Four Years of NZ VFX Mastery in Ti West’s Trilogy

It has been a remarkable four-year journey for OHUfx! VFX Guild and Terror-Fi Film Fest celebrated this in style at the 80’s themed premiere of “MaXXXine” at the Roxy.

The Start of OHUfx

Founded 14 years ago, OHUfx has always had a clear mission: to assist storytellers in building seamless worlds. As compositors, their greatest achievement is when their work goes unnoticed, seamlessly blending into the narrative. Growing into a larger company was never their goal. Instead, they focused on building respectful collaborations, providing reliable resources for larger projects while supporting each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

Joining the Trilogy Journey

In 2020, Jared Connon, the Line Producer on "X" and "Pearl," approached OHUfx to assist with "X." This marked the beginning of their four-year journey with Ti West and Jacob Jaffke on this ambitious trilogy.

During his quarantine in Wellington, Ti wrote "Pearl," and A24 greenlit the sequel. Four weeks after wrapping "X," the crew regrouped to shoot "Pearl." Ti’s commitment to his craft is evident in his roles as writer, director, and editor. Due to his focus on "Pearl," an LA editor co-edited "X" with him, with Ti remaining in Wellington until "Pearl" reached picture lock.

A Cinematic Tribute

The trilogy pays homage to different periods of cinema, with Ti ensuring the footage reflects each era. From script to screen, OHUfx provided VFX shot estimates during script development which helped to secure A24’s funding, supervised VFX onset, and collaborated with trusted partners to deliver 856 shots across the three films in four years.

Their Collaborative Effort

Frank and Kara at OHUfx completed 218 of these shots, overseeing all aspects of VFX shot production, including supervision, conforms, and VFX pulls. For "X," they completed 108 of the 181 VFX shots, with their trusted partners, especially Fathom VFX in Auckland, contributing significantly. Their CG work transformed Seaview port and the Whanganui river into Houston, Texas. Additional compositing for "X" was handled by Stage23 in Sydney and ClusterFX in Toronto, with Paul Campion providing matte paintings for both "X" and "Pearl." Scale Studios’ lifesize alligator for "X" was reused in "Pearl," and Paul Tobin’s painterly backdrop enhanced the dance sequence in "Pearl."

Continued Success with "Pearl"

For "Pearl," OHUfx completed over 80 shots out of a total of 212, with their previous collaborators and new partner Caleb at Masters of Reality in Auckland handling the rest. Their work on the final montage sequence and exterior cinema shots was invaluable.

Meeting the Challenges of "Maxxxine"

"Maxxxine," set in LA, saw OHUfx enlisting a local onset data collector. Initially estimated at 120 shots, the final edit included 483 shots, with extensive split screens, retimes, stabilizations, fluidmorphs, and beauty fixes. This increase required an additional 3000+ artist hours. After extensive discussions with Peter Phok, their Post Production Producer, A24 approved the additional budget.

Given the shot count, OHUfx focused on supervising and coordinating their teams, though they still completed 28 shots themselves. Stage23 in Sydney provided the impressive CG end credit shot of Los Angeles, so be sure to stay for the credits to appreciate their hard work.

Gratitude to Their Kiwi Crew

The VFX community is immensely proud of the Kiwi crew, particularly Fathom VFX, OHUfx's long-term partner, who provided CG for all three films. Their contributions to "Maxxxine" included the Hollywood sign, helicopter, and plane over the strip bar. For "Pearl," they built the exterior period cinema facade and CG water replacement, and for "X," they created the CG for the Houston port. Scott and Caleb's teams at 808 and Masters of Reality supported OHUfx with "Maxxxine," compositing 300 shots with the highest quality. A big thank you to them.

OHUfx is honored to have been part of this incredible journey, and the VFX Guild looks forward to many more collaborations in the future. 

New Zealand Screen Production Grant administered by the New Zealand Film Commission

“X,” “Pearl” and “Mr. Corman” bundled under the NZSPG – International criteria. “X” and “Pearl” were shot on location in NZ, but “MaXXXine” was only post-production. “MaXXXine” received a Post, Digital and Visual Effects (PDV) rebate in both New Zealand and Australia.

The New Zealand Screen Production Grant (NZSPG) for International Productions is part of the New Zealand Government’s screen incentives scheme, which includes the Post, Digital and Visual Effects (PDV) Grant. Eligible productions can access a cash rebate on Qualifying New Zealand Production Expenditure (QNZPE). For PDV productions, the grant is 20% of QNZPE up to NZ$25million, thereafter 18% of QNZPE NZ$25million and above.

Bundling

Two or more productions which complete principal photography, or PDV activity, within a 36-month window may be eligible to apply as a “bundle”:

• each production must have a minimum QNZPE of NZ$3million and the total bundle must have a minimum QNZPE of $30million;

• each production must either have an applicant that is the same entity or a related entity to the others, or have the same creative producer who is a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident;

• all productions must register separately and prepare separate final applications.

Find out more here.