VFX studio Lux Aeterna delivered hyper-realistic shots for the Netflix docuseries on the famous 1989 Linda Napolitano story of her abduction, keeping in line with an 80s cinematic feel.
‘The Manhattan Alien Abduction,’ now streaming on Netflix. All images © 2024 Netflix, Inc.
Linda Napolitano was your everyday New York housewife. That was until she claimed to have been abducted by aliens from her second-floor apartment in 1989 – a story she still believes to be true to this day. Netflix’s three-part docuseries The Manhattan Alien Abduction follows this tale, featuring Linda’s firsthand accounts and fantastical recreations of her experience.
Leading the series’ production was Story Films Director Dan Vernon, who wanted to tap into 80s retrofuturism within the narrative. “The Manhattan Alien Abduction was the perfect opportunity to evoke old sci-fi movie flavor,” he says. “And for this, I wanted to add subtle nuances in post to enhance its authenticity.” Lux Aeterna was brought on to help pull the look together, meticulously crafting paranormal and archival-looking scenes.
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Blending VFX and videography
“A major focus of ours was perfecting the lighting,” explains Rob Hifle, Creative Director of Lux Aeterna. “The shots we worked on included a lot of dynamic assets, such as curtains moving, so it was crucial to make sure we made it look lifelike in line with Dan’s vision.” The first step to achieve this was to reference the series’ principal photography.
DoP Tim Cragg was the studio's main point of reference; his Cooke lenses created flare, chromatic fall off, and a specific bokeh. “I wanted to use a docu-drama interview style while speaking to those involved,” he says. “The lighting, color, and tone were all very important to keep in mind.” To achieve an 80s comic-book style, Cragg shot using an LUT to bring out the cyans, reds, and yellows in the scenes.
It was from these shots that Lux Aeterna started to build its visual effects. The team worked carefully to replicate the bold colors and hyper-realistic lighting style, ensuring their creations blended seamlessly with the rest of the series. “We needed to make our work as subtle as possible,” explains Tav Flett, VFX Supervisor. “This not only made it lifelike but also ensured consistency with the show’s aesthetic and Tim’s unique shot style.”
Lux Aeterna captured references on-set through a combination of lens grids, and bokeh and flare characteristics. These were used to create an optical gizmo that matched the Cooke lens characteristics at every focal length. Presets were then created based on this – enabling the team to recreate dynamic lens flares for integrations with CG elements and retaining the pivotal 80s sci-fi aesthetic.
Referencing 80s cinema
In addition to the principal photography, Lux Aeterna drew inspiration from classic 80s films. Vernon provided the team with a series of movies he was inspired by, from Ghostbusters to Close Encounters Of The Third Kind. The VFX studio took these bold, contemporary lighting styles and applied them to the series.
To integrate the neon colors commonly used by directors like Spielberg and Kubrick, Lux Aeterna adopted cloud tank visuals licensed from artist Chris Parks. “This was a traditional technique used in films at the time,” continues Flett. “Combining it with a modern production process made for a truly unique lighting set-up.”
Shining a light on the UFO
Every aspect of The Manhattan Alien Abduction was thoroughly researched to align with both the director’s vision and accounts from the people who experienced it. This was no different when the team created their largest asset: the spaceship used in the abduction. “We used descriptions from Bud Hopkins, an American UFOlogist who interviewed eyewitnesses of paranormal events,” says Flett. “The amount of material we had to base our UFO on really helped us create a well-rounded CG asset.”
After various iterations, the team decided on a classic, retro UFO shape, which was highly detailed thanks to the combination of references. The next challenge was for Lux Aeterna to light it in a convincing and hyper-realistic way, making an older concept fit for modern-day viewers.
Flett and his team used light groups when rendering the spaceship to maximize integration control within the composites – streamlining the process by rendering a single set of global AOVs. These were subtracted from specific light groups to control material properties in compositing, reducing the number of render layers required. To enhance efficiency, the team wrapped this approach into the gizmo for the benefit of the compositing team.
“Building a convincing spaceship was an incredibly careful process,” he continues. “We used multiple AOVs to perfect the look, making sure the lights shone down in a sci-fi-esque, intimidating way.” The end product was highly realistic with cloud visuals layered in the back, but with all the retrofuturistic inspirations from the 1980s.
The Manhattan Alien Abduction turns Linda Napolitano’s story into a visually striking, culturally rich docuseries. Using a combination of retro SFX, modern VFX, and a variety of references, the Lux Aeterna team was able to create a lighting style that perfectly matched the tale.
