Based on the short-lived but incredibly beloved cult TV series "Firefly," Joss Whedon's 2005 film "Serenity" is saddled with pretty complicated mythology. Set in the 26th century, a distant solar system has been largely terraformed, and those living on the planets closest to the sun live in bliss under an all-powerful organization called the Alliance. A viewer will get no points for guessing that the Alliance isn't entirely good, and that there is a great deal of corruption at play. Also, crime and poverty still exist on some of the solar system's outer worlds, to the point where they look a lot like the Wild West, with characters on horseback and high-tech trains that speed through dusty mesas.
The main characters of "Serenity" are the brown-coated crew members of the title ship, a craft populated by former Rebels and malcontents who have turned to smuggling to survive. Fans of "Firefly...
The main characters of "Serenity" are the brown-coated crew members of the title ship, a craft populated by former Rebels and malcontents who have turned to smuggling to survive. Fans of "Firefly...
- 4/15/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Netflix’s “Altered Carbon” (adapted from the novel by Richard Morgan) picks up where “Blade Runner” left off, offering a new twist on dystopian cyberpunk. Set in a future San Francisco, it explores digitized consciousness, disposable humanity, and the class divide. And the Emmy-nominated VFX is a standout for its eye candy and efficiency.
“We always tried to figure out a way to make something really cool, staying on budget and on schedule, with feature quality visual effects at 4K,” said production VFX supervisor Everett Burrell, who collaborated with lead studio Double Negative on more than 1,500 shots.
Read More: ‘Altered Carbon’ Review: Netflix’s ‘Blade Runner’ Wannabe Is in Love With Your Body, But Needs Something New
In the year 2384, San Francisco has become the multi-tiered Bay City, covered by a cloud blanket and powered by alien tech, including digitized consciousness, ubiquitous AI, and buildings that soar 8,000 feet. First, the...
“We always tried to figure out a way to make something really cool, staying on budget and on schedule, with feature quality visual effects at 4K,” said production VFX supervisor Everett Burrell, who collaborated with lead studio Double Negative on more than 1,500 shots.
Read More: ‘Altered Carbon’ Review: Netflix’s ‘Blade Runner’ Wannabe Is in Love With Your Body, But Needs Something New
In the year 2384, San Francisco has become the multi-tiered Bay City, covered by a cloud blanket and powered by alien tech, including digitized consciousness, ubiquitous AI, and buildings that soar 8,000 feet. First, the...
- 7/20/2018
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Winning an Emmy as a makeup effects creator before transitioning to an accomplished career as a visual effects supervisor, Everett Burrell needed to bring all of his talents to the table with Netflix cyberpunk series Altered Carbon, in order to bring an intricate, expansive sci-fi world to life.
Set in the megalopolis of Bay City—what became of San Francisco—in 2384, Laeta Kalogridis’ series imagines a world where consciousness has been extracted onto miniature disks, buildings extend thousands of feet in the air, AIs roam freely, and holographic advertisements litter the public space.
To build out a futuristic world operating by its own rules—with new vocabulary, new technology, and its own strange social hierarchy—Burrell would have to do his share of real-world, scientific research while allowing the imagination to take him where it would.
If you’re looking for the most spectacular, technically sophisticated episode of Altered Carbon’s first season,...
Set in the megalopolis of Bay City—what became of San Francisco—in 2384, Laeta Kalogridis’ series imagines a world where consciousness has been extracted onto miniature disks, buildings extend thousands of feet in the air, AIs roam freely, and holographic advertisements litter the public space.
To build out a futuristic world operating by its own rules—with new vocabulary, new technology, and its own strange social hierarchy—Burrell would have to do his share of real-world, scientific research while allowing the imagination to take him where it would.
If you’re looking for the most spectacular, technically sophisticated episode of Altered Carbon’s first season,...
- 6/21/2018
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
With singular Netflix cyberpunk series Altered Carbon, production designer Carey Meyer spent over two years in contemplation of an incredibly complex sci-fi world, figuring out how he would bring scope, texture, and authenticity to the project.
Based on an acclaimed novel by Richard K. Morgan, Altered Carbon is set in the three-tiered megalopolis Bay City in the year 2384. As it happens, this awe-inspiring city epitomizes the depth and intelligence of Laeta Kalogridis’ series, which must also be broken down on multiple levels.
Set in a world where human consciousness can be stored on ‘stacks’—or miniature disks implanted in the neck—Altered Carbon follows Takeshi Kovacs (Joel Kinnaman), a political operative brought back from death after 250 years to crack a murder case. Above and beyond plot, the series is a meditative sociological portrait, examining the consequences of technological evolution in a world where the 1% has become the .1%.
In this world,...
Based on an acclaimed novel by Richard K. Morgan, Altered Carbon is set in the three-tiered megalopolis Bay City in the year 2384. As it happens, this awe-inspiring city epitomizes the depth and intelligence of Laeta Kalogridis’ series, which must also be broken down on multiple levels.
Set in a world where human consciousness can be stored on ‘stacks’—or miniature disks implanted in the neck—Altered Carbon follows Takeshi Kovacs (Joel Kinnaman), a political operative brought back from death after 250 years to crack a murder case. Above and beyond plot, the series is a meditative sociological portrait, examining the consequences of technological evolution in a world where the 1% has become the .1%.
In this world,...
- 6/18/2018
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Get ready to feel as old, ’90s kids: Buffy the Vampire Slayer premiered 20 years ago today.
The beloved series, which cemented Sarah Michelle Gellar‘s place in pop culture history, continues to serve as a favorite among fans with an affinity for high school dramas and regular vampire showdowns.
