By CHRIS McGOWANImages courtesy of Miagui and Netflix, except where noted.For Overall VFX Supervisor Marcelo Siqueira, Netflixs mini-series Senna was a chance both to pay tribute to the Brazilian Formula 1 racing legend Ayrton Senna and to put Brazil on the global VFX map. The $170 million production was reportedly the most expensive series in the nations history and involved 2,089 visual effects shots across six episodes and six different VFX vendors.The industry had been buzzing about this project for years, Siqueira says. After all, were talking about Brazils greatest icon, recognized worldwide, and one of Netflixs biggest bets in Latin America. Recreating the most emblematic races of the greatest Formula 1 driver, set in racetracks around the globe, was a dream for any VFX professional. The mini-series was produced by Netflix and Brazils Gullane Entretenimento. Gabriel Leone stars as Senna, a three-time Formula 1 champion, who passed away at 34 in a 1994 race crash. Vicente Amorim and Julia Rezende directed.For the mini-series Senna, Brazilian creative production studio Miagui helped re-create Ayrton Sennas Monaco Grand Prix races with CGI.Siqueira notes, As the project advanced, Scanline came on board as a creative and management partner, and they, along with Gullane, chose the collaborating vendors. In the end, we were delighted to see that three of the six [VFX] companies that contributed to the project were Brazilian, delivering work on a par with international vendors like Scanline [VFX] and NetFX. Craig Wentworth, Scanline Overall VFX Supervisor, explains, Our largest vendor was actually NetFX, a global network of talent working under the Netflix umbrella. That team contributed 725 shots to the series, focusing on set extensions, burn-ins, clean-ups and makeup fixes. Scanline completed 390 shots, most of which involved racing sequences at Suzuka, Japan and Interlagos, Brazil.Brazilian racing champion Ayrton Senna (Gabriel Leone) was the focus of VFX work by Scanline VFX, NetFX and Eyeline Studios along with Brazilian studios Miagui, Quanta and Picma Post.Quanta, Picma Post and Miagui were the three Brazilian vendors, Wentworth explains, Quantas contribution covered virtual production, online and color services and [they] also provided 488 shots, handling the majority of burn-ins and full-screen FIA footage restoration. Picma Post provided 279 shots of Formula Ford and F3 races in Episodes 1 and 2, and pit lane set extensions for Imola, Italy, in Episode 6. Siqueira notes, Picma Post was tasked with the iconic 1994 Imola race, tragically marked by Ayrton Sennas fatal accident. Picmas set extensions added elements such as additional cars and digital audiences to the filmed scenes, ensuring a faithful and impactful recreation of these historic moments. Miagui had 94 shots and was the primary vendor for the Monaco 84 and 88 races.Eyeline Studios was a key consultation partner for our virtual production effort and was responsible for scanning our production vehicles for 3D recreation. They also created several all-CG racing shots in Unreal Engine for us, a first in Scanline and Eyelines long history, says Wentworth.Monaco Grand Prix 84 and 88The two Monaco Grand Prix races in 1984, marked by torrential rain, when Senna drove a Formula 1 car for the first time, and 1988, when he collided with the guard rail at the tunnel entrance, were assigned to Miagui. Siqueira comments, The company was responsible for fully recreating the track scenes in full CGI. We knew that the work on Monaco 1984 would build upon the foundation set for Monaco 1988. Everything constructed for M88, including buildings, grandstands, props and crowds, would be repurposed for M84, with an added layer of complexity due to the rain. This included advanced fluid simulations for wet conditions and reanimating the cars to reflect their distinct behavior on a slippery track compared to a dry surface.Produced by Netflix and Brazils Gullane Entretenimento, Senna recreated the most emblematic races of the great Formula 1 driver, set in racetracks around the world. The mini-series utilized 2,089 VFX shots.Continues Siqueira, Miagui used a simplified model of the 1984 Monaco circuit as the base for their work, as the track layout back then differed significantly from the modern version. A dedicated team focused exclusively on constructing the circuit environment, continuously referencing archival footage and photographs from the era. Their meticulous attention to detail enabled them to recreate the historic Monaco circuit with stunning accuracy, ensuring it authentically reflected the time and atmosphere of Sennas legendary performances.Archival FootageQuanta Post was responsible for a significant volume of burn-ins, the restoration of archival footage from the era and the virtual production content. The series historical foundation relied heavily on FIA archival footage, which