Awards Ceremony 2023: Visual Effects Editing of Andor
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Liyana Mansor, the Lead VFX Editor on the critically acclaimed Star Wars series Andor (Disney+), has been nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Special Visual Effects in A Season Or A Movie. This is her first Emmy nomination.
Mansor's VFX work on Andor involved the use of Boris FX products, specifically the Sapphire and Continuum plugin suites, combined with a Wacom Intuos Pro and Avid Media Composer. She utilised these tools for temp VFX compositing, a crucial part of the visual effects process.
The Wacom Intuos Pro pen's weightless and comfortable design, along with its fluid and tactile input, made Mansor's rapid and precise compositing work easier. This enabled her to effectively collaborate in the VFX editing process on Andor.
In addition to temp VFX compositing, Mansor's role as VFX Editor also encompassed supervising the influx of visual effects shots, contributing creatively by creating temp mock-ups of VFX shots, and ensuring continuity and quality control.
One of the key aspects of Mansor's VFX work on Andor was the use of Boris FX plugins integrated into her Avid editor. These tools facilitated temporary visual effects shots efficiently, allowing for quick mock-ups as needed during the editing process.
For instance, the Primatte Studio and integrated Mocha were used for excellent tracking and integration, minimizing any unwanted attention. S_Laserbeam was used to animate lasers into the cut with a red glow, hot white core, tapered "spear" shape, and various perspectives in action scenes.
A combination of BCC_Scanline, BCC Rays Textured, BCC Rays Radiant Spotlight, and S_Laserbeam was used to affect the images transmitted by the holoprojectors in Andor.
Mansor also used temporary elements and concept art or reference photography as a guide to help "fill in the gaps" until VFX assets were ready. This approach was essential for the VFX-heavy show Andor, which required meticulous attention to detail sustained over a 22-month period due to its high level of realism and volume of material.
The use of Boris FX products by the VFX Editor helped save time and money by problem-solving and mocking up shots as proof of concept for the final VFX work. This efficiency was crucial for the successful delivery of the 3843 VFX shots in Andor, which involved tracking over 4000 Previs, Postvis, and VFX shots, handling over 8000 plates and elements, and QC'ing over 16,000 iterations before each shot was delivered.
Mansor's nomination is a testament to the dedication and collaboration of the entire Andor team, whose meticulous work has resulted in a visually stunning and immersive Star Wars series.
[1] Source: TechRadar
Technology played a significant role in Liyana Mansor's Emmy-nominated work on the Star Wars series Andor. She utilized gadgets like the Wacom Intuos Pro pen and Boris FX products, such as Sapphire and Continuum plugin suites, for temp VFX compositing, which is a crucial part of the visual effects process. These gadgets and technology enabled her to efficiently collaborate on Andor, and the use of Boris FX plugins also facilitated the creation of temporary visual effects shots in the entertainment industry, specifically in movies-and-tv like Andor.
