21 Septembre 2018

Technicolor Returns for More Adventures in Season Two of Anne with an E

The acclaimed CBC/Netflix production offers a feast for the imagination – and a full menu of Technicolor post-production services.

  • “I’m grateful for Technicolor’s tireless commitment to helping us achieve our creative vision which allows us to deliver world-class television to the global stage.” – Executive Producer Miranda de Pencier

 

Anne with an E is the eloquent re-tooling of the Canadian classic “Anne of Green Gables” by Lucy Maud Montgomery, adapted for television by showrunner Moira Walley-Beckett. The first season earned numerous accolades including 13 Canadian Screen Award Nominations and a Writer’s Guild of Canada award for best writing on a drama series. The show has already been renewed for a third season and the second season, with a September 23rd premiere on CBC, is currently streaming on Netflix.

Technicolor Toronto has been providing complete post-production services for this award-winning series since its inception – from VFX to dailies, color finishing, 4K picture post, and sound mixing. "Technicolor is Anne with an E’s everything for post-production,” said Miranda de Pencier, President of Northwood Entertainment and Executive Producer of the series. “The professionalism, creativity, and cutting-edge technology they bring to the table make them industry leaders. I’m grateful for Technicolor’s tireless commitment to helping us achieve our creative vision which allows us to deliver world-class television to the global stage.”

Anne’s turn-of-the century world was meticulously re-created by the Technicolor VFX team in Toronto under the creative direction of Kevin Chandoo. An integral part of the season two storyline is Gilbert’s (Lucas Jade Zumann) adventure to Trinidad by boat, which required the creation of a period-specific steamship. The fully CG period ocean liner was integrated with simulated ocean water to bring the scene to life. “Collaborating with Moira and her team on Anne with an E was a great creative experience,” said Chandoo. “The writing is very inspirational and our goal as the lead VFX house was to immerse the viewer in Anne’s ever expanding and diverse world.”

Anne connects on a deep level with a red fox this season. True spirit animals can’t be tamed however, so VFX spent painstaking hours removing the trainer’s leash from her furry, russet-colored co-star. Fine fur detail and a leaf-littered forest floor made these rig removals particularly challenging.

The iconic PEI landscape was once again the jewel of the season with its majestic red earth cliffs and windswept plains. In order to protect the young actors from frostbite, VFX magic was employed to composite Anne (Amybeth McNulty) and Cole’s (Cory Gruter-Andrew) performance (shot in an underground parking garage in North York in August) onto the frozen cliffs of wintry PEI. VFX also transformed a small town railway siding into a bustling Charlottetown train station. Various other live action composites, matte paintings, set extensions, and CG assets were employed in creating Anne’s world.

Color and Sound play important supporting roles in Anne with an E. Color finishing was provided by Senior Colorist, Brett Trider and Lead Re-recording Mixer Al deGraaf worked closely with the music composers and sound editors to layer and place sounds, creating a seamless marriage of music and sound effects. “The first episode of Season 2 has Anne conducting the sounds of animals as she runs through a forest,” said deGraaf. “Working with Supervising Sound Editor Joe Bracciale and the team at Sound Dogs – who also happen to be in our building – was a huge plus. The natural sounds of the animals and the rhythm were very unique and it all came together wonderfully.”