A co-production between the American HBO network and the BBC, first season of Rome consists of 12 episodes dealing with Gaius Julius Caesar’s return to his empire after eight years warring with Gaul. His return upsets the political machinations that thrived during his absence and illuminates the intrigues, betrayals and power struggles at the foundation of that society. Seen through the eyes of two ordinary Roman foot-soldiers and their families, Rome is an intimate story of love and betrayal, masters and slaves, and husbands and wives; it chronicles epic times that saw the fall of a republic and the creation of an empire.

The 12 episodes of Rome feature 350 Visual Effects (VFX) shots, many of them involving set extensions, crowd replications and fix-its, as well as others of a more visceral nature. Senate VFX, led by Jim Madigan, were responsible for creating a virtual world where the goal was to be true to what a citizen of Rome would have seen 2,000 years ago. Senate, required a precise metric digital model of the set as a basis for many of these VFX scenes.

Therefore, during September 2004, they contracted a team from Plowman Craven 3D to laser scan and digitally model the entire Foro Romano set. The brief was to capture the exact geometry of the entire set and create an integrated digital model of all the buildings and ground surfaces. We decided that LIDAR laser scanning was the best method of data capture because of the speed of capture and the completeness and quality of the raw data. This enabled the data capture exercise to be cost effective and provided a minimum of disruption to the filming schedule, which continued in and around the set during the survey work. The high resolution and quality of the scan data allowed for the subsequent accurate modelling of the many highly complex architectural features resplendent in the forum complex.

We took around six weeks to complete, from first setting foot in a reconstructed Ancient Rome to delivering a digital reality to Senate VFX. The breathtaking results of this collusion are there to be seen on the BBC and HBO. The series has garnered exceptional reviews, and a second series has already been commissioned. However, the work of Senate and Plowman Craven 3D goes largely unnoticed due to its seamless quality and professionalism.

"A fundamental component of the subtle artistry of VFX is the understanding and placement of what is real. This applies equally to sets, locations, objects and people. On the HBO/BBC series Rome, Plowman Craven 3D provided us with a complete data capture and modelling service to record the set built at Cincecittà Studios. Their professional approach delivered an accurate and cost effective model on time, allowing my team to create seamless VFX sequences that are impossible to spot during the programme. I had a friend comment after seeing the first episode that he didn’t see any VFX shots, even though there are dozens of shots throughout Episode 1. That means we all did our job well " Jim Madigan VFX Producer