Check This VFX Breakdown of the TV Series 'Fallout'

Fallout VFX Breakdown

Much of the visual effects in Fallout were handled by RISE. They created the stunning and terrifying nuclear explosion that sets the stage for the series. They used a combination of practical elements, CG buildings, and simulations to create a realistic and visually impactful sequence.

RISE also helped to create the unique look of post-apocalyptic Los Angeles, adding CG buildings and details to existing structures to give the city a retro-futuristic feel.

Jay Worth, the Visual Effects Supervisor on the Amazon Studios show, talked VFX voice about the work done in the pilot with the explosions.

“This modeling step was done in Maya. We also used geographic height data to get a closer representation of the hills in the shot,” Worth said.

“We added several CG buildings in between the real buildings to create the retro-futuristic L.A. to match the establishing shot at the beginning of the sequence. We did the same for the monorails and thousands of trees. Those additional buildings and vegetation were all prepared to be used in simulations so that they could be affected by the bomb. As the plate was based on stock footage that did not provide the best quality, we also replaced the complete mountain on the right side of the frame. This helped with the integration of the street, horse and billboard as well. To make the plants as realistic as possible, we created several types of trees and bushes that are common in Los Angeles."

Detailing the nuke explosions, Worth explained, “As every nuke explosion, especially the shockwave, interacts with the city, it was not possible to re-use just one simulation.

“So, we had to run a custom sim for every nuke, which consists of the mushroom, the rolling wave around it, the fast-traveling shockwave and a debris and glass pass emitted from the buildings. Another challenge was the fact that the whole shot was running in slow-motion, and there are not many references out there showing this type of explosion in slow motion. But we could use reference of normal explosions to transfer the look to the individual layers of the atomic blast. The whole shot has more than 20 effects and CG layers that were composited in Nuke,” Worth finished.