Water for Elephants — Senior VFX Compositor

20th Century Fox · Tasks: set extensions, environment replacements, matte painting integration, dust cleanup, reflection removal, parallax layering, particle effects · Tools: After Effects, Photoshop, SynthEyes

Scope: Multi-shot sequences on trains with interior and exterior passes. Dust and scratch removal across all plates. Long camera moves required landscape and tree replacements through train windows. Set extensions. Animated fireflies. Extensive use of layered matte paintings for the circus town arrival sequence, integrated in 3D space with matchmoving. Library of background actors composited into foreground action.

Solution: Parallax and depth achieved by breaking matte paintings into layers/cards in SynthEyes for 3D tracking. Custom collaged vegetation painted in Photoshop. Reflection removal and subtle window distortion added interactive realism for moving backgrounds. Smoke, fog, and particle effects layered for atmosphere.

Outcome: Seamless, immersive train sequences with dynamic interaction between actors, environment, and camera motion. Complex parallax and layered elements read as fully captured in-camera.