Mirage

How do you visualize the invisible weight of human grief?

For Sil van der Woerd’s short film Mirage, the narrative demanded a physical, shape shifting manifestation of a character's internal turmoil. Our mission was to provide story first visual effects, ensuring every complex simulation remained entirely in service of this deeply personal, cinematic journey.

Bringing this abstract landscape to life required a directorial approach to VFX. Following production setbacks that restricted the final budget, the execution relied on intense creative problem solving.

Serving as Visual Effects Supervisor and lead artist, Tim Smit engineered custom particle systems driven by animated force fields, allowing the entity to whirl and roll based on the emotional beat of the scene. To maintain an organic aesthetic, we blended digital simulations with physical elements, such as mapping textures filmed from real metallic fluid onto digital geometry. The project stands as a testament to pushing the boundaries of craft through close collaboration.