Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

VFX Legion Creates Visual Effects For MA,' A New Horror Film

03/07/2019

3 July, 2019 - 08:01

VFX Legion recently wrapped work on MA, Blumhouse Productions new psychological horror film, which opened in theaters on May 31st. The award-winning studio tapped its the companys experience digitally mutilating and eviscerating characters and augmenting practical footage with a range of photorealist visual effects that heightened the visceral impact of some of the movies most gruesome and suspenseful scenes.

Horror films are Legions wheelhouse. The LA/ B.C.-based company has created visual effects for a long roster of movies in this genre, including several Blumhouse films, such as Sinister 2, Insidious: Chapter 3, Ouija, Amityville:The Awakening and two films from the Purge franchise.

The production companys most recent film, MA, follows the story of Sue Ann (Oscar winner Octavia Spencer,) a middle-aged woman living a solitary life. Abused, mocked, and shunned in high school, these past traumas fuel her obsession with fitting in. When a group of under-age teens asks her to buy them some liquor, Sue Ann sees an opportunity to finally make some friends.

Taking on a maternal persona, she gains the teenagers trust, extending the hospitality of her home as a safe haven for their drinking parties.

Ma soon begins to insert herself into their lives, and the partying and fun turn into a ghoulish nightmare as she takes revenge for the suffering that she endured decades earlier.

(WARNING: The following contains plot spoilers!)

As the plot unfolds, the evil protagonist goes from friend to captor, keeping the teens captive in her basement as she calmly goes about torturing them. During one nightmarish scene, Ma sews a girls lips together. A prosthetic applied to her face enabled practical footage to capture the stitchery, with Legions visual effects adding chilling realism to the piercing of her flesh. The branding of a boys chest with a red-hot iron called for artists to create computer-generated steam and smoke that emanates from his skin as the iron makes contact, as well as the charred raw flesh and fresh scar it left behind. Legion digitally cleaned up the scene and delivered a sequence of shots that seamlessly melds the synthetic imagery with the texture and feel of the live-action footage.

Visual effects were relied on throughout the entire final scene of the movie, which shows the house catching fire and the blaze growing, ultimately consuming the structure. Legions team of artists created CG flames with the scale and ferocity to envelopes the house, layering in smoke, particles, and burning embers into add texture and depth.

The final scene presented the biggest creative and technical challenges, says VFX Legion Creative Director, James David Hattin. It closes the movie with a sweeping aerial shot shot from a drone that begins at a distance and passes over the house revealing a 360 view of it engulfed in flames. A late addition to the production, the shot was included to ensure that the climactic ending left the audience with no doubt as to the fate of anyone still inside.

The original camera move wasnt stable, so Legion was tasked with digitally recreate director Tate Taylors vision of the movies final moments. Crafting a CG sequence with this panoramic aerial view required a model of the house to be built from scratch, and then enveloped in a computer-generated inferno.

Our team wasnt on-set during the shoot, so we didnt have a scan of the house or detailed specs to work from, adds Hattin. This presented the kind of challenge that makes Legions remote pipeline invaluable. Tapping our ability to work as a single unit with the companys global collective of talent, we reached out to our master model builder and CG Artist, London-based Mark Hennessy-Barrett.

Working on a tight schedule with only a plate photo taken by the drone, and eye-level footage from the movie as visual references, Mark built a destructible, detailed replica of the house from the ground up. Once Hennessy-Barrett completed the model, Legion was able to begin work on the dynamics. Artists simulated raging flames coming out of every window on each floor, scorching and incinerating the exterior of the structure, and CG smoke, along with smoldering embers, and falling debris. The final shot recreated the sweeping camera move, climatically ending the film with a single overhead view of Mas house of horrors consumed in flames.

Of the dozens of CG elements that we created, some of the flames simulated in Houdini to cover sections of the roof didnt quite hold up for the whole camera move, says Legions Head of Production, Nate Smalley. We opted to use stock footage from ActionVFXs library. Layering the high-resolution elements into the shot provided an efficient solution, maintained the integrity of the shot, and kept us on schedule.

Legions team is always excited when were called on to create visual effects for a Blumhouse film, and MA was no exception, says Hattin. Were thrilled to have had the opportunity to work with them again and proud of our artists for meeting every challenge that MA presented.

The mix of equipment and software used to create the VFX for MA included, Redshift for rendering CG shots, Maya for animation, and Houdini for simulations, along with Legions own proprietary technology.

About VFX Legion:

Based in Burbank and British Columbia, VFX Legion specializes in providing episodic television shows and feature films with high-quality visual effects that get the most out of every budget. Launched in 2013 with a pioneering pipeline at its core, Founder, CD, Senior Visual Effects Supervisor, James David Hattin, and the studios veteran management team, support staff, and collective of 80+ skilled VFX artists work as a single unit, meeting the challenge of turning around innovative visual effects for multiple projects with high shot counts and tight deadlines.

Legions wo
LINK: http://www.filmcontact.com/news/united-states/vfx-legion-creates-visua...
See more stories from filmcontact

Most recent headlines

09/11/2025

Dalet Unveils Agentic AI Media Workflows at IBC2025

Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...

