TWISTED METAL
Twisted Metal, a live-action TV series based on the classic PlayStation game, is a high-octane action comedy, based on an original take by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (Zombieland, Deadpool) and written by Michael Jonathan Smith.
The story follows motor-mouthed outsider “the milkman” John Doe (Anthony Mackie) offered a chance at a better life, but only if he can successfully deliver a mysterious package across a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
With the help of a badass axe-wielding car thief, Quiet (Stephanie Beatriz), he’ll face savage marauders driving vehicles of destruction and other dangers of the open road, including the deranged clown Sweet Tooth (voiced by Will Arnett, played by Samoa Joe), a hulking killer in a ghoulish clown mask who prowls the streets of “Lost Vegas” in his weaponized ice cream truck.
TWISTED METAL
BREAKDOWN
TWISTED EFFECTS
Primary VFX vendor Cause and FX handled over 500 shots for the 10 half-hour episodes.
Cause and FX played a key role in bringing the chaotic and explosive universe of Twisted Metal to the screen. With a team of over 100 talented VFX artists, Cause ensured the bandwidth was there to deliver quickly and expertly, matching the expected detail and quality.
It was important to respect the original IP and fan base by reflecting the game’s style and humour. Effects needed to be seamlessly integrated into the live action plate and at the same time pay homage to the style and flavour of the PlayStation series.
VFX included large scale digital environments like the building of ‘Lost Vegas’, volumetric FX including explosions, fluid and dust, hard surface CG and digital destruction, gore, blue and green screen compositing.
Cause’s approach included the strategic use of Epic’s Unreal Engine for dynamic pre and post-visualization of the dystopian world. Real-time rendering enabled quick review of the environments and effects, accelerating the feedback loop and informing the production process.
MORE FUN THAN WORK
A highlight of the project was the close collaboration between Cause and FX and Sony’s production VFX Supervisor Joshua Spivack.
“Completing the VFX for a show with the scope of Twisted Metal always has inherent challenges, and, as the VFX Supervisor for the show, I could not have had a more valuable partner than Cause and FX. Having worked with them previously, I knew I could trust Cause to bring both the power of their creative minds and solution-oriented approaches to our production process.
Being a part of the project from pre to post, Cause enabled us to visualize our worlds before we shot them. We delivered effective previz, boards, and gave our actors and camera operators a better insight into the final product. The results were noteworthy. From a superb post-apocalyptic ‘Lost Vegas’ strip and a multi-dimensional big rigs VFX chase sequence to complex vehicle replacements – including one which broke down and had to be replaced by VFX during the finale’s major action sequence – to, ultimately, the iconic Sweet Tooth fire hair effect.
It is in the post-production process in which Cause showed their true value. Creating an action series takes good ideas from many individuals, and Cause brings supervisors and artists with the creative ambition and know-how to make the process successful and fun. Being a partner, Cause did not shy away from finding an array of innovative technical solutions that made the visual effects itself producable. They rolled up their sleeves and helped find a way, giving the series scope it would have otherwise been denied.
Cause and FX made Twisted Metal the hard-hitting action series it deserved to be. The process was more fun than work, and the results speak for themselves.”
Joshua Spivack, VFX Supervisor
