For “Alias Grace” I was able to throw myself back into the late 1800s. Which I’ve studied almost as much as the Roman empire and honky-tonk music I’m a big believer and reading the script that you’re working on even if you’re just doing a couple shots you never know what kind of Insight you can drive and more importantly it sets the tone when you’re working and gives you context in this case I went one better and I read Not only did I read the script, I read the book because Margaret Atwood is a genius. Diane Herron is also a genius and getting to work With that Director, even at the arms length of a VFX supervisor did not go unnoted by me. As often happens on the “day of” someone the only boat that they could get for the production was an iron hold three we had to make it. We had to make it a wood halt three master didn’t have metal holes in 1872 so we replaced whatever parts, we could on the ship and removed the wake and reflection of the camera boat that was flanking the ship that I had to create Queenstown crossing from scratch this is the same crossing that was used by the underground railroad. I wanted to get it right so poor over, historic photos and good old Google Earth to figure out what was there today and match one to the other. In the case of Dublin Harbour we actually had someone on site for that. We were OK with the fairy shots until we decided to go around to the back of the ferry as we pulled out and realized we would need digital devils in there. See if you can spot which people aren’t real. This was the shot that got me the new hole for the ship involved a second nomination for best visual effects in the TV show screen awards

Not only did I read the script, I read the book because Margaret Atwood is a genius.

Geoff