7 LAWS OF SCIENTIFICALLY ACCURATE VFX

Is learning physics the key to great visual effects? VFX producer Krista Allain and VFX supervisors Bret Culp and Chris Nokes certainly seem to think so. With good reason.

For six years now, they’ve formed part of the team behind The Expanse: a sci-fi show so well-known for its scientific accuracy that it was even featured on the front cover of Physics Today by season two.

“WE ALWAYS UPDATE OUR EFFECTS TO REFLECT ADVANCES IN SCIENCE. IT’S A CONTINUOUSLY EVOLVING PROCESS”
Bret Culp, VFX supervisor

For the multi-vendor visual effects team, who are now working on season six, it’s meant delivering an average of more than 2,000 shots per year – the same numbers as Avengers: Endgame. And this is all while ensuring that each and every frame is as scientifically accurate as possible.

It’s a lot of hard work, but the added authenticity has been worth it. Despite a tight television schedule, the show’s impressively high production values have attracted a serious following, even in the scientific community. In fact, when Syfy cancelled The Expanse after three seasons, it was the show’s devoted fanbase, including real-life astronauts like Andreas Mogensen, that campaigned for Amazon to pick the series back up. By then, ’s adherence to science stood out so much that Jeff Bezos announced the acquisition at an International Space Development Conference.