Raising The Lazarus Project

The Vine FX team tell us about their work delivering shots for season two of the sci-fi thriller 

There are some shows that stand out from the crowded grounds of streamers and ondemand TV. With thoughtful, entertaining stories, writing and direction, The Lazarus Project is just such a show. And one component that particularly helps to elevate the viewing experience is the visual effects, with the Cambridge-based studio Vine FX crafting key shots throughout the show’s eightepisode second season.

As TV shows grow and develop they naturally become more ambitious, adding richer visuals and higher-quality effects to thrill and delight their audiences. The Lazarus Project hit that bar pretty early on by setting off a nuclear explosion in Paris, and yet the effects work in season two was much more detailed.

“The second season is a lot bigger than the first was,” says Vine FX’s head of 3D Pedrom Dadgostar. “There aren’t any huge explosions or what you might think of as landmark set pieces, but the amount of CG and compositing required was huge. A lot of action takes place in an underground base, and most of that is entirely CG.”

Producers Urban Myth Films don’t shy away from using computer-generated imagery. The effects work is about two things: building locations that simply don’t exist in the real world, and creating a safe working environment for actors and stunt performers, all done while maintaining precise control over the final look.

The production’s commitment to both actors and the audience is impressive. The Lazarus Project has built a fantastic world, leaning into the unreal and often confusing realm of time travel to tell stories of real human heart with a Saturday evening sense of entertainment value.