Selected Work
Commercial
Passports
Commercial
Air NZ Safety Video
Commercial
Long Term Plans
Commercial
This is Kiwi
Commercial
Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga
Commercial
The Horse’s Mouth
Film
In Production
Overview
Blumhouse and Atomic Monster's sci-fi horror hit about M3GAN — an AI-powered doll designed as the ultimate child companion that becomes dangerously overprotective. After eight-year-old Cady loses her parents and moves in with her roboticist aunt Gemma, M3GAN begins eliminating anyone she perceives as a threat. Our VFX work focused on seamlessly blending the young performer's movements with the animatronic and CG doll, selling the illusion of artificial life through meticulous attention to skin translucency, eye reflections, and micro-expressions.
Houdini
Blender
Maya
NukeProcess & Approach
On-Set VFX Supervision
Our VFX supervisor was embedded with director Gerard Johnstone from day one, working on location to plan every shot requiring digital augmentation. Precise lens data, HDRIs, and witness cameras were captured for every setup to ensure seamless integration between the practical animatronic performances and digital enhancements in post.
Director Collaboration
Close collaboration with the director shaped the visual approach to M3GAN's uncanny presence. Every shot was designed to walk the line between lifelike and unsettling — the VFX needed to enhance the performance without breaking the illusion that M3GAN was a physical presence on set.
CG Environment & Set Extensions
Key sequences required full CG environment work — from the sleek robotics lab interiors to exterior set extensions. Every digital environment was built to match the production design's vision of a near-future world where AI companions feel both aspirational and subtly wrong.
Location & Steadicam Work
The atmospheric forest sequences were shot on location with Steadicam rigs, requiring careful VFX planning to augment the natural environment with digital fog, lighting effects, and set extensions. Our supervision ensured every plate was captured with the tracking markers and reference data needed for post.
Animatronic & Puppet Integration
The M3GAN character was brought to life through a combination of animatronics, puppetry, a child performer, and CG augmentation. Our tracking and layout work ensured that every transition between practical and digital was invisible — matching movement, lighting, and surface detail across techniques.
Studio Capture & Lighting Reference
Controlled studio environments allowed precise lighting setups for the animatronic and puppet performances. Multiple camera angles captured every detail of M3GAN's physical form, providing comprehensive reference for the CG team to match surface properties, hair behaviour, and clothing dynamics.
Green Screen & Plate Photography
Extensive green screen work was required for sequences where M3GAN interacts with environments that couldn't be practically achieved. Our on-set team ensured clean plate photography with proper lighting reference, giving compositors the data they needed to place characters seamlessly into CG and extended environments.
VFX Village & Live Review
A dedicated VFX village on set allowed our team to review takes in real-time alongside the director and cinematographer — monitoring multiple camera feeds simultaneously, flagging tracking issues, and ensuring every plate met the technical requirements for post-production.
Performance Capture & Wire Work
Key action sequences involved wire work and physical performance capture that required digital cleanup and augmentation. Our tracking team ensured precise matchmoves for every wire removal and body replacement shot, maintaining the visceral physicality of the performances.
Selected Frames
