The Witcher Season 1

One of Framestore’s main roles on the show was to help establish the look and feeling of The Continent, the world that The Witcher inhabits with a series of digitally enhanced and fully digital environments. As the creative studio’s role grew, it became responsible for the design of several locations including the dark and gritty city of Cintra and the cliff-side fortress of Aretuza and an Elven stronghold. 

To develop the look and feel of the environments, Framestore worked with its internal creative development and art departments, using the production designers’ initial concept art as a starting point. For the three-tiered walled city of Cintra, it developed everything from the layout of the city right down to tiny details like the way tiles are laid on the buildings’ roofs. The CG asset of Cintra was built to showcase the location with an incredible level of detail before the team degraded the asset, essentially destroying it for a huge battle in which it’s attacked by the show’s Nilfgaardian army. ​

As well as Cintra, the team also designed and built the exterior location of Aretuza and an Elven Keep completely in CG, using these assets and a series of digital matte paintings to both create the series’ beautiful establishing shots and to replace views from interior locations’ windows. It also built a perilous mountain ledge location which live action plates of the series’ actors were composited into for a sequence in which the series’ heroes must traverse the treacherous landscape. 

Talking about the project, Pedro Sabrosa, VFX Supervisor at Framestore said; ‘For a fantasy series like The Witcher, environments and locations serve the purpose of needing to set the scene very quickly. If they don’t immediately look right then the illusion of the world that’s trying to be built can be immediately broken and audiences won’t be engaged.’

As well as Cintra, the team also designed and built the exterior location of Aretuza and an Elven Keep completely in CG, using these assets and a series of digital matte paintings to both create the series’ beautiful establishing shots and to replace views from interior locations’ windows. It also built a perilous mountain ledge location which live action plates of the series’ actors were composited into for a sequence in which the series’ heroes must traverse the treacherous landscape. 

Talking about the project, Pedro Sabrosa, VFX Supervisor at Framestore said; ‘For a fantasy series like The Witcher, environments and locations serve the purpose of needing to set the scene very quickly. If they don’t immediately look right then the illusion of the world that’s trying to be built can be immediately broken and audiences won’t be engaged.’

‘We’ve seen how excited audiences are to see the series and we were thrilled to come on board as a visual effects partner and be a part of bringing this world to life,’ said Christopher Gray, Executive Producer at Framestore. ‘The team on this project has had a huge hand in establishing the world of The Witcher, creating some visually arresting environments and some fantastic magical moments in the process, I know everyone’s really looking forward to seeing it all come to life in the show.’

Who renders The Witcher? - TVBEurope

Netflix's The Witcher gets some VFX sorcery from Framestore - UK Screen Alliance

Framestore on their VFX magic for ‘The Witcher’ - Reel 360

The Witcher: Pedro Sabrosa - VFX Supervisor - Framestore - Art of VFX

Framestore Builds The Witcher’s World of Magic and Danger - Digital Media World

Behind the scenes: The Witcher - IBC365

World-building and monster-hunting with The Witcher - VFX Voice