The reviews for Upload's VFX work are out of this Digital World

It’s a world where technology favors the rich, giving them the ability to upload their consciousness to a digital world where all of their wants and desires are met—a ‘perfect’ world with the ‘perfect’ accommodations. But many of the digital wonders are masterfully crafted by the team at FuseFX. The love for the show and the coverage have been overwhelming, so we decided to put this digest of all these fantastic interviews received thus far.

FuseFX’s VFX supervisor Marshall Krasser recently provided insight into the studio’s work on Amazon Prime's new series “Upload,” created by Greg Daniels (“The Office”).

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How ‘Upload’s’ VFX Team Differentiated the Real World From Its Digital Afterlife

“This crosses the lines of comedy and science fiction and the future, and it was a great challenge for us at Fuse because it shows our diversity,” says Marshall Krasser, visual effects supervisor. “If something exists out there, we had to take it up to the next level. What would be the wrist hologram phones 2.0? We had to be a little visionary.”

Read the Full Article on Variety >>

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UPLOAD: MARSHALL KRASSER – VFX SUPERVISOR – FUSEFX

"Greg wanted all of the visual effects to be grounded in reality – but at the same time, introduce elements in the « Digital Afterlife World » that hinted of being just that – reality base, digital but just a « little » off. He was very clear with his vision and the role that VFX has to have in a comedy – it’s there to assist in the narrative, not be the narrative.

Having worked on GALAXY QUEST years ago, I reassured him I did understand the role VFX needed to play — be there to support and tell the story when needed, and add any comedic moments when called upon."

Read the full interview on Art of VFX >>

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It’s a wonderful afterlife: Smart, funny Upload is a sheer delight

VFX supervisor Marshall Krasser on the challenge of keeping it real—but not too real.

Read the full article on Ars Technica >> 

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THE ART OF VFX FOR A COMEDY SHOW

“I said to one of our animators, let’s have some fun with this,” relates Krasser. “We came up with something that was really funny. We were laughing our heads off and we showed it to Greg and his team and they all had a big laugh, too. Then Greg said, ‘Guys, I hate to do this to you. Even though this is great, we’re getting laughs where I don’t want them. This scene is more about the actress, and the robot is upstaging her a little bit.”

Read the Full article on Befores&Afters >>

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Detailing one particularly difficult sequence, Krasser explains, “In the AI car freeway sequence, we initially looked at using traditional exterior driving plates for the backgrounds. But with the need for total control of our driving path and needing only future cars, we took the route of a complete exterior recreation. The only non-CGI generated element is the far background hills. Rav Brar, our CG Supervisor, led the lookdev and build team for the freeway ‘set.’ Then it went to our animator Adam Chaput, who hand-animated them when needed. The others were repositioned as needed by Asim Khan, who was the key lighter on the sequence. Then the final patina was added in the comp - primarily by Ben Funk. It was a significant team effort on this one for sure. By having total control of this sequence, it was a perfect way for us to manipulate all aspects of the scene from light direction, smog levels, 3D tree foliage, car reflections and glints, future buildings, and signage. And not to mention the SCHP Drone we added into the mix. A fun, yet challenging sequence due to the amount of detail required to make it photoreal.”

Read the full article on Animation World Network >>

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About Marshall Krasser:
Marshall Krasser is a visual effects supervisor at FuseFX’s Vancouver office. With more than two decades of experience in the visual effects industry, Krasser’s background includes an impressive array of high-profile feature films, television shows, and commercials. Recent work includes the film Vice, television series The 100, and upcoming film Needle in a Timestack.

Krasser’s previous experience includes roles with CoSA VFX, Psyop, Industrial Light & Magic, and others. Notable feature film projects include The Accountant, Divergent, 300: Rise of an Empire, The Great Gatsby, Iron Man 2, Battleship, Avatar, Star Trek, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, War of the Worlds, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Pearl Harbor, The Perfect Storm, Titanic, Forrest Gump, and many more.