It’s hard to imagine a TV landscape without the benefit of the show’s landmark run — creator Joss Whedon and Gellar pushed a strong female lead into a world of supernatural creatures, which proved to be successful for ratings and a groundbreaking precedent for future shows.
In honor of the show’s milestone anniversary,...
The beloved series, which cemented Sarah Michelle Gellar‘s place in pop culture history, continues to serve as a favorite among fans with an affinity for high school dramas and regular vampire showdowns.
It’s hard to imagine a TV landscape without the benefit of the show’s landmark run — creator Joss Whedon and Gellar pushed a strong female lead into a world of supernatural creatures, which proved to be successful for ratings and a groundbreaking precedent for future shows.
In honor of the show’s milestone anniversary,...
- 3/10/2017
- by Alex Heigl
- PEOPLE.com
Recently, CBS served up the new,official synopsis/spoilers for their upcoming "Scorpion" episode 8 of season 2. The episode is entitled, "Area 51," and it turns out that we're going to see some very interesting stuff go down as Walter's need for funds for his sister, drives him to accept an extremely lucrative yet dangerous mission for the crew, and more! In the new, 8th episode press release: To Help Fund Walter's Research Into Saving His Sister's Life, Team Scorpion Accepts A Lucrative Job For The CIA To Find A Top-secret Aircraft In The Mysterious Area 51, On "Scorpion," Monday, Nov. 9. Press release number 2: To help fund Walter's research into saving his sister's life, Team Scorpion will take a lucrative job for the CIA to find a top-secret aircraft in the mysterious Area 51. Guest stars feature: Camille Guaty (Megan O'Brien), Billy Wirth (Mark Willis), Darren Dupree Washington (Agent Sardo), David Salsa (Agent...
- 11/2/2015
- by Megan
- OnTheFlix
by Tami Katzoff (@tvtamijo)
The past year has been quite a celebratory one for Joss Whedon, and The Weekly Whedon has celebrated right along with him. Our first column was posted in May of 2012, just after "The Avengers" had its Us premiere. Now, our final post follows Joss & Co.'s triumph at the MTV Movie Awards.
Since last spring we’ve spoken with many of the Whedonverse’s finest actors (Tom Lenk, Sean Maher, Alexis Denisof, Julie Benz, James Marsters, Adam Baldwin) and writer/producers (Tim Minear, Jane Espenson, Marti Noxon, Maurissa Tancharoen Whedon, Jose Molina). We’ve followed Joss to San Diego Comic-Con to commemorate the 10th anniversary of "Firefly," and to Toronto for the world premiere of "Much Ado About Nothing." We’ve discussed "S.H.I.E.L.D." and "Dr. Horrible" and "Buffy," and we've "toured" Serenity with its designer, Carey Meyer.
Being present at the Movie Awards to congratulate Joss Whedon...
The past year has been quite a celebratory one for Joss Whedon, and The Weekly Whedon has celebrated right along with him. Our first column was posted in May of 2012, just after "The Avengers" had its Us premiere. Now, our final post follows Joss & Co.'s triumph at the MTV Movie Awards.
Since last spring we’ve spoken with many of the Whedonverse’s finest actors (Tom Lenk, Sean Maher, Alexis Denisof, Julie Benz, James Marsters, Adam Baldwin) and writer/producers (Tim Minear, Jane Espenson, Marti Noxon, Maurissa Tancharoen Whedon, Jose Molina). We’ve followed Joss to San Diego Comic-Con to commemorate the 10th anniversary of "Firefly," and to Toronto for the world premiere of "Much Ado About Nothing." We’ve discussed "S.H.I.E.L.D." and "Dr. Horrible" and "Buffy," and we've "toured" Serenity with its designer, Carey Meyer.
Being present at the Movie Awards to congratulate Joss Whedon...
- 4/17/2013
- by Splash Page Team
- MTV Splash Page
by Tami Katzoff (@tvtamijo)
Any reputable list of the coolest fictional spaceships must include the USS Enterprise, Discovery One, the Millennium Falcon, and, of course, Serenity. A decade after “Firefly” and seven years after the feature film update, Serenity remains a sci-fi icon.
The little ship that was home to our Big Damn Heroes got its look and feel from production designer Carey Meyer, who had worked with Joss Whedon on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” before joining “Firefly.” Meyer recalls the number one directive from his former boss: “He really wanted the ship to have an identity.”
Serenity’s exterior was conceived after Meyer shoved a balloon inside a paper airplane. “It ended up looking a little bit like the legs of a wasp when a wasp flies, and so there were aspects of it that felt insect-like,” he says. “And [Joss] really wanted the back end to have a significant point where it lights up,...
Any reputable list of the coolest fictional spaceships must include the USS Enterprise, Discovery One, the Millennium Falcon, and, of course, Serenity. A decade after “Firefly” and seven years after the feature film update, Serenity remains a sci-fi icon.
The little ship that was home to our Big Damn Heroes got its look and feel from production designer Carey Meyer, who had worked with Joss Whedon on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” before joining “Firefly.” Meyer recalls the number one directive from his former boss: “He really wanted the ship to have an identity.”
Serenity’s exterior was conceived after Meyer shoved a balloon inside a paper airplane. “It ended up looking a little bit like the legs of a wasp when a wasp flies, and so there were aspects of it that felt insect-like,” he says. “And [Joss] really wanted the back end to have a significant point where it lights up,...
- 11/30/2012
- by Splash Page Team
- MTV Splash Page
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