Emile Massie-Vanasse | Visual Effects

I recently had the chance to work on Rebel Moon: Child of Light at Framestore Vancouver, my first project with the team on this side of the country. It’s been a fantastic experience—not just because of the project itself but also because working on sci-fi while having the mountains right outside is a dream come true. After dealing with endless renders and tricky shots, stepping outside to the crisp mountain air is the perfect way to “clear the cache.”

Trailer and Teaser Magic

One of the most exciting moments for me on this project was seeing my shots used in the film’s trailer and teaser, as well as for promotional material. It’s the kind of moment where you stop and think, “Wow, I made it.” Seeing your work being used to promote such a massive film felt like the ultimate reward for all the late nights and tricky keys.

Lens Trickery and Gloom

The show came with its fair share of challenges, especially when it came to keying. The director was using these new prototype lenses that created a unique, moody atmosphere—so much chromatic distortion, vignetting, and, let’s be honest, some real wild cards in terms of optical weirdness. And while I won’t say it was hard, let’s just say getting those keys through felt like navigating the asteroid field in Empire Strikes Back. Dodging chromatic distortion left and right, staying on course… but hey, in the end, it’s all part of the fun!

We had to make sure every shot matched this complex lens look, and somehow, despite the gloom and constant distortion, we got there. It was one of those moments where you step back and go, “Wow, we did that.” The entire Framestore team really pulled together to stay true to the director’s vision while keeping things looking seamless, even with all those optical quirks.

Collaboration with Old Friends

One of the coolest parts was working with a dear friend of mine, John Toth. We first met at Framestore Montreal, where we worked together on several projects before I made the move to Vancouver. He handled a lot of the chromatic aberration and distortion work for Rebel Moon, which was no small task, considering the prototype lenses. I had the pleasure of helping him out on some of that earlier work before coming out west.

While John was untangling the chromatic madness, I spent a lot of time focusing on lasers and muzzle flashes. And yes, they were as fun to work on as they sound. Sci-fi pew-pew moments and space battles? Sign me up! We stayed in touch throughout the project, which was great—always nice to know you’ve got a friend in the VFX trenches, even from across the country.

A Two-Artist Showdown

One of the highlights for me was a long shot counter-shot sequence that was handled by just two of us. I’m always amazed at how much two artists can accomplish when they’re in sync, and this was one of those sequences where everything clicked. Seeing those shots come together in the final cut was such a rewarding experience. Who knew two artists could tackle a scene like that with just a bit of comp magic?

Muzzle Flash Mayhem

On top of all that, I got to dig into the muzzle flash pipeline. I scripted a template that grabbed the muzzle flash triggers and lined them up with the 3D axes and fire rates for autocomp, ensuring everything fired off exactly as it should. It was incredibly satisfying to see those flashes synced up perfectly with the action.

Roto, Deep, and Autocomps

I also stated a tool for roto and deep compositing. It allowed autocomps to run automatically with the roto applied in deep—basically streamlining the process for the team, allowing them to have previews with autocomped rotos of characters in the environment.

Working on Rebel Moon: Child of Light was an incredible journey. We overcame every technical challenge and delivered something we’re all proud of. The combination of Framestore’s talent, the sci-fi genre, and the natural beauty of Vancouver made this a dream project for me. And as I look forward to whatever comes next, I’ll always carry that excitement for visual effects—especially when the chromatic aberration is just the right kind of wrong.