Based on the true story of India's independence in the 1940s, Freedom At Midnight is an epic seven-part historical biopic streaming on Sony LIV. The series follows the end of colonial rule in India and its partition from Pakistan, with political frontrunners Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel fighting to prevent the split.

A series of this size needed extensive post-production to flesh out historical details and enhance the narrative. To do this, production companies Emmay Entertainment and Studio NEXT reached out to FutureWorks Studios to help deliver over 1,000 VFX shots across the series, in addition to delivering DI (digital intermediate), DIT, and camera rental services.

A total of 110 of our VFX artists worked on Freedom At Midnight, overseeing the entire process from preliminary research to final-stage compositing. With credentials including Ae Watan Mere Watan, Tandav and Section 375, VFX Supervisor Ashoke Chowdhury led the series' VFX pipeline.

“Preliminary research is crucial to creating a realistic atmosphere,” notes Ashoke. “This is especially important when it comes to period dramas.” To do this, we collaborated with historians to get accurate information on 1940s India, including architecture, costumes, and environment, all heavily influenced by the country's political state at the time.

Historians also provided archival photographs and documentation that helped our VFX team shape its visuals and faithfully recreate iconic locations from the Independence Era. “This was a huge help in capturing structures, and determining their texture and detail,” he continues.

Alongside physical constructions from the design team, we created 3D assets to replicate historical scenes in Maya and Houdini. This formed a digital environment for native footage to be seamlessly integrated. Switching between the two programs enabled Ashoke to tweak fine details for optimal realism. The use of matte paintings for realistic backdrops, green and blue screen set extensions, and rotoscoping all played a pivotal role in visualising a realistic setting. These were then textured and lit according to photographic evidence using Photoshop, Mari, and Katana.

The Freedom At Midnight team gave us significant creative freedom when working on the series. This meant that as well as creating a high level of historical accuracy, Ashoke and our VFX team could tweak scenes to enhance the mood and make for a more immersive viewing experience.

"The series takes you through a rollercoaster of emotions,” notes Ashoke. “We shaped scenes that prioritised emotional impact in terms of colour, focus, and mood.”

“We made sure to stay in constant contact with the creative team,” he explains. “That way, we could ensure that our effects were in line with the original vision.” This also helped create the correct balance between making the series look historical, yet retaining an emotional feel.

The result led to a widely-praised series, especially in terms of VFX, contributing to a well-executed project with elevated and emotive visual storytelling.

“Period dramas rely heavily on VFX,” says Ashoke. “Not only for aesthetic accuracy, but to maintain an emotional narrative throughout.” The smallest tweaks are fundamental in building a story, from colour to compositing.