Cobweb -VFX Legion Creates 225+ FX for Director Samuel Bodin's Psychological Thriller
- 10 months ago
VFX Legion served as the primary visual effects vendor for 'Cobweb', the psychological thriller directed by Samuel Bodin and written by Chris Thomas Devlin. The global visual effects boutique delivered over 225 shots for Lionsgate's newest horror film, which premiered in theaters on July 21st.
The story follows Peter (Woody Norman), an eight-year-old terrified by mysterious tapping and eerie whispers coming from inside his bedroom wall. His mother (Lizzy Caplan) and father (Anthony Starr) insist they are just his imagination, but as the boy’s fears intensify, he suspects his parents are hiding a dark secret.
An atmospheric thriller with a fairytale quality, 'Cobweb' called on Legion to help bring the director's vision of his debut feature film to life. Artists crafted invisible effects designed to heighten the horror of the bone-chilling tale as it unfolds inside the family’s eerie old house. Computer-generated gory shots were required for the few visceral moments in the film - along with a range of digital effects - from a 3D spider brought to life with animation, and digital limb replacements to CG environments and set extensions.
'Cobweb' had been in development for a few years before its release. Devlin's screenplay was featured on the prestigious Black List in 2018. Lionsgate acquired the rights to the film and signed French director Samuel Bodin ('Marianne') in 2020. Award-winning actors Starr ('The Boys,' 'Banshee'), Caplan ('Masters of Sex', 'Castle Rock'), and Norman ('C’mon C’mon') - attached to the project later that year.
Shooting began in Sophia, Bulgaria in November 2020 and was delayed when COVID-19 halted production. Legion, conceived as a fully remote global VFX boutique in 2013, continued to move forward, working with existing footage throughout the pandemic.
Co-founder and VFX supervisor James David Hattin headed up the job, assembling a team of production managers, producers, VFX artists, animators, matte painters, trackers, coordinators, and support talent custom-tailored to the film’s needs.
Credits:
Title: Cobweb
Genre: Horror, mystery, thriller
Release Date: July 21, 2023 (Theaters)
Production companies-Lionsgate, Vertigo Entertainment, Point Grey, Media Capital Technologies
Directed by-Samuel Bodin
Written b -Chris Thomas Devlin
Executive Producers-Andrew Childs, Connor DiGregorio, Josh Fagen, Jonathan McCoy, Christopher Woodrow
Producers-Evan Goldberg, Roy Lee, Seth Rogen, James Weaver
Cinematography-Philip Lozano
Visual effects executive-Brianna Domont
VISUAL EFFECTS by - VFX Legion LA/B.C.
visual effects supervisor-James David Hattin
visual effects producer-Nate Smalley
chief technology officer-Dylan Yastremski
senior animator-Sebastian Weber
cg supervisors- Blake Anderson, Rommel S. Calderon
cg artists- Bryan Shepperd, Shantel Short, Kenneth Bailey, Patricio Harris
lead compositor-Matthias Lowry
digital compositors- Bryan Shepperd, Cyntia Büll, John R. McConnell, Daniel Moli
The story follows Peter (Woody Norman), an eight-year-old terrified by mysterious tapping and eerie whispers coming from inside his bedroom wall. His mother (Lizzy Caplan) and father (Anthony Starr) insist they are just his imagination, but as the boy’s fears intensify, he suspects his parents are hiding a dark secret.
An atmospheric thriller with a fairytale quality, 'Cobweb' called on Legion to help bring the director's vision of his debut feature film to life. Artists crafted invisible effects designed to heighten the horror of the bone-chilling tale as it unfolds inside the family’s eerie old house. Computer-generated gory shots were required for the few visceral moments in the film - along with a range of digital effects - from a 3D spider brought to life with animation, and digital limb replacements to CG environments and set extensions.
'Cobweb' had been in development for a few years before its release. Devlin's screenplay was featured on the prestigious Black List in 2018. Lionsgate acquired the rights to the film and signed French director Samuel Bodin ('Marianne') in 2020. Award-winning actors Starr ('The Boys,' 'Banshee'), Caplan ('Masters of Sex', 'Castle Rock'), and Norman ('C’mon C’mon') - attached to the project later that year.
Shooting began in Sophia, Bulgaria in November 2020 and was delayed when COVID-19 halted production. Legion, conceived as a fully remote global VFX boutique in 2013, continued to move forward, working with existing footage throughout the pandemic.
Co-founder and VFX supervisor James David Hattin headed up the job, assembling a team of production managers, producers, VFX artists, animators, matte painters, trackers, coordinators, and support talent custom-tailored to the film’s needs.
Credits:
Title: Cobweb
Genre: Horror, mystery, thriller
Release Date: July 21, 2023 (Theaters)
Production companies-Lionsgate, Vertigo Entertainment, Point Grey, Media Capital Technologies
Directed by-Samuel Bodin
Written b -Chris Thomas Devlin
Executive Producers-Andrew Childs, Connor DiGregorio, Josh Fagen, Jonathan McCoy, Christopher Woodrow
Producers-Evan Goldberg, Roy Lee, Seth Rogen, James Weaver
Cinematography-Philip Lozano
Visual effects executive-Brianna Domont
VISUAL EFFECTS by - VFX Legion LA/B.C.
visual effects supervisor-James David Hattin
visual effects producer-Nate Smalley
chief technology officer-Dylan Yastremski
senior animator-Sebastian Weber
cg supervisors- Blake Anderson, Rommel S. Calderon
cg artists- Bryan Shepperd, Shantel Short, Kenneth Bailey, Patricio Harris
lead compositor-Matthias Lowry
digital compositors- Bryan Shepperd, Cyntia Büll, John R. McConnell, Daniel Moli