Star City
Star City. Where reaching for space meant risking everything on Earth.
See what our VFX artists have been up to when the new series lands May 29 on Apple TV.
The project began with a very specific brief: creating a photoreal Kamchatka Russian brown bear attack. Framestore worked closely with the production to develop the sequence, bringing the creature to life with the realism and tension that the story demanded.
As the scope of the project expanded, we recreated the historic Baikonur Cosmodrome, built fully CG N1 and Soyuz rockets, and developed complex launch simulations that captured the immense scale and force of Soviet spaceflight.
From the beginning, the team worked in sync with the client, sharing early layouts, mock-ups and work-in-progress comps to make sure everyone stayed aligned as the work evolved. Regular feedback throughout production helped resolve creative and technical challenges early, giving the artists more time to focus on refining the final shots.
The project relied on intimate collaboration across every department. Our FX artists spent considerable time researching rocket ignition to accurately recreate the smoke, fire and turbulence of launch, while the environment team built a highly detailed digital Baikonur Cosmodrome that could stand up to both wide cinematic shots and close-up views.
"Star City was a great project to be part of. We had an incredible range of work, from monitor and window comps to a fully CG bear sequence, expansive CG environments, and a rocket launch. Building the Baikonur Cosmodrome, creating the N1 and Soyuz rockets, and developing the launch FX simulations became particularly engaging creative challenges. They pushed us to problem-solve in new ways, and we're really excited to see the final results on screen," said VFX Supervisor Illia Afanasiev.
"The team's deep technical research and push for high-fidelity detail resulted in spectacular rocket launch and bear sequences. We maintained a tight feedback loop that allowed us to iterate quickly without losing sight of the creative vision,” added CG Supervisor Claire Yawen Chang. This success was a direct result of the seamless collaboration between our artists, creative leads and production team.”
"‘Rockets and launches and bears, oh my!’ Working with Framestore on Star City was a terrific experience. Right away, Illia and Claire were on board with the level of detail, fidelity, look and texture — and they embraced the deep attention to historical yet poetic nuance we were seeking. The artists at Framestore are intensely skilled and I'm thrilled with the huge diversity of work they created - enigmatic Soviet rockets, massive fiery launches, arid landscapes, wintery bears, snowy effects, gorgeous cloudscapes, and vintage video broadcasts - all with technical accuracy and artistic flair. I’m looking forward to working with the Framestore team again," says Show-side Senior VFX Supervisor, Jay Redd.