Scanline VFX took on a dual role in the production of Netflix drama, SENNA. Explaining the approach taken by the company, Craig Wentworth, overall VFX supervisor, describes the “two hats” it was necessary to wear,
“On the one hand, we provided quite typical visual effects services in the form of the creation of high-end VFX environments and shots in several key episodes. On the other, we functioned for the first time as a project management entity and consultant.
“We call it ‘Hub and Spoke,’”, he tells TVBEurope, “a service that allows us to bring our extensive expertise in complex VFX production to creative partners all over the world. In the case of SENNA, we provided technical guidance to the Brazilian team, and then oversaw the production, schedule, and finance of all aspects of final VFX in post.”
This dictated the size of the team involved, says Wentworth, explaining the division of labour for the project. “Our Hub and Spoke team consisted of 20 people, including myself, my production partner Vero Lauzon, our production manager Karina Zambelli, several co-ordinators, VFX editors, and a small in-house VFX team.
“Working with us were a total of six vendors: Picma Post, Quanta Studios and Miagui were our three key Brazilian partners on the project. They combined for nearly 900 of our shots. NetFX, which is a global network of VFX talent connected via Netflix’s infrastructure, produced close to 800 shots for the show.
“And the team at ScanlineVFX, which numbered around 300 people, provided 390 VFX shots for several key races. Our in-house team and friends from Eyeline Studios filled out the balance of VFX work.
A total of 2089 VFX shots were created for the series’ six episodes in a process that took almost a year, Wentworth explains, “Scanline first began meaningful conversations with our client in early February 2023. That is when I came onboard. Main unit wrapped in mid-December that year. The last VFX shot was delivered at the end of September 2024. So we are looking at a 20-month partnership with our Brazilian friends.”
For racing fans worldwide, Ayrton Senna was (and remains) an icon of the sport. Formula 1 itself was perhaps more visceral during the period, a feeling which SENNA manages to effectively convey.
“I was most certainly a fan of Senna, and of Formula 1 of his era,” says Wentworth. “That said, his passing somewhat ended my love of the sport. I feel very lucky to have been able to bring Senna’s era of racing back to life some 30 years later, and having done so has really re-ignited my passion for the sport… at least the late ‘80s and ‘90s version.”
Recreating racing cars which are now historic was a complex process, with every aspect requiring extensive research. “An incredibly talented group of coach builders from Argentina, Crespi Formula 1, spent years reconstructing our cars, based on blueprints and scans of the original vehicles. It was very important to the production to be able to film race action practically, and so many of Senna’s most famous cars were built for real, and constructed in a way that would allow us to mount cameras safely, but also drive at pretty high speeds.
“We also had to create them digitally for many of our shots, and to fill out the rest of the field. So we scanned the production cars and built 1-to-1 twins of those in CG. These would then be re-dressed to look like other competitors as needed for the story. We also had what we called ‘naked cars’ driving around – basically just a chassis and wheels – to which we could add any body we wanted in CG.”
Constantly striving for authenticity, the team referred to a “large historical archive” of footage provided by the FIA (Federation Internationale de l’automobile, the sport’s governing body). With real events and people being depicted, ensuring authenticity was essential in this production.
“One of the most inspired choices of our director and showrunner, Vicente Amorim, was to intercut our version of events with the actual FIA [footage] from the day,” says Wentworth. “In many respects, then, VFX had nowhere to hide in terms of portraying accuracy. So unlike, for example, a more ‘fantasy-based’ production, we really had to sweat the details. Our digital environments needed to look just like they did in the FIA footage. Our crowds and signage had to match. Ultimately, we paid much more attention to historical accuracy overall.”
Virtual production was used extensively on the show, he continues, “it was utilised for all close-up footage of our actors driving during racing sequences. We built virtual versions of all of our tracks in Unreal Engine, essentially building the ultimate racing simulator. We surrounded our production cars with screens, and synchronised their movements with a motion base, also driven by Unreal Engine.
Wentworth evidently enjoyed working on SENNA, and is quick to praise the team behind the production. “I never really looked at the work as a challenge, to be honest. We had very typical VFX problems to solve: we had set extensions, digital environments, digital vehicles, crowds… All of this has been done before. What sets this type of work apart is the quality of the work, its authenticity and how it serves the story.
“Our real overall challenge, if I am to be frank, was to produce something particularly ambitious for the region on a scale that hadn’t been done before. SENNA is the most expensive production ever to come from Brazil, and came to us with the added gravitas of being a story about a legend of his country and the world of Formula 1. That’s where our experience in high-volume, complex VFX really came to the fore. We were able to very deeply manage the creative [aspect] with our Brazilian partners and vendors, along with the teams at Scanline and Eyeline, and established a wonderful relationship with our showrunner that allowed for honest dialogue about what we could and could not do in respect of our budget.
“I think the sum of our experience and that partnership helped produce something that looks like hundreds of millions was spent on it, but for a fraction of the cost.”
Considering the team’s biggest achievement on the production, he says, “We finished on time, and under budget! Seriously,” adding, “I am the most proud of the relationships we built with our new Brazilian friends during our time together. That will forever be special to me.
“And the work as a whole looks incredible – from the simplest of burn-ins, to the most complex of environments and full CG shots, everything fits, everything is in service of the story and the creative vision. Nothing feels superfluous, or like money poorly spent. Pretty much every dollar is right there on the screen, and deservedly so.”
Wentworth is already heavily involved with several new Hub and Spoke partnerships. “And as for Scanline,” he concludes, “well… we are VERY busy.”
