Stranger Things S4
In the penultimate season of the critically acclaimed science fiction horror drama, our heroes are separated for the first time as a new threat is surfacing. Set across three storylines, can they find each other and finally put an end to the Upside Down?
2022
Our work contributed over 400 VFX shots and included everything from digital creatures to complex environment creations, bringing the ambitious vision of the Duffer Brothers to life.
For the high-stakes sequence where Murray and Joyce crash land the Antonov plane, we used live-action photography as reference, along with lidar scans and photo references, we created a digital asset of the plane and a CG environment for the crash site. This involved dynamic destruction effects, including trees, snow, and smoke, to create a fully immersive and intense crash sequence.
The full CG Kamchatka prison was another significant task, where all exterior shots of the prison utilised our digital build, complete with cars and digital guards to make the environment feel alive. For scenes featuring actors, large greenscreens were used, seamlessly blending live-action and digital elements.
One of our proudest achievements was the final fight between Hopper and the Demogorgon. This sequence involved complex creature work, using assets provided by Rodeo that we adapted and enhanced. The creatures were rigged using our proprietary modular system, with detailed muscle and tissue simulations. The fight featured extensive FX work, including fire, smoke, and blood simulations, all meticulously integrated to bring the epic battle to life.
We worked on many additional sequences and provided a wide range of VFX for almost every episode in the season. In the end the biggest challenge was managing the volume of work and ensuring a sustainable work-life balance for our team. However, with the support and understanding of the production team, we successfully delivered high-quality VFX that contributed significantly to the season's dramatic impact.
Breakdown
Project credits
VFX Supervisor: Niklas Jacobson
Executive Producer: Måns Björklund
Production Manager: Natalia Skipper
Coordinator: Theresa Neumann, Karl Oliver Fjaervoll
CG Supervisor: Jens Lindgren
Animation Supervisor: Nicklas Andersson
Build Supervisor: Adrian Tsang
Compositing Supervisor: Niklas Nyqvist
FX Supervisor: Maxime Marline
Lighting Supervisor: Kenny Vähäkari
Prep Supervisor: Biljana Temelkova
Artists:
Adrian Tsang
Ahmed Gharraph
Alexander Scherffig
Alex Muller
Andreas Krieg
Andrej Blom
Anna-Maria Wer
Anton Stattin
Aswin Aerden
Basilisa Canovas Rubio
Benjamin Philippovich
Biljana Temelkova
Birgit Randby Kristensen
Björn Jankes
Charles Guerton
Charlie Raud
Christopher Karlberg
Crawford Reilly
Daniel Jahnel
Daniel Midholt
David Allan
David Fernandez
David Sohr
David Visone
David Wahlberg
Elin Lavén
Emilia Klausen
Emma Hildestrand
Eric Andersson
Erik Tylberg
Esther Engel
Fredrik Jalker
Fredrik Lönn
Garth Reilly
Giles Hicks
Grant Walker
Guillaume Duparchy
Gustav Ahren
Gustav Brix Toro
Hakon Loberg
Hamed Bank
Hampus Eriksson
Hector Fernandez
Heike Kluger
Jannes Kreyenberg
Jason Martin
Jens Lindgren
Jens Tenland
Johan Boije
Jonathan Vårdstedt
Jose Zea Nombela
Josh Parks
Joshua Mutter
Karin Engström
Kathya Dahlbeck
Kenny Vähäkari
Kristian Ström
Laureline Massias
Lena Belmonte
Linus Gustafsson
Lisa Vogt
Liz Lyons
Loka Vegborn
Ludwig Ek
Lukas Fabian
Marcus Ruhmke
Margot De Smet
Marko Ljubez
Markus Eiken
Martin Eneroth
Matteo Grassi
Matthias Eckhardt
Mattias Engström
Maxime Marline
Melina Tancheva Cvetanoska
Miguel Garcao
Mikael Pettersson
Nicklas Andersson
Niklas Nyqvist
Niklas Wallen
Niklas Wånggren
Niko Junge
Nils Lemonnier
Nora Hansenberger
Oliver Spindler
Peter Marin
Petur Arnorsson
Rikard Hultman
Rodions Jepejev
Sara Grönberg
Sigri de Vries
Silke Finger
Simon Bergstrand
Simon Decombel
Sofie Ljunggren
Stanislas Vincent
Steven Dupuy
Sven Schönmann
Sverker Nordqvist
Swanand Gjestvang
Terence Farlot
Theodor Vinlöf Nylén
Thure Koch
Tom Balogh
Tristan Leblanc
Valter Svenstedt
Victor Carlander
Xuan Prada