The LA/B.C.-based  studio has been called on to create over 140 most complex visual effects during the CBS series' for the final three seasons: From CG environments that transport the live-action to locations throughout the world - to technically challenging effects designed to elevate the visual impact of creator, writer, show runner Barbara Hall's hit dramatic political series.

VFX Legion first came onboard during ‘Madam Secretary’s’ fourth season, after the show’s producer, Tony Palermo, took a meeting with the the company's VFX Supervisor, James David Hattin, and its Executive Producer, Reid Burns.

“Tony was surprised to see such convincing shots of the White House and D.C. from the TV show, 'Scandal' on our reel of CG work," says Burns. “The high-quality digital environments, built by Legion from the ground up, were indistinguishable from practical footage - and got us in the door."

“The high-quality, complex visual effects we turned around quickly and on budget for that first episode led to the expansion of Legion’s role,” says Burns.  â€œWe became the go-to VFX specialist for ‘Madam Secretary, The writer’s room started developing scripts with a wider range of scenarios that took advantage of our CG assets.”

Madam Secretary’ was shot in New York, and set in the country’s political epicenter, Washington D.C.. addressing issues requiring international diplomacy that took storylines beyond US  borders. VFX Legion built digital replications of the White House, a crucial fixture in the show. It also produced a  range of  CG environments, enabling scenarios to play out in political hotspots around the globe, and taking the show digitally where it was unable to go to on film.  

“Our team created computer-generated environments throughout the world, from Syria and Turkey to Iraq and Mexico. We were fortunate to be given the freedom to design shots that were innovative, dramatic, and of a scale rarely seen on ‘Madam Secretary,’” adds Hattin.

Legion created numerous virtual crowd sequences over the years - adding large numbers of individuals in motion. Towards the end of season six, its compsitors, animators and CG artists took digital crowd simulation to the next level with a CG motion capture sequence that digitally built a huge crowd of people gathered in D.C. to support the president.

During season five, Legion simulated hundreds of people to augment the  original footage.  The producer called on the VFX company to create  a sequence that reflected the mass exodus of Syrians refugues making their way to the Turkish border.

Most recently, Legion completed a mix of large-scale visual effects for the series finale.   The episode closed with an elaborate wedding scene in the Rose Garden that took full advantage of Legion’s White House assets. Helmed by Hattin, the company’s team used SpeedTree software to generate virtual trees, which they animated to match the wind  on the day they shot the sequence. Bluescreens were used to add computer generated sections of the White House’s facade visible in the background.

"Producer Tony Palermo, and Associate Producer Drew Ysais, worked with us as a team, communicating with Legion through every phase of the VFX process," says Hattin. "Their collaborative approach maximized the efficiency of our pipeline, enabling us to meet tight deadlines with ease - and gave up more time to focus on getting the most production value out of every shot.”

“The prestigious roster of television shows created by Barbara Hall sets the bar high. We’re thrilled that our work met her high standards and grateful to have had the opportunity to create challenging visual effects that elevated the visual impact of this hit series,” adds Hattin.

CREDITS:

Title: ‘Madam Secretary’

Genre: TV Series/CBS

PRODUCTION COMPANIES:

Barbara Hall Productions, LA

  Creator, Writer, EP, Show Runner: Barbara Hall             

Revelations Entertainment, LA

CBS Television Studios, LA

Executive Producer: Lori McCreary

Executive Producer: Morgan Freeman  

Producer: Tony Palermo

Producer: Téa Leoni

Associate Producer: Drew Ysais

VFX COMPANY: VFX Legion, LA/B.C.  (Seasons 4,5,6)

Creative Director/VFX Supervisor: James David Hattin

VFX Producer/Head of Production: Nate Smalley

VFX Coordinator: Lexi Sloan

VFX Coordinator: Amanda VanDeCar

VFX On-Set Supervisor: David Isyomin

VFX On-Set Supervisor: Eric Pascarelli

VFX Executive Producer: Reid Burns

CG Supervisor: Rommel S. Calderon        

CG Effects: Eric Ebling

CG Artist: Blake Anderson

CG Artist: Trevor Harder

CG Artist: Mark Hennessy-Barrett

CG Artist: Alex Keller

CG Artist: Jake Long

CG Artist: Bryan Shepperd

CG Artist: Chris Strauss

Tracking: Ruy Delgado

Digital Matte Painting: Marc Adamson

Digital Matte Painting: Eric Mattson

Compositing: Nick Guth

Compositing: H Haden Hammond

Compositing: Austin Hiser

Compositing: Christopher Klassen

Compositing; Matthias Lowry

Compositing: Brad Moylan

Compositing: Milton Muller

Compositing: Tyler Nathan

Compositing: Eugen Olsen

Compositing: Dan Short

Compositing: Kyle Spiker

Compositing: Chris Wood