'Black Sails'
(L to R) Actors Luke Arnold, Hannah New, Clara Paget, Zach McGowan and Toby Stephens pose during a photocall for the television series "Black Sails" during the annual MIPCOM television programme market in Cannes, southeastern France, October 7, 2013. The International film and programme market for TV, video, cable and satellite (MIPCOM) opens from October 7 to October 10 on the French Riviera. Reuters/Eric Gaillard

While “Black Sails” Season 3 is still halfway through, filming of Season 4 is already underway. In a recent interview, visual effects supervisor Erik Henry talked about some of the challenges he faces while creating scenes for the TV series.

The interview posted on Emmys reveals that Henry will have to spend at least a month in Cape Town, South Africa, where filming of scenes for the island Nassau takes place. He had to spend a month in Montreal and Stockholm to get things in order for Season 3 finale.

"We have vendors in Montreal and Stockholm we've been working with all season long," Henry said. While in Cape Town, Henry will get a chance to hold meetings with producers and directors, the way he always does when he visits the city. "We go over strategies for shooting the VFX. Planning is key to our success, and you can't have too much," he said.

Henry revealed that one of the most challenging aspects of filming for the TV series is to get the sails of the ships right. He revealed that if the sails move at the wrong speed it will look “funny” on TV. “Black Sails” Season 3 featured some exciting scenes involving ships, especially a storm scene.

The VFX supervisor emphasised that there has to be realism in the sails. "Sometimes we say we're going to move the sun a little bit, to light the sails in a way that makes them look better," Henry said. The visual work on the ships is done by the Swedish company ILP and the company is supported by Digital Domain from Los Angeles.

Henry said that the storm scene in “Black Sails” Season 3 was his “biggest challenge” so far. He will now have to get ready to take on bigger challenges for Season 4, as the show seems to be getting bigger every year.

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