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Emmy Highlight 2021: Daniel Cohen, Lead in Compositing

Utilization of Sapphire and Mocha Pro by the nominated squad at Spin VFX within The Umbrella Academy series on Netflix.

Emmy Honors 2021 Highlights: Daniel Cohen, Chief of Compositing
Emmy Honors 2021 Highlights: Daniel Cohen, Chief of Compositing

Emmy Highlight 2021: Daniel Cohen, Lead in Compositing

Spin VFX Delivers Stunning Visual Effects for The Umbrella Academy Season 2 Amidst Remote Work Challenges

In the midst of a global pandemic, Spin VFX, a leading visual effects studio, successfully delivered their work for the second season of Netflix's hit series, The Umbrella Academy. Daniel Cohen, the compositing supervisor at Spin VFX, led the team through the transition to remote work, using cutting-edge technology to create breathtaking visual effects.

One of the key tools used by Spin VFX was Sapphire, which was employed for creating time travel portal effects and assisting with many other effects. Sapphire's suite of plugins provided sophisticated visual effects like glow and flares, enhancing the look and feel of supernatural elements featured in the show.

To accurately track complex movements and surfaces, Spin VFX primarily relied on Mocha Pro, a powerful planar tracking tool. Mocha Pro's capabilities enabled the artists to efficiently track and mask various elements in the scenes, even when dealing with difficult angles or fast camera movements. This tracking data was essential for inserting digital effects that needed to follow the actors’ motions or specific props.

The second season of The Umbrella Academy was marked by a two-minute opening battle sequence, which presented one of the biggest VFX challenges for Spin VFX. The team also had to recreate the entire environment, roto all practical characters, and integrate them without snow for the final battle sequence in episode 10. Despite these challenges, Spin VFX delivered high-quality visual effects, earning them an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Special Visual Effects Single Episode for their work on Netflix's The Umbrella Academy 2 (Episode "743").

The transition to remote work was fairly smooth due to the efforts of Spin VFX's systems department. The team had a massive delivery for The Umbrella Academy 2 and another large episode turning over with close to 100 shots during their transition to remote work. Mocha Pro, Sapphire, and Silhouette, another important tool in Spin VFX's workflow, saved countless hours by automating many compositing tasks.

Netflix was supportive during the transition to remote work, and Spin VFX feels great to be nominated for an Emmy for their work on The Umbrella Academy 2. The team is currently incorporating Mocha's mesh tool into their workflow, further optimizing their VFX workflow and ensuring high-quality results within production deadlines.

In conclusion, Spin VFX's work on The Umbrella Academy Season 2 showcases their expertise in integrating planar tracking and sophisticated image effects in complex TV show VFX work. The nomination for an Emmy is a testament to their dedication, resilience, and innovative use of technology to deliver outstanding visual effects, even amidst challenging circumstances.

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