Few properties have revived the whodunnit genre as effectively as Rian Johnson’s Knives Out films. The first installment alone grossed almost eight times its budget at the global box office, and both
Knives Out and its sequel,
Glass Onion, received widespread critical acclaim, earning Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Academy Award nominations.
Now, the third film in the Netflix series, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, promises to continue in the first two’s footsteps. Starring Daniel Craig, Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Andrew Scott, and more, the film sees detective Benoit Blanc take on a new case that brings him into the orbit of a charismatic priest and a suspiciously unquestioning congregation. To help create the visual effects on the film, VFX supervisor Giles Harding called on PFX, the post-production studio that delivered VFX for
The Naked Gun,
Foundation,
Stranger Things, and more.
Together with Harding, the PFX team needed to create VFX for 123 shots, including everything from complex 2D compositing to 3D environment extensions of the central church involved in the film. At the same time, the team fostered a people-first culture, adhering to the client’s strict prohibition on AI tools and ensuring there was an emphasis on manual craftsmanship and an artist-friendly culture throughout the project.
A Focus on Human Artistry
PFX became involved in Wake Up Dead Man following several successful collaborations with Giles for projects including
All The Devils Are Here and
Say Nothing. “We’d always worked very well together, so we were excited to be a part of this new film,” begins VFX executive producer at PFX, Anya Vinnik.
“This was the first time, however, that we had to figure out how to manage our work during a time where AI technology was more common. Netflix had recently released guidelines on using generative AI, but Giles felt we needed to be even stricter. He wanted to avoid AI altogether and instead focus on quality and artistic integrity, which we completely aligned with. At one point, one of our illustrators had used an AI-generated illustration as a reference, and we decided to re-create it manually to meet quality and policy requirements.”
By the end of the work on Wake Up Dead Man, the PFX team had gone from handling an initial 40 to 123 VFX shots over the course of six months. This involved heavy 2D compositing work, including clean-up, retouch, plate screen replacement, blue screen comps and beauty work in Nuke. Several shots also included 3D work, including a 3D extension of the woods outside of the church that was completed using SpeedTree, Maya and Houdini.
Creating Photoreal Results
For PFX, the most challenging part of the work on Wake Up Dead Man was creating a large environment extension for several sequences involving the central church in the story.
“We needed to reference the tone, humour, mystery and visual energy of the firstKnives Out film and
Glass Onion to understand the aesthetic approach,” says Javier Menendez, VFX supervisor at PFX. “At the same time, we knew that Wake Up Dead Man demanded a more photorealistic, high-precision visual result. Audiences would be looking for clues during every moment of the film, and we didn’t want to confuse anyone watching the church sequence by accidentally introducing mistakes due to a lack of continuity or compositing errors.”
This was especially important as the church sequences involved heavy blue screen work as well as matching different scenes across changing weather and lighting conditions due to re-shoots. “A 1:1 visual match was required, which is very demanding,” Menendez continues. “Luckily, tools like SpeedTree helped by supplementing natural elements like trees and foliage around the 3D environment extensions. This saved the team time to focus on creating realistic surroundings with highly-detailed environments, despite changes in physical sets and actors.”
A People-First Production
Now that work on Wake Up Dead Man is complete, the PFX team is most proud of the positive working culture on the show. “Giles described it as open, patient, clear and ego-free, and I completely agree. It was wonderful to collaborate again,” says PFX partner and VFX producer Lukáš Keclík. “Our secret was clear, consistent communication. The team used Slack with supervisors to coordinate, ask questions, and react quickly to feedback and changes.”
Personal touches also mattered: Keclík often took the team out for meals during on-site checks, which helped build rapport and positive team morale. “In the everyday hustle and bustle involved in delivering a film at this scale, it can be easy to focus solely on shot lists, budgets and deadlines,” Keclík says, “but I believe the best results happen when talent and collaboration come together. That’s the key to a successful creative partnership that stands the test of time.”
About PFX
PFX is a full-service post-production studio operating across the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Germany, Austria and Italy. Its team of over 350 talented artists has provided world-class post-production services to film, TV, animation and commercial projects for over a decade.
PFX also assists with tax incentives in its countries of operation, enhancing project viability. No matter the size or budget, PFX artists will infuse every collaboration with creativity and innovation to deliver the best possible results. Credits include Napoleon, Stranger Things, Foundation, The Naked Gun, and The Last Whale Singer, as well as commercials for Intel, Pepsi and Red Bull F1.