How Accenture Song Made The Nevers' ‘Shock Dog’ a Grotesque Reality
Set in an alternate version of Victorian London, HBO’s The Nevers – created by Joss Whedon – tells the story of a group of people (known as the ‘Touched’) who suddenly start displaying abnormal abilities. There’s plenty of mystique to be found as the abilities are thought to come from alien intervention with the characters testing their newfound powers through nail-biting challenges with menacing enemies.
The show’s aesthetic deserves special mention. It’s a faithful recreation of Victorian London that instantly transports viewers to the period through the sets’ colours and textures while also leaning into gothic and fantastical elements which were created using plenty of VFX. Emanuel Fuchs, Accenture Song’s VFX supervisor, worked with The Nevers’ VFX supervisor, Jonny Han, and the VFX producer, Jack Geist, on the show’s sleek visual effects. Emanuel’s team instantly fell in love with the concepts they were shown at the start of the projects, working to help execute the show’s complex and demanding VFX over 12 episodes.
One of the series' standout visuals came courtesy of a ‘shock dog’ – a murderous Irish Hound that’s also half machine. It was also Accenture Song’s biggest creature to date with Emanuel and his team working tirelessly to get the creature’s fur, movements, and detailed half-animal/half-machine body just right. The effort more than paid off and the episode featuring the dog, ‘It’s A Good Day’, is nominated for an Emmy in the Outstanding Special Visual Effects in A Single Episode category.
Below, LBB spoke to Emanuel about how he and the team worked with the show’s VFX producer and supervisor to execute all the visuals, how painstakingly the team crafted the ‘shock dog’, and what the Emmy nomination means to everyone involved.
LBB> How did Accenture Song first get involved with The Nevers? What was your initial response to the brief?
Emanuel> During FMX 2020, Johnny Han, the client-side VFX Supervisor, visited our office in search of potential VFX studios for his upcoming show, ‘The Nevers.’ A few months later, we were fully engaged in producing the first half of season one of the show, establishing a strong working relationship with the client. Subsequently, Johnny Han and Jack Geist (the client-side VFX producer) reapproached us for the second half of the season, presenting a jaw-dropping task: the ‘shock dog.’
The team immediately fell in love with the initial scribbles and concepts, so we were thrilled to take on the project, which included many other amazing effects.
Above: details of the shock dog's VFX design
LBB> The aesthetic of The Nevers is a blend of science fiction and traditionally gothic Victorian London. How did you fuse these visual elements in your work?
Emanuel> Blending those two worlds was a lot of fun. Depending on the specific task, we typically start by delving into numerous references, conducting research, and then exploring initial ideas through scribbles or concept art. Nevertheless, achieving the perfect balance between the futuristic and the historical wasn't always straightforward, which is where ongoing collaboration with the client proved to be crucial, as we frequently exchanged these concepts with Johnny to ensure we were all on the same page. This iterative process enabled us to fine-tune our designs and achieve the ideal balance between these two contrasting elements.
LBB> Did you have any visual/VFX references that you used for inspiration?
Emanuel> The initial source of information arises from briefing calls with the client. During these calls, we gain preliminary insights into their vision and expectations for the show's aesthetics. In the context of ‘The Nevers’ Johnny shared a lot of his early research with us, effectively guiding our own investigations. That, combined with the footage they shot on set, gave us plenty to analyse and work with.
LBB> Tell us about the tech and techniques you utilised for The Nevers.
Emanuel> Alright, things are about to get a bit nerdy. Season 1B of ‘The Nevers’ was filled with a plethora of effects. From crows feasting on corpses to an earthquake that rattled Victorian London, not to mention our beloved shock dog, we had to employ nearly every trick in our arsenal. In addition to the familiar software we use for animating creatures, vehicles, and cameras – Autodesk Maya – and our backbone SideFX Houdini, where all elements converge and our simulations take shape, we also found ourselves needing to realistically replicate soft tissue, aka muscles and skin. For this, we turned to a tool called ZivaVFX. Most of the project was rendered using Pixar’s Renderman, and that output was then combined (in the industry standard compositing software Nuke) with the footage the client provided.
