Based on the first in the series of books by C.J Skuse, the six-part series follows Rhiannon, an enraged wallflower who cultivates a liberating taste for murder. Played by Ella Purnell, the show has been getting rave reviews not only for the performances, but for the blood-curdling VFX work that immersed viewers in the world of a would-be serial killer.
As sole VFX vendor, Absolute’s Film & TV department delivered 484 shots over six episodes, with everything from FX to 2D and 3D work involved. Absolute’s Head of Film & TV, Danny Duke, reflects on the hard work behind the scenes that saw the project go from an edit to the
finished article:
“I’m over the moon with how the series has turned out. ‘Sweetpea’ has had some amazing responses from across the globe, and for our own contribution to be recognised by viewers really is the icing on the cake.”
“Our job as a VFX department is to align the creative vision with the tech requirements needed to get the highest quality VFX. On this project, that meant myself and the team collaborating very closely with the director and production staff, helping to land the show right in the sweet spot. All shots had to pass through a rigorous quality control process, not only to ensure continuity, but to make sure we carried on the mix of realism and style that viewers responded so well too. We conducted multiple in-house reviews with the lovely production team; VFX Supervisor Oliver Milburn, Director Ella Jones and Producer Zorana Piggott and Post Production Supervisor Kiri Degon, who were an utter dream to work with. We are definitely hoping to join forces again soon!”
“Because the show was so fast-paced, we were able to turn around heaps of very tricky shots involving shooting bespoke elements. We regularly implemented scan manipulation and used plate ‘puppetry’ to change the in-camera blocking, alongside 2D beautification treatments.”
“Let’s talk about blood. There are buckets of it throughout the series, so we spent a lot of time matching the non-VFX, in-camera bloody shots. The skill came in finding the right balance, using various 2D, particles and bespoke elements to ensure we weren’t too over the top, or too subtle. The blood interactions were great fun to create, getting the right look for blood seeping into skin and fabric, and of course lots of spurting! Blood aside, we also matched skies, rain, fog, volume sets and copious amounts of tricky rig removals and challenging inserts. All while preserving all digital noise and pixelation, which is far too much to fit in this ‘short’ synopsis.”
VFX Supervisor Richard B. Stay comments “The whole project, while challenging, was such a fun time. The epic VFX team at Absolute really went over the top, not just in delivering shots, but in keeping the whole team’s morale up. My fellow supervisor Carl Godwin Alvarez and I loved overseeing the project and our brilliant Senior Producer Zelda Tinska ensured we delivered all assets on time and in the required formats, for seamless integration into the post-production pipeline. Sweetpea demonstrates the whole team’s expertise and commitment to delivering an amazing product within budget. For me personally, to say goodbye to it was bitter-sweet. Sweet as we are so proud of the work we did, but ‘bitter’ as I sincerely wished there were more episodes! We’re crossing our fingers for season two!”
Senior VFX Producer at Absolute, Zelda Tinska continues: “Sweetpea was one of the most interesting challenges I’ve had as a producer. We had to deliver a show that takes place in ‘Anywhere England’, and is therefore as grounded as it is gritty. So, from a VFX perspective our brief was simple but challenging – be everywhere, but be invisible. It was a joy working with an amazing, creative team to deliver on that mantra, and we’re so delighted with the end result.”
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