needed to be seamlessly integrated into the visual language in an organic and authentic manner. Siqueira explains, To achieve this, the treatment of the footage displayed on each monitor or TV accounted for the broadcast year, whether the transmission was over-the-air or via cable, and the type of monitor used at the time. This approach enabled the precise recreation of the conditions in which each character experienced the races, whether at home, in bars or within pit boxes and broadcast booths. Over 400 burn-in shots were meticulously crafted, ensuring historical accuracy and visual cohesion throughout the series narrative.Miagui was responsible for recreating the track scenes in full CGI. The two Monaco Grand Prix races in 1984 and again in 1988 were marked by torrential rain, soaking the track. Advanced fluid simulations for wet conditions and reanimating the cars were used to reflect their distinct behavior on a slippery track.Miagui used a simplified model of the 1984 Monaco circuit as the base for their work, as the track layout back then differed significantly from the modern version. A dedicated team focused exclusively on constructing the circuit environment, continuously referencing archival footage and photographs from the era. Their meticulous attention to detail enabled them to recreate the historic Monaco circuit with stunning accuracy, ensuring it authentically reflected the time and atmosphere of Sennas legendary performances.Marcelo Siqueira, Overall VFX SupervisorSuzuka and Interlagos RacesScanline was tasked with recreating the iconic races at Suzuka (1988, 1989 and 1990) and the historic 1991 Interlagos race, where Senna claimed his first victory in Brazil. These sequences required a blend of advanced techniques to authentically capture the emotion and realism of these legendary moments. Siqueira comments, NetFX and other vendors focused on clean-up tasks and simpler compositions, ensuring visual consistency and supporting the finalization of scenes that complemented the main narrative.Wentworth recalls, I was first introduced to the production team in February 2023 as a representative of Scanline VFX. Our earliest conversations centered around the challenges the show faced in world-building specifically, the several racetracks that would need to be created digitally, either in full or as set extensions and the unique challenge of visualizing what Vicente described as Sennas superpower. Given Scanlines long history in producing complex and creative visual effects, we seemed like a great fit for the series as a whole. In May that year, I began consulting with Sica [Siqueira] on many aspects of the VFX production. Later, as Scanlines relationship with the production evolved, my [VFX] Producer partner, Vero Lauzon, and I assumed responsibility for the distribution and execution of the final VFX in the show. We also supported the LED shoot planned for early December with support from our counterparts at Eyeline Studios.Several racetracks that were landmarks in Sennas career were re-created digitally, either in full or as set extensions. A dedicated team focused on constructing the circuit environment, referencing archival footage and photographs from the era to help recreate the historic Monaco Grand Prix circuit in detail. (Images courtesy of Scanline VFX and Netflix)The treatment of the footage displayed on each monitor or TV accounted for the broadcast year, whether the transmission was over-the-air or via cable, and the type of monitor used at the time. This approach enabled the precise recreation of the conditions in which each character experienced the races, whether at home, in bars or within pit boxes and broadcast booths. Over 400 burn-in shots were meticulously crafted, ensuring historical accuracy and visual cohesion throughout the series narrative.Marcelo Siqueira, Overall VFX SupervisorSubtle EffectsSenna was not a series that sought flashy or noticeable visual effects. Siqueira comments, The entire cinematic language was carefully planned to avoid the risk of distracting the audience and making them wonder how a particular scene was filmed or created. We conducted numerous tests with lenses, speeds and depths of field to establish a unique visual standard for the series. The goal was to ensure that regardless of the scenes origin whether shot with our real cars or created by vendors like Miagui or Scanline all shared the same camera movements and framing characteristics. This uniformity was essential to maintaining immersion and aesthetic consistency.Grand Prix raceway shots with CGI extensions. (Images courtesy of Picma Post and Netflix)Wentworth adds, Beyond the racing, which can certainly be considered the VFX highlight of the series, there are a lot of visual effects in Senna that people will not know are VFX. One of my favorite shots is something as innocuous as a newspaper insert where we had