The video game ‘Gotham Knights’ served as an unexpected inspiration in building Gotham City for HBO’s ‘The Penguin’.
Sony-owned Pixomondo, which specializes in pre-production, virtual production and visual effects, was tasked with the environmental design of Gotham’s world-building. Among those designs were Gotham City’s skylines, the aftermath of “The Batman’s” flood damage, and the putting of streets and buildings into various states of disrepair. Additionally, the subway shoot was filled with trash and debris, adding to the show’s gritty aesthetic.
The series stars Colin Farrell as “The Batman” as Gotham City gangster Oswald “Oz” Cobb. The series begins in the days following the events of ‘The Batman’, with Oz attempting to take control of Gotham’s underworld in the power vacuum left by the death of his former boss, Carmine Falcone.
A collaboration with the developers of the award-winning video game “Gotham Knights” helped bring their creative vision to life.
Pixomondo CEO Jonny Slow and VFX Supervisor Nathaniel Larouche knew they wanted to create their version of what Gotham City should look like. Slow says: “It’s a distinctive place that’s been created in a place that’s somewhat familiar, but it’s a new take on it because you look at it and you kind of empathize with the penguin. To do that you have to create a world in which he fits.”
Larouche explains that the company had access to the actual files of the video games, which helped develop their proof of concept. Larouche says: “We had two calls with the game developers, who participated in our production call – something that was a rare experience.”
That collaboration allowed the Pixomondo team to take inspiration from the detailed world of “Gotham Knight” and integrate it into their visual effects pipeline to create a distinct Gotham.
Since the video game elements already existed in the Unreal Engine used for video game development, the production team felt comfortable creating their look. Slow points out that the collaboration was a big step “between the VFX and gaming industries.” He adds: “That’s something we haven’t done before. It’s a simple and obvious example of how to save the cost and time of creating things that already exist in the world.”
CG set extension of Crown Point Street with repaired seawall and distant Gotham.
In episode 6, Oz’s underground empire becomes operational. The new drug Bliss is manufactured in the sewers of Crown Point. It is also winter and snow begins to fall on the city, but there is no power in Oz’s apartment or the rest of the city, and the generator is not working either.
Slow explains that the video game once again provided a reference point for the Crown Point images. “We said, ‘This is something that exists, can we use it somehow?’ I think it’s a good example of how you don’t have to look too far for inspiration, because it already exists.”
The street, flooded area and collapsed buildings were created by Pixomondo and inspired after discussions with the production team about what they wanted to see, but with reference points from the game they could refer to.
According to Larouche, once they got everything working, they ran tests “by displaying driving images through different streets. We then brought these synthetic drive elements to an LED volume we had access to and filmed some test shots to show Johnny Han, our customer-side supervisor. The first test was successful, so we scheduled another meeting to discuss a few strange issues. For example, the atmospheric effects were different on each camera, making it impossible to stitch together one consistent shot.”
Once they resolved these workflow issues, the renderings were turned over to the production team.
Collaboration was also key, both in the art department and in production design. Slowly emphasizes that those conversations were essential to do their work well, so “We deliver that seamless mix between what is physical and what is virtual. You know you are misleading the eye and the camera. You’re no longer looking at something real, you’re looking at an LED screen. The coordination with the art department and production design happens because if it doesn’t, you can see where the disconnect is, and then it has to be resolved in post-production.
CG set extension of Crown Point Street with repaired seawall and distant Gotham.