Ted Lasso, the character and the series, manifests a magical quality. Audiences worldwide fell in love with its concept that positivity comes in unexpected ways. Back to back Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series cements this idea, to say nothing of making history with the show’s first season nominations. The show’s wins earlier this month at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards proclaimed that Ted Lasso is one of the most beloved TV productions today. In the acceptance speech for Outstanding Comedy Series, Jason Sudeikis made a point to mention that there are so many people who are essential in enabling the series to attain its exceptional form. Ying Lin is one such professional. As a nuke compositor, Ying manifests some of the magic Ted Lasso is known for while also correcting issues that may inhibit the story. A late-comer as a viewer, Ying is overjoyed at being a part of a show which she is now such a fan of. She recalls, “The funny thing is I didn’t know how hot Ted Lasso was when I joined the show. I started to feel interested when I watched our editorial cut reference, the story is good even without all the VFX. So I spent my weekend finishing season 1 and became a fan of the show. I’ve laughed and cried when watching it. I finally realized how great this show is and why it’s so popular. I’m so proud to be a part of it. Watching season 1 also helped me a lot when I worked on season 2.” The productions Critic’s Choice Awards, SAG Awards, and an esteemed Peabody Award proclaim that Ted Lasso’s on and off screen talent have the admiration of the entire industry.
Barnstorm VFX Studio VFX producer Andie Eikenberg asked Ying to join the team for season two of Ted Lasso after witnessing her exceptional work on Grey’s Anatomy. Working closely with Comp Supervisor Bill Parker (Primetime Emmy Nominated twice for his work on Amazon Prime’s The Man in the High Castle), Ms. Lin was integral to making many scenes of this series seem completely plausible whether they were mundane or mammoth. Riveting game sequences in a packed football stadium are the product of reality and VFX skill. When nature and budget don’t facilitate the desired shot it’s up to professionals like Ying to manifest it. She confirms, “Sometimes it’s a practical stadium and sometimes it’s a CG stadium; the same for the crowds in attendance. There would be a sequence in which the first shot was sunny and overexposed, the second was cloudy, and the third was sunny again. There was a lot of back and forth for me to update the versions, color correct, and adjust all the details, so they all looked consistent when cut together.” There’s an ample amount of prestidigitation in what Ying does, even for a storyline not fantasy based. She illuminates, “In season 2 episode 6, there were some shots needed on a split screen. Colin (played by Billy Harris) left the playing field in a previous sequence in the story but he is still seen walking behind Isaac in this sequence, essentially creating a goof. To correct this, I painted out Colin to get a clean plate and roto’d Isaac back to make Colin disappear. However, there was one shot where Colin walked past another player. Since we needed to get rid of Colin, I had to frame hold the player’s leg for a couple frames and do a fluid morph on the leg. As a result, the player could walk naturally in the back without missing his leg for a couple frames. As a result, it was felt that it was a bit too empty back there so we received new plates and I roto’d some players to put them behind Isaac. I color corrected them to make them blend in well with the shot and added shadows on the turf under them to make audience feel they were there in the first place. The audience was never aware of all this but it would certainly be jarring for them if this issue was not fixed.”
The greatest measure of success, regardless of your vocation, is loving what you do and your profession. Ying Lin is not unaware of the awards received by this show which she is so pleased to be a part of but appreciates the continual reminders that others enjoy it as well. Often others in her profession will exclaim their affinity for Ted Lasso upon finding out that Ms. Lin is a nuke compositor on the show; it helps to remind her that she’s a part of something truly big and positive in so many lives. Ying states, “I chose this career because I wanted to put all the pieces together and make it look realistic. I consider it a major success when the audience cannot tell that my work is CG. It’s always been my dream to do this.”
Writer: Arlen Gann