"It was a delicate balance to create this world that’s grounded in reality, but where the hero is completely beyond that reality."

And how did you go on to show that?

There tended to be a lot of environmental damage around him. As the villains begin to realize that they can’t hurt him, they attempt to kill him in more and more dramatic ways (laughs). There were a lot of moments where we were destroying vehicles, walls, buildings… All of that was a mix of CG and practical effects.







Was this a case similar to "Daredevil," where a lot was initially planned practically, but then they’d realize on set, ‘No, that’s way too dangerous, we can’t pull it off!’

It’s funny because Luke Cage, unlike Daredevil, is bulletproof. The scale of what would have to happen to him to have any effect, or to even be interesting, was going to have to be big. Marvel’s shows, in particular, ground their heroes in reality. The challenge with Luke, though, is that he’s totally not of reality (laughs). We had to spend a lot of time debating, questioning, and determining his strength. He’s not The Hulk but he’s clearly enhanced - so what does that mean? In every episode, there had to be a show of his power so many discussions were had before shooting began: How heavy is he, and how dense? What happens if he jumps off a building –would he break concrete? It was a delicate balance to create this world that’s grounded in reality, but where the hero is completely beyond that reality.







What are the key sequences that captured that ‘delicate balance?’

There are several moments throughout the series that I think are really cool visual effects moments. Toward the end of the first episode, you see the first manifestation of his power. He’s in a fight with some thugs who don’t realize who they’re up against and a guy – a big guy – punches Luke in the jaw and in doing so, breaks his own arm. It’s a slow motion compound fracture where the bone breaks and sticks through the skin. It was obviously all CG so that was fun because it involved rebuilding the actor’s arm and creating this very specific animation in super slow-mo that would sell this dramatic moment when you first see Luke’s power.





"Everything we use plugs into [3ds Max]. So did it save the day? Absolutely. It does here every day."



You mentioned that the violence against Luke increases. How did that impact the scale of your work?

Well, after they punch him, then shoot him, and see that he’s bulletproof, they launch a rocket at a Chinese restaurant that he’s in. They drop the entire place on him. That was our biggest effects sequence. We built the entire interior and exterior of the building, and a fairly complex series of physical simulations, along with simulations for creating a massive fireball, smoke and other environmental effects to really get that sense that the building is coming down – hard. After that, there was the secondary but no less significant challenge of creating the aftermath.







Image courtesy of Netflix





And what did the aftermath entail?

The aftermath is seen at the beginning of the next episode, and that involved creating a new, entirely-CG building, outfitted with multiple, interior apartments that were all different from one another, all damaged, burned out and filled with rubble – in the midst of a real neighborhood in Harlem. It was a really big sequence, integrating lots of CG very close to camera with practical plates – and Luke is buried underneath it all, and rises unscathed (laughs). Those were definitely our bigger scenes. So that’s the scale I’m talking about.







This show is set in New York – an iconic location. Does that make your job easier or more difficult when it comes to blowing it up?



A bit of both, I think. New York plays as a character here, it’s the fabric of the show. We shot in Harlem, Washington Heights, and the Bronx. Because Luke Cage lives in Harlem, it’s critical that this is a Harlem story. We shot there, and there are people from the Harlem community that appear in the show. The city really is iconic, and each neighborhood has a very specific feel to it.







We’re dying to know if 3ds Max saved the day in any way on this show.

Our entire 3d pipeline is based around Max, it’s our mainstay. Everything we use plugs into that. So did it save the day? Absolutely. It does here every day. We use a variety of tools and plugins in conjunction with it, like Fume and Thinking Particles. The combination of them all, plus the tools we write ourselves between our offices in LA and New York, let us do amazing, high-level work.







Image courtesy of Netflix





And did you develop anything new for ‘Luke Cage?’

Our artists didn’t have to develop anything new but they were always three inches from the screen (laughs), working through things brick by brick, making it as realistic as we could make it. The challenge was not about accomplishing effects that had never been seen before because it’s all walls, concrete, steel girders. It was about the scale and the balance of the effects. It was about finding the right level of detail that would make them feel impossibly real. That was what it came down to.





"The challenge was not about accomplishing effects that had never been seen before... It was about finding the right level of detail that would make them feel impossibly real."



What set this show apart for you personally?

Lots of things. First, this show is very topical. Given the heightened focus on race in the last few years, on issues like police brutality, to have this black hero who is bulletproof and wears a hoodie as his costume, quietly speaks volumes. Being able to have a part in a show like this, being African American myself, is an honor. Also, I’m a total Marvel fanboy. I’ve been reading Marvel comics, including Luke Cage, since I was 8 years old. That makes this extremely special for me.







Were you having flashbacks of you as a kid, tucked away with your "Luke Cage" comics?

Oh, yeah, all the time! I still probably have a couple thousand comic books all bagged up at my parents, by the way. I was serious about my comics.





"...when I was a kid, I wanted powers so badly, and now, I’m giving them to others. I can do that."





You do realize that VFX artists are essentially superheroes, right? You take any idea, anything that can be imagined, and make it real.

(Laughs) You know, it’s funny you say that because just this morning I was thinking about how when I was a kid, I wanted powers so badly, and now, I’m giving them to others. I can do that.







These days, a talented artist and the right tools can make anything possible.

You’re exactly right, we bring about impossible things. The advancements in VFX have allowed all kinds of great stories, like Marvel’s, to rise from the ashes. We can make images that match our imaginations.









Greg Anderson joined FuseFX in June 2014, starting up and helping to run their New York office. He serves as both Head of Production and as Senior Visual Effects Supervisor. He’s worked in Film, TV and commercials for the past 20 years, and on several Marvel projects before landing Luke Cage, including Spider-Man (2002) , Spider-Man 2 (2004), and X-Men 2 (2003).



