Tribes of Europa is a German sci-fi television series created by Philip Koch that premiered on Netflix on 19 February 2021.
VFX Done by Cinesite
Using visual effects to set the scene is an important technique used by many productions; it was absolutely essential for Tribes of Europa. The German, dystopian sci-fi series is set in the year 2074, in a Europe fractured into several warring Tribes, all fighting for control over the continent. Many of the visual effects evoke this futuristic state with sweeping, overgrown city panoramas.
The six-part Netflix series, directed by Philip Koch and Florian Baxmeyer, was supervised by Rick Sander and Thomas Tannenberger. It released on 19th February, 2021.
The production scouted abandoned and overgrown locations including ancient forests, pre-war industrial facilities, even cities which had been ravaged by the Yugoslav civil war, filming across Eastern Europe for 90 days and finishing in South Africa just before the pandemic hit the US. Production designer Julian Wagner also provided reference artwork which was also a great starting point for the look of the environments.
With the action set 70 years in the future, the look the production wanted was of cities reclaimed by nature; beautiful, clean buildings are overgrown with trees and foliage, not the dark, decayed post-apocalyptic feel more typically seen in film and TV.