06/10/2025

France Tlvisions Wins Prestigious 2025 EBU Technology & Innovation Award in Groundbreaking Collaboration with Dalet

France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...

15/09/2025

Get to Know This Fall's Filmmakers Through These 27 Sundance Institute-Supported Titles

Steve Zahn, Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke, and Janeane Garofalo star in Ben Stiller&...

15/09/2025

aespa and Spotify Invite Fans to Unlock Their Inner Rich Man' With an Immersive MY VAULT Experience

Global K-Pop sensation aespa is redefining what it means to be rich with the r...

15/09/2025

Spotify's Free Experience Is Even Better-Here's How to Make the Most of It

Every day, millions of people around the world turn to Spotify to enjoy the audi...

15/09/2025

Brembo SGL Carbon Ceramic Brakes (BSCCB) successfully expands production capacity by 50% in Germany and Italy to meet rising demand

After months of intensive planning and implementation, Brembo SGL Carbon Ceramic...

15/09/2025

L3Harris Receives Multi-Year Javelin Solid Rocket Motor Contract

A U.S. Marine launches a Javelin shoulder-fired anti-tank missile during a training exercise. (Photo credit: U.S. Marine Corps)...

15/09/2025

TV Tech Unveils Best of Show Winners at IBC 2025

AMSTERDAM TV Tech has named its Best of Show Awards winners for IBC2025, which wraps up today. Entrants were judged by a panel of industry experts on the criter...

15/09/2025

SES SCORE Surpasses 600,000 of Transmission Hours, Delivering 900 Hours of Major Sports Content Daily

Unique sports content orchestration platform builds momentum among SES's cus...

15/09/2025

The Great Flood' Teaser Trailer Previews A Gripping Struggle for Survival

Back to All News The Great Flood' Teaser Trailer Previews A Gripping Struggle for Survival Entertainment 15 September 2025 GlobalSouth Korea Link copi...

15/09/2025

From Hardship to Hope: Typhoon Family' Presents a Tale of Youth, Crisis, and Resilience on October 11

Back to All News From Hardship to Hope: Typhoon Family' Presents a Tale of...

15/09/2025

Gloom Goes Global as Wednesday's' The Doom Tour Hits Five Continents for Season 2

Back to All News Gloom Goes Global as Wednesday's' The Doom Tour Hit...

15/09/2025

New study reveals overwhelming support for a more sustainable future

-- Opens door to growth in renewable energy New Delhi, India - 15th September -- Global business and industry leaders from around the world are joining technol...

14/09/2025

AMWA and EBU Form JT-DMF Joint Task Force on Dynamic Medi...

Partnership to address business and technical challenges of DMF adoption he Advanced Media Workflow Association (AMWA) and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU...

14/09/2025

Mantis' Trailer Previews High-Stakes Rivalries to Be No. 1 Contract Killer - Premieres September 26

Back to All News Mantis' Trailer Previews High-Stakes Rivalries to Be No. ...

13/09/2025

Cox Media Group's Misti Turnbull Inducted into the NATAS Silver Circle

ATLANTA Cox Media Group has announced that the company's vice president of news, Misty Turnbull has been inducted into the National Academy of Television Ar...

13/09/2025

Shotoku Debuts Swoop Cranes for Studio Robotics at IBC2025

AMSTERDAM Shotoku Broadcast Systems, a major developer of robotic systems, has announced plans to take studio robotics to the next level at IBC2025 by debuting ...

13/09/2025

Riedel Unveils Ultra-Light Bolero Mini Wireless Intercom...

At IBC2025 in Amsterdam, Riedel Communications unveiled Bolero Mini, the company's lightest and flattest wireless intercom beltpack to date. Designed to del...

13/09/2025

Shotoku Takes Studio Robotics to New Heights with IBC Deb...

Shotoku Broadcast Systems, the international developer of dependable, userfriendly robotic systems, is taking studio robotics to the next level at IBC 2025 with...

13/09/2025

The Bitmovin Video Developer Report 2025-26 Reveals Cost...

Bitmovin, a leading provider of video streaming solutions, today released the 9th annual Video Developer Report 2025/26, offering an in-depth look at the evolvi...

13/09/2025

Bitmovin and StreamShark Partner to Deliver High Quality...

Bitmovin, the leading provider of video streaming solutions, today announced a strategic partnership with StreamShark, the trusted video platform for enterprise...

13/09/2025

Ikegami Announces VFE-P711AD 7-inch OLED Multiformat On-C...

Ikegami has chosen IBC 2025 in Amsterdam as the launch venue for a major addition to its range of viewfinders. The new VFE-P711AD is a 7-inch high resolution OL...

13/09/2025

KitBash3D and Greyscalegorilla Announce Merger

Founder-led Merger to Fast Track R&D, Asset Library Upgrades, Tools and More; No Disruption to Pricing or Support for Users Today, KitBash3D, a pioneer in 3D a...

13/09/2025

Mavis Puts Itself at the Heart of Mobile Production

With NDI certification, Atomos integration, Grass Valley collaboration, and a new Monitor app, at this year's IBC, Mavis is showcasing a series of powerful...

