Released in May 2024,
Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar was the most-viewed Indian series on Netflix in its first week of launch, trending in 43 countries. It continued to be on the Global Top 10 TV (non-English) list for four consecutive weeks. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali,
FutureWorks was responsible for creating an environment that perfectly depicted 1940’s Lahore.
This was VFX supervisor Vinay Chuphal's first opportunity to work with Bhansali. Vinay along with the team worked tirelessly to create VFX sequences and shots that met his exacting vision for the period. The FutureWorks team, which consisted of over 300 artists across India, proudly delivered over 1,200 VFX shots for the series within a tight schedule of less than six months. Alongside their extensive VFX work on the series, other divisions of FutureWorks also provided services such as camera rental, on-set data management (DIT), and sound re-recording.
The 'Heeramandi' set was constructed indoors, providing the FutureWorks VFX team with creative flexibility when it came to lighting and composite. Crafting convincing cityscape extensions was both a challenge and a creative opportunity, as it required the need for meticulously detailed skies.
The Vision
Bhansali, known for his exceptional visual storytelling, provided clear direction while granting FutureWorks the freedom to explore its expertise in CGI and digital matte painting (DMP). Creating believable cityscape extensions was both a challenge and a creative opportunity, as the team had to ensure they created perfectly detailed skies for the day and night sequences.
Led by on-set VFX supervisors Kanan T. Kanan and Sanket Shirke, the team captured LiDAR scans, as well as essential on-set elements like textures and background plates, and meticulously documented shoot information. This information was catalogued and ingested into the pipeline by the production team, led by Line Producer Vinayak Shigwan and was readily available to artists and supervisors.
To achieve the aesthetic of the opening scene, the FutureWorks team referenced hundreds of photographs, historical and matte painting references, and used advanced compositing techniques like layer masking and color grading to bring it to life.
The Implementation
The DMP team used Adobe Photoshop for all matte paintings across the eight episodes, with all CG assets created using Autodesk Maya—with the help of Houdini for the fire elements and environments. Foundry Katana was utilized for the development and scene assembly prior to the composition. Foundry’s Nuke and Nuke Studio were also used to help combine CG assets and add visual effects.
During the process, it became apparent that achieving a precise vision for color and texture would be a challenge. FutureWorks embarked on comprehensive research, meticulously analyzing historical photographs of old Indian cities, capturing their own reference photographs of skies and architectural elements, and sourcing additional reference materials.
While a feast for the eyes, the project was not without its technical challenges. “There were concepts that looked visually stunning in wide angles but required adjustments when translated to closer compositions,” explains Chuphal. “Through ongoing communication with the director, we were able to refine the wider-angle concepts to ensure they translated effectively into closer shots. The challenge here was also to match our DMP and set extensions to the gorgeous frames captured by ace cinematographer Sudeep Chaterjee and I am happy that he was impressed with the results. Using Baselight’s BLG in our pipeline we were able to closely match the director's desired color palette and textures across all VFX shots.”
Chuphal continues, “one of the most rewarding aspects of working with Sanjay was his unwavering commitment to achieving a truly immersive visual experience. The final result is nothing short of a visual masterpiece.”
Watch the VFX Breakdown: