LOS ANGELES - Ingenuity Studios (www.ingenuitystudios.com) created visual effects for the eight-episode Netflix series One Piece. Based on the top-selling manga title, the live-action version is set in a seafaring world, where a young pirate captain sets out with his crew to attain the title of Pirate King and discover a mythical treasure.
Ingenuity Studios delivered approximately 313 shots across all eight episodes. The studio’s work spanned a range of contributions, including full-CG set extensions, CG crowds and a CG island. The studio also created CG oceans, and a range of atmospheric effects, including smoke, mist and fire. In addition to matte paintings, the studio also handled comps, splits screens and clean-up on the series.
Eiichiro Oda is a Japanese manga artist and the creator of “One Piece,” which has more than 516M copies in circulation worldwide. The Netflix series was created by Steven Maeda and Matt Owens, with Victor Scalise serving as VFX supervisor and Scott Ramsey acting as VFX producer.
The most intense environment work included sweeping ocean views, fantasy cities and extensive crowds during an execution scene. The studio also built an entire ocean set for a pivotal scene, allowing for a smaller, practical set build during reshoots.
Ingenuity Studios’ VFX EP Hallana Paula Barbosa worked on set in Cape Town, South Africa, where the production took place. Fellow Streamland Media company Picture Shop also worked on the series, handling all color and finishing.
"Our journey on One Piece embodies what I love about Ingenuity — crafting a broad range of work, from full-CG shots to subtle invisible fixes — both in quality and quantity,” notes Barbosa. “The powerful visuals and process of One Piece set a reminder of how wonderful this industry is — impeccable expertise, from pre-production, production, and to final stages with the exceptional leadership of industry best Victor Scalise and Scott Ramsey.
"The talented show-side team pushed for perfection in adapting the world-renowned Japanese manga series One Piece,” adds Ingenuity executive VFX supervisor, Grant Miller. “Everyone on our crew rose to that demand, and we're proud to have delivered visual effects that helped bring their vision to life for fans around the world. It’s always gratifying to complete high-profile work, earning the approval of creative visionaries that demand the very best. We were particularly honored to have worked on the opening sequence of the series, helping to define the look of this fantastic world. I'd like to thank our talented team at Ingenuity for making this project one of my favorites.”
Ingenuity credits also included president/VFX supervisor David Lebensfeld, VFX supervisor Jack Wesson and VFX producer Tara Acquesta. The studio relied on Nuke, Houdini, RenderMan, Substance Painter, Maya and Vast storage to complete the project.
One Piece was produced by Tomorrow Studios and premiered on August 31st. Ingenuity Studios has locations in Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Vancouver and London.