Glória (S1)

Netflix

A new challenge

Visual effects for streaming

Glória is a Portuguese historical thriller drama television series. Released on 5 November 2021, it is the first portuguese Netflix production. A story of intrigue, lies and spies, where a country
in a dictatorship becomes an unlikely player in the Cold War between the USA and the Soviet Union. Taking on the challenge, Musgo Studio assumed responsibility for the majority of the visual effects tasks throughout the entire show.

1960's vibes

People dressed nicer back then.

In this Netflix production set in the 1960s, we faced the task of recreating Lisbon's airport to accurately depict how it was. Extensive research was conducted to capture the airport's authentic look, leading to the thorough reconstruction of a full CG airport. It was an intricate process, designing every element with era-specific details, including the weathering and architecture of the hangars, the textured planes and trucks, and the surrounding foliage and landscaping. Seamlessly integrating the CG airport into a long sequence shot required close collaboration with director and cinematographer, ensuring perfect alignment of lighting, shadows, and atmospheric effects. The result was a visually immersive and authentic portrayal of the 1960s airport, transporting viewers back in time and enhancing the overall storytelling experience of the show.

Gore

Adding realism

This show encompassed a wide range of unsettling visuals: throats slit, eyeless faces, war injuries, and birth defects. To enhance the realism of these injuries, we employed CGI, seamlessly blending them with live action shots. One of the scenes also required us to employ face scanning and sculpting techniques to achieve the final result.

Explosions

Boom.

Explosions have an undeniable appeal to TV viewers.
For this show, We crafted full CG explosions and enhanced existing special effects captured on camera. Our work encompassed various elements, including meticulously choreographed debris, realistic smoke and pyro simulations. We also incorporated characters being propelled into the air by the force of the explosions, intensifying the on-screen action.

In a dynamic party scene, an entire house was engulfed in flames. We improved the interior shots with burning and fire elements, intensifying the dramatic impact.

We also faced the challenge of a war scene featuring technically demanding sequence shots. We seamlessly integrated additional elements such as smoke, dust, and passing helicopters. These elements interacted with the live action footage and responded to the actors' movements, enhancing the overall realism.

Motion & titles

Crafting frequencies

One of the visual effects tasks was to create the oscilloscope screens that are shown throughout the show. We meticulously animated each screen with different frequencies, bringing them to life and adding a dynamic visual element. Additionally, we simulated some interactions between the actors and the graphics, for better integration.

Simultaneously, we were asked to create the show's end credits. Instead of a simple list, we utilized the same graphic language from the screens. Noise, missed or obscured communication were some of the themes of the show. So, we adapted the previously designed waveforms and transformed them into captivating graphical elements for the end titles. By maintaining a cohesive theme and graphic style, everything in the show seems thought-out and connected.

Antennas

RARET was a Portuguese transmitter station operating in the 1960s. As a crucial relay station for Radio Free Europe during the Cold War, it provided uncensored news and information to listeners in Eastern Europe. Our task was to recreate the atmosphere of the time, particularly by adding numerous antenna arrays surrounding the RARET building. While only a few antennas were captured on camera, we meticulously populated multiple shots and angles with antennas to accurately portray the landscape.

Drone shots, face replacements, burniang photographs, and much more. We undertook an immense variety of shots for this project. Additionally, our team dedicated substantial effort to cleanup, roto, and masking, ensuring the highest level of visual polish throughout the production.
In our first Netflix production, we've demonstrated our versatility and commitment to delivering high quality visual effects.

Credits

Produced
SPI

Directed
Tiago Guedes

DOP
André Szankowski

Edit
Marcos Castiel

CGI Artists
Micael Figueiredo
Miguel Bandeira
Pedro Vicente
Andre Godinho
Miguel Chambel
Pedro Gartner
Furkan Gunal
Sérgio Santos
Ruben Valente
Dejan Mijatovic
José Carlos Poeiras
Eduardo Marques

Color Grading
Jennifer Mendes

Sound Design
António Pires

3D & VFX
Musgo

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