Wojciech Zielinski (‘Halo’ VFX supervisor): ‘To be photoreal is the bread and butter of visual effects’ [Exclusive Video Interview]

“To be photoreal is the bread and butter of visual effects,” declares Emmy-nominated visual effects supervisor Wojciech Zielinski on the spectacular realism that every VFX team strives for on a big-budget sci-fi action adventure series like “Halo.” For our recent webchat he adds, “There are few exceptions in which shows are really stylized, but it’s what all of us want to achieve, to create something which will seamlessly blend with the practical set, or what we’re capturing on camera,” he says. “There’s a whole army of people working to collect data, so that later on in post, we can we can use it and seamlessly blend the real world with the virtual one.” Watch our exclusive video interview above.

SEE Watch our lively chats with dozens of 2024 Emmy contenders

“Halo” was originally developed by Kyle Killen (“Lone Star,” “Awake”) and Steven Kane (“The Closer,” “The Last Ship”), who adapted the series for Paramount+ from the blockbuster Xbox franchise that is among the most popular video game series of all time. The space opera takes place as a standalone story in its own timeline, inspired by but separate from the decades-long canon and lore developed from the interactive game series, set during a 26th-century war between the United Nations Space Command and the Covenant, a theocratic-military alliance of advanced alien races determined to eradicate the human race. The sci-fi epic stars Emmy nominee Pablo Schreiber (“Orange is the New Black”) as Master Chief, a genetically enhanced super-soldier fighting the villainous aliens and his own past demons.

Emmy-nominated executive producer David Wiener (“Fear the Walking Dead: Flight 462”) took over as new showrunner for Season 2 of the action blockbuster, which sees Master Chief leads his team of elite Spartans against the Covenant alien threat on a journey to find the Halo, as the galaxy teeters on the brink of total carnage. “It was quite challenging, especially since the new showrunner actually approached the show in a different way, as he decided to go with a slightly different style.,” Zielinski reveals about the show’s visual reboot for its sophomore season. “He was aiming for something much more grounded, something which would allow the audience to feel like they are with the with the heroes of the show. And therefore, we had to reject whatever we inherited from Season 1 and adjust to this new approach.”

PREDICT the 2024 Emmy nominees through July 17

Make your predictions at Gold Derby now. Download our free and easy app for Apple/iPhone devices or Android (Google Play) to compete against legions of other fans plus our experts and editors for best prediction accuracy scores. See our latest prediction champs. Can you top our esteemed leaderboards next? Always remember to keep your predictions updated because they impact our latest racetrack odds, which terrify Hollywood chiefs and stars. Don’t miss the fun. Speak up and share your huffy opinions in our famous forums where 5,000 showbiz leaders lurk every day to track latest awards buzz. Everybody wants to know: What do you think? Who do you predict and why?

SIGN UP for Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions