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Hi, I'm Mike Seymour from fxguide.com for WIRED.

From the Sorcerer's Apprentice in Fantasia

to Disney's feature film Frozen, the effects crew

at Zoic Studioses have had their work cut out for them

this season translating the world

of Disney's incredible animated characters

to the new version, the live action TV show

Once Upon A Time on ABC.

These shows are doing an order of 250 shots per episode

with a turnaround time of just a couple of weeks,

but some episodes can run as high as 400 shots,

and that's being asked of the team 22 times a season.

A lot of the work involves environments, set extensions

and, increasingly this year, fully digital characters.

How is all of this possible?

Zoic has been an industry pioneer

in using green screen technology and virtual sets

using the Emmy award winning Lightcraft Technology

that allows entire worlds of the show to be previsualized

on a green screen stage as part

of the team's Zeus production process.

Their specialist tools extend from ipads apps,

such as Zeus Scout,

to complex integrated Shotgun production software

that allows multiple shows to be done at one time

with two entire crews overlapping

on alternate week's episodes.

As well, there's been a vast investment

in specialist software including Krakatoa and fracture,

an automated tracking software.

But this season has been particularly demanding

as the focus has been on bringing characters

from the hit film Frozen

to the show's hometown of Storybrooke.

Characters such as Grand Pabbie voiced by John Rhys-Davies,

and the gigantic hulking snowman,

affectionately known as Marshmallow, were just two

of the key, fully CG characters introduced this season.

Characters like this can take months to develop

for a feature film, and even more challenging

for the Zoic Studio artists is that,

as the season's still being written,

these CG characters need to be made

for the current episode's requirements,

but then they may come back in just a few weeks time

or never be seen of again.

Fans of the show are certainly hoping

that Regina's spells don't last forever,

and that Elsa's bodyguard Marshmallow can,

in fact, return later this season.

Principle photography takes place

in Vancouver, British Columbia,

so even while those Frozen characters are being integrated

into their scenes, there's also a bunch

of key set extension work that has to go on.

For example the pivotal clock tower

in Gold's pawn shop, are additional locationss

that are only ever added in post-production.

And if the Frozen cast wasn't enough, it's believed

that the characters from another Disney film, Maleficent,

are said to visit Storybrooke later this season.

Let out again thanks to the craft

of the visual effects team.

Well don't forget to subscribe

for more behind-the-scenes action.

I'm Mike Seymour for WIRED.

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