Vine FX has released a breakdown of its work on Enola Holmes 3, covering 150 final VFX shots. The work demonstrates how much modern film VFX can remain invisible to the audience while still being essential to the final image.
The work included environmental clean-up, digital matte painting and stylised effects. Puzzle-solving sequences use animated letters and symbols, while a mine explosion combines practical photography with HDRI references and LiDAR scans to extend the destruction digitally.
The team also removed modern elements from locations in Malta to create a convincing Victorian setting, using Maya and Houdini for production and Nuke for compositing.
The craft of invisible VFX
- Digital clean-up: Modern objects can be removed without drawing attention to the work.
- Environment work: Matte paintings and set extensions expand physical locations.
- Destruction: Practical photography, LiDAR and digital effects can be combined into one shot.
Zgian takeaway: Spectacular CG is only one part of movie VFX. Invisible environment work, clean-up and compositing often do just as much to sell a believable world.