to add a photograph to it later, but it is so perfectly executed that you cannot tell it was done in post. And we have hundreds of other examples just like that, of things that were added after the fact because they werent quite ready for the shoot but were essential to the narrative.Race TechniquesSeveral techniques were used for the race shots. Siqueira remarks, In January 2023, during the third month of preparation, I presented a proposal for producing the race sequences using four distinct techniques. Given that we had 22 faithful replicas of cars and access to real tracks, the primary technique was set extension, which became the most widely used. The cinematography required shallow depth of field on the characters, making close-ups essential. Inside helmets and balaclavas, the actors had only their eyes to convey emotion, which made the use of virtual production indispensable. For wide shots, the solution was to work with full CGI. The fourth technique addressed the cars themselves: although we had 22 replicas, each race featured only two complete cars, usually Sennas and his main rivals. For all other vehicles, digital creations would be necessary.We animated very specific vehicle action around our hero car so it really felt like Senna was in the middle of a race. To really enhance that feeling, our cars were mounted to a motion base that added movement to the vehicle based on its track position. In some respects, we created the ultimate racing simulator for those few weeks.Craig Wentworth, Overall VFX Supervisor, ScanlineTestsSiqueira adds, With this plan in hand, we moved on to a proof of concept. I traveled to Argentina with Cinematographer Azul Serra and Executive Producer Caique Ferreira for two days of filming in Balcarce [Argentina]. There, we collaborated with the team from Crespi [sports car manufacturer], responsible for constructing and piloting the cars, to test the possibilities and validate the proposed strategies. Wentworth adds, In the end, for racing scenes, we knew we would need to employ every trick in the book. The physical cars were filmed by a performance unit, led by [second-unit] directors Rodrigo Monte and Cory Geryak. They captured countless hours of these cars racing around three different tracks in Argentina and Uruguay. Depending on what footage was used in what section of a race, our job in VFX was to ensure continuity to the action by adding appropriate race-track set extensions in the background.Numerous set extensions were used throughout the Senna mini-series. (Images courtesy of Netflix)Naked Carsand 3D EnvironmentsSome of the physical cars filmed had no bodies. Wentworth explains, These naked cars, as we called them, were designed to stand in for any vehicle for which Crespi had not built a body. For example, in the Suzuka 88 race, Senna makes a spectacular maneuver at the circuits hairpin turn, passing two cars in quick succession. Only Sennas McLaren was 100% practical. The other four cars in that sequence of shots were just chassis that Scanline 3D-tracked and added car bodies to in CG, along with the requisite set extensions in background.Several full CG shots covered action that had been missed or felt missing in editorial, or that could not be filmed by the performance unit. For these, it was necessary to create full 3D environments; for example, at Suzuka and Monaco, incorporating crowds, marshals, signage, every historically accurate detail you could think of, and, in some cases, a full field of CG cars.Onboard ShotsWentworth says, All of this was combined with onboard shots of our actors filmed on an LED stage over a two-week period at the end of main unit photography, footage that really became the backbone of racing scenes in editorial. Onboard driving shots were filmed at Quanta in So Paulo. Wentworth continues, With Scanlines guidance, the Quanta team put a lot of effort into leveling up our previs environments, which had been created in Unreal Engine. That meant adding lots of model detail to match what the art department had created on location for all of our races, as well as an overall lookdev pass at track level. Wentworth adds, We animated very specific vehicle action around our hero car so it really felt like Senna was in the middle of a race. To really enhance that feeling, our cars were mounted to a motion base that added movement to the vehicle based on its track position. In some respects, we created the ultimate racing simulator for those few weeks. It was all CG around Senna when we were close up with him, particularly in the Formula 1 races, continues Wentworth. But that CG was very cleverly filmed and, with the exception of adding camera shake in online, not a single VP shot was touched by VFX, so we got real value for money from that material and that filming approach.Onboard shots of the drivers were filmed on an LED stage for two weeks at the end of main-unit