LOS ANGELES— The FuseFX Los Angeles crew recently provided visual
effects services for two projects by Oscar-winning writer/producer/director
John Ridley – the anthology series American
Crime and the feature-length documentary Let It Fall, which aired April 28.

The studio served as the sole visual effects
provider for the third season of American
Crime, which included numerous 3D set extensions and digital matte
paintings. “The series takes place entirely in North Carolina, but was shot in
and around Los Angeles,” notes Jason Piccioni, VFX Supervisor on both Ridley projects.
“The lion’s share of the VFX work involved enhancing, replacing, and/or
building environments that more closely resembled the landscape, groves,
fields, and small towns of our story location.”

Portions
of the show were set in a camp housing migrant farm workers. “We built a maze
of rundown trailers out at Disney Ranch in Los Angeles and then extended those
camps with CG and matte paintings to increase the size of the trailer park and
surround it with a landscape appropriate to North Carolina,” Piccioni elaborates.

FuseFX’s contributions to Let It Fall, an in-depth look at the culture of Los Angeles in the
years leading up to the 1992 riots, were of a much different variety – one
to add critical context rather than shape environments. FuseFX artists created
hundreds of animated maps, handwritten notes and titles, and other graphics
that are used throughout the film to provide critical information and enrich
the narrative.

“By their nature, documentaries tend to include
an incredible amount of exposition,” Piccioni explains.  “John Ridley was
looking for a way to present information cinematically, so that viewers can
absorb it without feeling like they’re reading a textbook.”

Piccioni’s team worked with Director Ridley,
Editor Colin Rich (also from American
Crime) and Art Director Manija Emran to design the graphics that matched
the texture and language of the film.  “It was fun to do something a
little different and still be so integral to the storytelling,” Piccioni says.

Piccioni shared that it was a privilege to work
on projects that inspire viewers to relate to characters quite different from
themselves. “John has a gift for presenting stories honestly and in a way that
causes us to see and empathize with many sides of these situations,” he
notes.  “The gray area and difficult decisions that permeate these
people’s lives are, I think, themes that we can all connect with.”

“Both shows urge viewers to think more deeply about our society
and take a closer look at these themes on a national scale,” Piccioni adds.  “It’s those challenges that make working with
John so rewarding.”

About FuseFX

FuseFX is a full-service visual effects studio serving the
television, feature film and advertising industries from facilities in Los
Angeles, New York and Vancouver. Founded in 2006 by David Altenau, the company
encompasses a crew of more than 300 highly talented and experienced artists,
producers and support personnel. Using its refined, custom database and
pipeline, the company can accommodate numerous, high shot-count productions
while delivering high-quality, on-time results.

For more information, visit http://fusefx.com/