Must watch VFX reel showing how an empty field was digitally converted into a vibrant stadium with a raucous crowd for Ted Lasso
This is visual effects magic at its very best by some talented VFX artists for the hit Apple TV+ show.
Earlier today I stumbled onto a link on Twitter to this great VFX reel from Barnstorm VFX who did the visual effects for the Apple TV+ hit show Ted Lasso. In the show, you see the football team coached by the titular character play a match in front of a raucous crowd in an English football stadium. I just assumed they shot that on location at a real stadium filled with extras. As it turns out the stadium and the crowd were all digital creations composited into the shot! It’s absolutely amazing work. Watch it here:
Out of curiosity, I reached out on Twitter to VFX artist and compositor Todd Vaziri. You may not know Vaziri’s name, but you’ve seen his work over and over again. His IMDb credits are a laundry list of seemingly every major blockbuster you’ve seen over the last twenty years from Transformers to Star Trek to Mission Impossible to the MCU. Oh, and he’s also worked on visual effects for every Star Wars film since Attack of the Clones. I asked him if, when he watches a show like Ted Lasso, he immediately recognizes a scene like this as the work of VFX artists or if there are times when he’s not sure. Here’s what he said in reply:
Yep, I can spot these types of shots, but it's happening much less often than it did 10 years ago. The work generally has gotten so much better (with better planning and better artists). I'm a lot less sure now than ever. (The "Ted Lasso" work is pretty darn good!)
If you don’t follow Todd Vaziri on Twitter, you definitely should. He’s gracious with his time toward people interested in movie magic, and he frequently shares incredible insights into how visual effects are done. Like listening to a magician tell you how magic tricks are done. You should also watch Ted Lasso, because it was genuinely the best show of 2020. And huge shout out to Danielle Malambri who produced these amazing visual effects!