Above: details of the shock dog's VFX design
LBB> How closely did you work with the show’s VFX supervisor and VFX producer? We’d love to hear about that behind the scenes process.
Emanuel> At least once a week, we met over Zoom, to dive deeply into the work. This could involve discussing new effects, receiving a briefing, or reviewing items we've submitted for review beforehand. Throughout a project, we often build lasting relationships with our clients. Most of them are recurring clients, with whom we've had long-standing relationships, collaborating on multiple projects together. When it comes to new projects, they are often just a phone call or text message away, which enables us and the clients to jump-start new projects immediately, facilitating our involvement in the projects and their creative journey from the beginning.
LBB> Grotesque half-animal half-machine creatures are some of the most striking parts of the show. How did you create these creatures, and how did you balance the fantastical elements with realistic ones?
Emanuel> The shock dog was the most significant endeavour in Season 1B for us and, in fact, our biggest creature task to date. With close to 70 shots featuring this very special animal, we had to prepare and consider every step carefully.
The foundation of the dog is an Irish Wolfhound named Plunket, cast by Johnny and his crew for its size and general look, which provided an ideal canvas for Dr. Hague's "treatment" – the transformation of a family pet into a hybrid machine monster.
Our process started based on concept art received from another studio. This art outlined the overall idea of the shock dog, incorporating a fusion of realistic dog features and mechanical parts. After developing concepts, we swiftly moved into 3D sculpting to gauge proportions. We assessed how different silhouettes work in the shots and how we could integrate machine parts with the dog's actual skeleton and muscular system.
This process involved extensive testing and collaboration across multiple departments. We aimed to achieve the best possible visual outcome while ensuring functional mechanics throughout the robotic aspect of the dog. This collaboration ultimately gave birth to a fantastic and realistic creature. Leather belts with intricate stitching were tightly strapped around the half-bone, half-metal ribcage. Chains from Victorian bicycles and cogwheels taken from Victorian steam engines were tightly looped around the shoulder and elbow, driving its butchered left leg in an up-and-down motion. This meticulous attention to detail in the dog's original form and its mechanical augmentation contributes to the shock dog's believability.
LBB> Congratulations on your Emmy nomination in the Outstanding Special Visual Effects in A Single Episode category. What does the nomination mean to you and the team?
Emanuel> Thank you so much. I always emphasize that this truly is a team effort, and my name on that nomination represents everyone who contributed countless hours to make that project happen in the first place.
We actively pursue challenging projects where we can leverage our expertise and collaborate with our clients to create unique visual effects. The Emmy nomination for our work on ‘The Nevers’ means a lot to us and supports us in the future to continue doing what we love.
LBB> What were the biggest challenges of working on the show and how did you overcome them?
Emanuel> The biggest challenges were certainly centred around the shock dog. Simulating the fur, along with all the metal parts and leather straps colliding with it, proved to be very difficult to set up, and we had to customize the software's fur tools extensively to achieve the desired effect. Another highly complex aspect was creating a seamless interaction between the actors and the CG creature.
Not only did the animation need to be spot on to convey believable motion that reacts convincingly to actions like punches, but we also had to ensure the interaction worked the other way around. In this case, the shock dog needed to attack Amalia (Laura Donnelly). While a person in a grey suit performed the actions on set, it's evident that a human's anatomy doesn't align well with the dog's, leading to numerous adjustments. These adjustments were crucial to blend the digital world with the recorded footage seamlessly.
LBB> Finally, what was your favourite part of working on The Nevers? Did you learn any lessons that you’ll apply to future work?
Emanuel> Shock dog once again! Bringing that little puppy to life was so much fun for the entire team that we occasionally had to rein in their enthusiasm. Everyone was so dedicated to making the asset and the shots, the animation, the drool, the integration in compositing, to name just a few, better day by day, even though some things were being approved by Johnny already.
Our success was only possible with meticulous planning and the fantastic preparation on set by the client, who gathered all the necessary information, including light references, chrome, grey, fur and metal balls, glow charts and motion capturing data. The list is quite extensive. Only through these efforts were we able to bring the shock dog to life.
