Creepy Beautiful

Trevor Hogg visits Host City and gets in some gameplay action for the fourth and final season of HBO’s Westworld   

Ever since HBO debuted the reimagining of theme park androids revolting against their exploitative human corporate owners and patrons in Westworld - originally conceived by novelist Michael Crichton and expanded upon by creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy into a four-season, mind-bending odyssey - visual effects supervisor Jay Worth has been involved from the pilot to the series finale. Each season was a building block for the next one when it comes to story and visual effects. "We've always been able to take what we did previously and add onto it in a new and creative way," notes Worth. "Lisa and Jonah [Nolan] never sit back and tell the same story and themes each time. Every season had its own tone and vibe; that provided us with an open canvas to always feature something new, which is a challenge. However, that's where the fun is at."

While Season 3 ventured into futuristic Los Angeles, Season 4 heads to the East Coast and settles on an island off Manhattan named after the emancipated androids that reside there. “It was an interesting task to have this Manhattan feeling that we were creating feel like our world, but give it its own flavour, vibe and character,” states Worth. “Host City was a challenge from creative and visual standpoints of, ‘What does this world look like? How do we create another island off of Manhattan? How does it work?’ Amazingly on the page it starts with, ‘A huge tower on an island off of Manhattan.’ And you’re like, ‘What is this going to be?’”