On the bustling second day of WonderCon 2019, excited fans gathered to hear the secrets of creative experts on the “It’s Alive!: Designing Sci-Fi, Horror, and Mystery TV and Video Game” panel. The conversation included Emmy-winning sound designer Paula Fairfield (Game of Thrones), multi-talented composer Nathan Matthew David (Deadly Class), award-winning composer Jeff Rona (Devil May Cry 5), fan-favorite composer Sherri Chung (Riverdale, The Flash), Emmy-nominated VFX Supervisor and founder of Mavericks VFX, Brendan Taylor (The Handmaid’s Tale, What We Do In The Shadows), and critically-acclaimed VFX supervisor Lawson Deming, co-founder of Barnstorm VFX (The Man In the High Castle, Strange Angel). The panel was moderated by YouTube and Instagram star Chris Villain and actor Benjamin Wadsworth (Deadly Class).
The panel kicked off with an exclusive clip reel of the talented creatives’ work. The audience laughed as Jeff Rona started off reflecting on his Devil May Cry 5 song, Crimson Cloud, “It was my way to get my aggressions out in just 10 seconds.” Paula Fairfield added, “I could feel it.”
Starting off the discussion Nathan Matthew David shared his favorite moment from Deadly Class: “Working with all of the writers on the series was a real pleasure…they made me a better composer. We stretched the palette especially with the villains, always asking, ‘how far can we go?’ There’s a very human story built into this series and the music.” Sherri Chung added, “we’re part of the creative process that helps tell the story. In Riverdale, we’ve built a toolbox of instruments that can be placed in a certain decade. We get a lot of freedom with the way the show is made, which is really exciting.”
Discussing Devil May Cry 5, Rona said, “Every project is fresh. On this video game, they had a basic framework of what they wanted. It’s a song but every time you play it, it changes. It was very complicated but it was taken to a new level. Every director wants something quiet, nostalgic, futuristic. There’s a lot of freedom but there’s usually a roadmap, but within that, you get to play.”
Talking about her work on Game of Thrones, Paula Fairfield commented, “Working with dragons and supporting their evolution in the series is one of the most interesting things on the show. It was fun to develop a language for them.” She continued, “The dragons have grown up and they’ve been bad sometimes, but they have their own life. It’s been an absolute pleasure and honor to work with them.”
Brendan Taylor reflected on a career highlight from The Handmaid’s Tale, “There was an enormous amount of pressure following our Emmy win,” said Taylor. “One of the best moments in my career was visiting Fenway Park for the scene we shot there. There are a couple of times when we got to pitch grand moments to the showrunners, and actually shooting in and getting to turn on the lights on Fenway was a surreal moment. It took the scene to the next level.”
Discussing The Man in The High Castle, Lawson Deming said, “It’s a science fiction show that epitomizes the blend of science and fiction. Contributing to the history of this universe through visual effects is an amazing exercise.” He added, “There’s VFX all over the place, and sometimes the best compliment you can get is when people watch something and don’t notice our work.”
Concluding the panel, Deming said, “With sci-fi, we base our VFX on something that’s real. If you’re pushing things that aren’t realistic, you should reference something that is.” WonderCon attendees left the panel with a newfound appreciation for the behind-the-scenes of genre projects, eager and excited to continue their day.
