Vikings: Valhalla Season 3 continues the epic saga of the Viking Age, bringing intense action and dramatic twists as it concludes. The season delves into the climax of their personal quests and the larger historical events that shaped the end of the Viking Age. The visual effects and production values remain top-notch, enhancing the already compelling narrative and immersive historical setting.
Let’s look behind the visual effects of this season. MPC’s teams in Toronto, Mumbai, and Bangalore provided more than 500 visual effects shots for all 8 episodes of this season, acting as the sole vendor for the entire season. It’s worth mentioning that the MPC team has provided visual effects services for all three seasons of Vikings: Valhalla, contributing more than 1,950 shots throughout the series.
Creating visual effects is complex and data-intensive, involving detailed 3D models and simulations that demand significant processing power. A render farm, a network of high-performance computers, distributes these tasks across multiple machines, significantly speeding up the rendering process. By utilizing cloud rendering, VFX teams can optimize workflows, avoid overloading individual workstations, and ensure consistent quality throughout the project.
Under the leadership of MPC’s Production VFX Supervisor Ben Mossman and VFX Producer Martin O’Brien, the team adeptly sustained the high standards established in the previous two seasons. They focused on preserving the authenticity of the cinematography by delivering photorealistic reconstructions of historical locales and enhancing action sequences with sophisticated FX simulations. The core of their work involved the creation of detailed computer-generated environments, which included the meticulous digital recreation of diverse settings such as Syracuse, Constantinople, Greenland, and Poland. Additionally, the team successfully reimagined the iconic Winchester Cathedral and the Viking stronghold of Kattegat, effectively transporting viewers back to the 11th century with unparalleled precision and depth.
According to MPC, the VFX production encountered two major challenges. One notable instance was the cliff collapse in Episode 304, which demanded meticulous timing and execution. Shot in a quarry with minimal practical effects available, the VFX team was responsible for creating the entire collapse using CGI. Another significant challenge arose in Episode 308 during the fire sequence, which required a complete CG recreation. This marked a departure from the usual reliance on practical fire effects on set. With limited live-action footage at their disposal, the team had to carefully enhance the visuals to achieve a compelling and realistic result.