13/09/2025

Creamsource Expands Vortex Family with Vortex24 Soft

Creamsource, maker of artisan LED lighting for film and television, has unveiled the Vortex24 Soft (V24S), a 1950W native soft light and the largest soft source...

13/09/2025

DAZN streams 2025 FIFA Club World Cup to billions of fans...

When international sports streaming service DAZN secured the global rights to the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup football tournament, it set out to deliver an unmatch...

13/09/2025

Riedel Communications Acquires hi human interface

Riedel Communications today announced the acquisition of hi human interface from Broadcast Solutions, bringing a powerful, vendor-agnostic control system to it...

13/09/2025

RTW chooses Calrec as technology partner for its AI ready...

Building on its long-term relationship with audio metering specialist RTW, Calrec has integrated the company's brand new TMxCore metering platform across it...

13/09/2025

Calrec unveils 48 fader Argo M at IBC2025 and demonstrate...

Calrec is expanding its family of future-ready self-contained Argo M control surfaces at IBC2025, with the addition of a brand new powerful 48-fader console. Co...

13/09/2025

Reaching Across the Isles: UK-LLM Brings AI to UK Languages With NVIDIA Nemotron

Celtic languages - including Cornish, Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Welsh - are the U.K.'s oldest living languages. To empower their speakers, the UK-LLM sover...

13/09/2025

SKY Perfect Modernizes Playout-to-Delivery with Harmonic

Harmonic's Software-Based XOS Advanced Media Processor Provides Unparalleled Efficiency and Unlocks New Business Models SAN JOSE, Calif. - Sept. 13, 2025 -...

13/09/2025

September 11, 2025

Researchers find brain region that fuels compulsive drinking Study by Scripps Research scientists shows how the brain learns to seek alcohol for relief, not jus...

12/09/2025

College Football Kickoff 2025: Fox Sports Ups Look as Canon, Sony Power Shallow Focus Coverage

College Football Kickoff 2025: Fox Sports Ups Look as Canon, Sony Power Shallow ...

12/09/2025

ABC/ESPN Excited For WNBA Postseason Coverage In Revamped Format

ABC/ESPN Excited For WNBA Postseason Coverage In Revamped FormatThe Finals moves to a best-of-seven series in 2025By Mark J Burns, SVG Contributor Friday, Sep...

12/09/2025

Rabbit Trap Pulsates With Folklore Dread

(L-R) Jade Croot, Rosy McEwen, and Bryn Chainey attend the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Rabbit Trap at Eccles Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park ...

12/09/2025

Spotify's The Drop Weekly' Brings You the Week in New Releases, Straight From Our Editors

For fans, we know how important it is to stay plugged into music culture and dis...

12/09/2025

Agama and Consult Red announce RDK Accelerator integration

Link ping, Sweden and Shipley, United Kingdom, September 12, 2025 - Agama, the expert in video observability and analytics for service quality and customer expe...

12/09/2025

IBC2025 Opens for Business

IBC2025 began on Sept. 12, with exhibits and conferences running through Sept. 15 at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Center. Explore the full TV Tech coverage of t...

12/09/2025

The Best Fictional Bands (and the Artists Who Make Them Great)

The Best Fictional Bands (and the Artists Who Make Them Great) With Spinal Tap II: The End Continues hitting theaters and songs from KPop Demon Hunters ruling...

12/09/2025

Tom Baldassare Joins Advanced Systems Group

Industry veteran Tom Baldassare has joined Advanced Systems Group, LLC (ASG), a technology and services provider for media creatives and content owners, as a Se...

12/09/2025

Maxon Unveils a Brand New Look for its Growing Family of...

Maxon, maker of powerful, approachable software solutions for creators working in 2D and 3D design, motion graphics, visual effects, and more, today announced a...

12/09/2025

PlayBox Neo US Partners with AI-Media to Deliver Scalable...

PlayBox Neo, a leading provider of media playout solutions, has partnered with AI-Media, pioneering developers of AI-powered captioning technology, to integrate...

12/09/2025

Dalet Unveils Agentic AI Media Workflows at IBC2025

Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...

12/09/2025

Keepit and Ingram Micro launch strategic sales agreement...

New alliance strengthens the IT channel in Germany and Switzerland in protecting business-critical SaaS data. Keepit, the world s only independent, cloud-nativ...

12/09/2025

Mediaset selects Fincons Group AllRights to evolve rights...

Fincons Group, an international IT business consultancy and systems integrator company with more than 40 years of experience in the market, is proud to announce...

12/09/2025

EVS Acquires XD motion

Following its acquisition of Telemetrics, EVS continues its push into robotics with an announcement at IBC2025 that it is acquiring XD motion....

12/09/2025

Televisa Executive Joins NABA Board

TORONTO The North American Broadcasters Association (NABA) has announced the appointment of Eduardo Ruiz Sanchez, deputy director, broadcast operations at Telev...

12/09/2025

Ed Miller, Former SBE President, Has Died

Ed Miller, a longtime broadcast engineer in Ohio and a former national president of the Society of Broadcast Engineers, has died....