photography. (Image courtesy of Picma Post and Netflix)AccuracyOne of the most inspired choices made by Vicente Amorim, our director and Showrunner, was to intercut our version of events with actual footage provided to us from the FIA, Wentworth says. That meant, at any given moment, our VFX would be intercut with footage of what really happened, typically in a television broadcast, 30 years ago. So, in terms of maintaining historical accuracy, there was really nowhere for us to hide in VFX. To that end, the production itself and all our vendors spent countless hours scouring the FIA material for reference to how sets should be dressed, what people were wearing, what advertising signage was on display at what corner of a track, and so on. Our virtual environments reflected that effort.Monaco represented a unique challenge. Wentworth states, Due in part to time and practical constraints, we made the decision very early in the process to commit to creating the Monaco races in CG. The team at Miagui put exhaustive effort into recreating Monaco based on photographic and filmed reference. Fortunately, we knew, based on the extensive previs Sica and his team had created for the series, exactly which sections of the track were going to be filmed the most, and so modeling and lookdev efforts were concentrated there and kicked off early to give us plenty of time to bring that world to a very photoreal level. Miagui also created digital versions of our production cars so that our CG twins would look and feel just like the practical cars, which was important for visual consistency.22 faithful replicas of cars were driven by Senna and his rivals, but each race only featured two cars at a time. (Image courtesy of Crespi and Netflix)AssetsIn addition to the extensive CGI construction of elements surrounding the tracks, hundreds of assets were created, including cars, cranes, guardrails and characters, according to Siqueira. For the crowd elements, we developed an extensive sprite library during filming. Over 500 extras were captured in 12 different positions using six cameras, performing various actions. This process generated more than 36,000 unique options, enabling vendors to request and utilize these resources as needed. To manage this material, we built a comprehensive database that was continuously updated by all departments throughout the project. This system became an essential tool in post-production, ensuring that everyone had access to the necessary information and resources to meet the precise demands of each scene efficiently and effectively.[A]t any given moment, our VFX would be intercut with [with actual footage provided by the FIA] of what really happened, typically in a television broadcast, 30 years ago. So, in terms of maintaining historical accuracy, there was really nowhere for us to hide in VFX. To that end, the production itself and all our vendors spent countless hours scouring the FIA material for reference to how sets should be dressed, what people were wearing, what advertising signage was on display at what corner of a track, and so on. Our virtual environments reflected that effort.Craig Wentworth, Overall VFX Supervisor, ScanlineLiving Up to LegacyIt wasnt easy, but it was the most rewarding project of my career, Siqueira says. We spent eight months in preparation because we were recreating scenes that millions of people were familiar with, including a legion of fans who know every curve and detail by heart. Absolute fidelity was crucial, from the shape of each car, with its branding and sponsors, to the billboards around the tracks and iconic elements like the Casio Chicane at Suzuka, the Marlboro building at Imola and the water tower at Interlagos. These recreations had to seamlessly integrate with FIAs original footage, making historical accuracy even more critical.The drama of the race was reflected in close-ups of Sennas eyes. (Image courtesy of Netflix)Wentworth says, Speaking very personally, this project was a very new experience for me. It was the first time I have been creatively responsible for such a large volume of work. My VFX Producer, Vero Lauzon, and I not only had to manage the distribution and execution of the work but also forge new partnerships with international vendors we had never worked with before, guiding them through the process of producing high-value content of enormous scale.Wentworth adds, Senna is the most ambitious project to have come out of Brazil, and just by virtue of its subject matter, it came with its own built-in level of gravitas. Protecting and honoring Sennas legacy was very important to everyone involved in the VFX process, which in and of itself became its own challenge: Do we does the work live up to standards set by the man himself? I think we, our partners, our vendors and the entire team from Brazil ultimately surpassed expectations, and I am very proud of everyones work.