 6-episode season which included important day for night transformations with multiple layers of depth, creating a CG harpoon, asset changes and additions, 2D practical effects for an intense torture scene seen in episode 6 and, most notably, head replacement in episode 5 on the character Mike November played by Michael Kelly.
Throughout the season, our supporting visual effects seamlessly blend into the hyper-realistic and practical nature of Jack Ryan. Maintaining the show's authenticity was paramount. To achieve this, our experienced VFX Supervisor, Thomas Montminy Brodeur, emphasizes the long-standing partnership with the project’s VFX Supervisor, Erik Henry, and VFX Producer, Matt Robken, spanning over eight years.
“This collaboration has fostered open and thorough communication, allowing for a trusting relationship where our team consistently delivers exceptional work. They understand we are able to think outside the box to get to the best results without overcomplicating the methodology,” commented Brodeur.
He continues, “the pandemic posed specific production challenges. However, it provided us with a unique opportunity to supervise an elements shot of Mike November's head so that we could capture the perfect elements to replace the head of Mike’s body double that was originally filmed when the actor Michael Kelly was unavailable. By skillfully manipulating light and reflections, we successfully brought the scene to life without the need for intricate tracking. The end result was truly remarkable, leaving our client thoroughly impressed with the final outcome.”