Over seven seasons, The CW’s sci-fi television series The 100 has taken its audience to many amazing places, and the conclusion of a recent episode brought the show’s main characters to a new one: An alien planet covered in ice and snow which comes courtesy of visual effects provided by the Environments team at CoSA VFX.
The process began with concept designs that created the alien world – in this case, the art was developed by CoSA’s Ruotian Zhang. She and the team collaborated with the client to make sure that the designs would match the look and feel of this world of ice. Creating concept art and developing a look is important so that time is not spent building elements in 3D which may not end up being used. Once a look is approved, and the company has been given instructions on what other aspects need to be included, then elements can be built. You can see Ruotian’s concept art below.
Members of CoSA’s Environments team are masters of many trades when it comes to visual effects. Ruotian, for example, was originally hired as a digital matte painter, but it was quickly seen that she also has a great eye for concept art. “She’s really great at coming up with ideas,” CoSA’s Environments Department Head Mark Nazal said of Ruotian’s work, pointing to Kitson City from Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as an early indicator of the major concept work that she could do. In the case of Kitson City, there were several questions that the team had to make: What do the buildings look like? What do the lights look like? What does the planet in the background look like? What does the architecture feel like? Similar questions had to be asked about this planet seen on The 100. Rock formations, fantastic colors, and planets in the sky made this world look like something truly different and alien. “I was just trying different things out,” Ruotian said of her working with colors and shapes for this strange new world. For inspiration, Ruotian counts herself as a fan of projects such as the Japanese anime Blame! which featured some fantastical environments.
CoSA’s Environments Department is composed of multi-skilled artists for various production needs; they have concept artists, digital matte painters, 3D artists, and compositors who are all integral parts of this specialized team. “Our diverse composition allows us to strategically build set pieces in more efficient ways because we’re able to utilize resources across different visual effects disciplines and have been able to put together environment shots from start to finish,” Mark Nazal said.
You can see our work on The 100 episode “Hesperides” below. The series may be returning to this location in the June 24 episode, and you can see a trailer for that episode here.
ABOUT CoSA VFX
Founded in 2009, CoSA VFX has grown from a small boutique into a thriving visual effects studio with offices in Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Vancouver. The CoSA VFX team has received Emmy nominations and wins for their work on TV series including Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Almost Human, Revolution, and Gotham, and currently provides visual effects for multiple studios, networks and streaming television services.
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