The facility delivered post-production work on the thrilling second season of Amazon Prime’s high fantasy television series.
Picture Shop delivered post-production work on the second season of Amazon Prime’s The Wheel of Time, which was released on Prime Video on 1 September. In this season, though Rand thought he destroyed the Dark One, evil is not gone from the world. Threats new and very old seek out the young friends from the Two Rivers, now scattered over the world. The woman who found and guided them is now powerless to help, and so they must find other sources of strength. In each other, or themselves. In the Light, or the Dark.
Grade
The Wheel of Time S2 was graded at Picture Shop in London, with Jodie Davidson as Supervising Colourist alongside additional Colourists, Lee Twohey, Sam Chynoweth, and Ross Brunton as Grade Assist, supporting the colour management pipeline using Filmlight’s Baselight.
The fantasy TV series, produced by Amazon Studios with Rafe Judkins as the Show Runner, delves into themes of destiny, love, political intrigue, and the struggle between good and evil. The use of colour was crucial in establishing different locations, desired atmosphere, and the political factions of the characters, as well as their intentions.
The vibrant tapestry of cultures and landscapes was used to immerse the audience in an epic fantasy world with every location having a distinct colour identity. Each character is associated with specific colours, reflecting their personalities and struggles. The colours become part of their visual identity but also serve as visual cues for the audience, providing insight into their journey and emotional state, weaving into the narrative fabric of the series.
The series’ use of lighting is a playground for a Colourist. Candlelit interiors, ethereal moonlight, and fiery battles under the blazing sun create dynamic atmospheres that challenge and inspire. Finding the balance between maintaining the visual integrity of these scenes while enhancing the mood and atmosphere was a rewarding challenge.
The role of the grade was to enhance the contrast between light and dark while adding more depth and dimension to the scenes. Bringing out subtle nuances in skin tones, textures, and vivid hues to enhance the storytelling where we could.
PULSE, Picture Shop’s cloud-based collaboration tool, rendered all shots for the DI conform and VFX pulls. Across all episodes, 21,565 shots were pulled, totalling over three and a half million frames.
The PULSE team, supervised by Michael Mcknight alongside Head of Workflow Grace Lan, managed the imaging pipeline from the point of capture (Dailies) through to final delivery to Amazon. This involved working closely with the external Dailies team to check they were working to spec during shooting and working with the VFX vendors during the onboarding process, ensuring the spec was adhered.
Picture Shop Senior Online Editor Simon Giblin completed the UHD online using Autodesk Flame. The series was post produced by Picture Shop Post Senior Producer Hamish Mason and supported by Daisy Blue Ella.
The Picture Shop team are a key collaborator from shoot to delivery. Their attention to detail, professionalism, and creative input is a crucial part of delivering our Show Runners vision and building the ambitious world of Wheel of Time. Our supervising colourist, Jodie Davidson, colour/online team are supported by a wonderful team of producers and assistants who oversee all of our needs from Pulse dailies management, VFX pulls/delivery, reviews, and through the delivery process. The whole Pictures Shop team are an extension of the show and always go the extra mile to delivery on quality
David Frew, Producer (Post) of The Wheel of Time S2
Watch the trailer for The Wheel of Time S2 below.
