Germany’s FMX conference drops two heavyweight sessions for anyone whose blood runs VFX: an episodic deep-dive into The Last of Us season 2 and a feature film exposé on Sinners, Ryan Coogler’s supernatural noir set in 1930s Mississippi. Both sessions air days after the respective world premieres—picking up the tradition seen with Andor and Thunderbolts presentations in years prior. Get your tickets here.
Spores and Stories: RISE Berlin Reinfects “The Last of Us”
Back in the bleak, fungal world of The Last of Us, RISE VFX supervisor Andreas Giesen returns with his team to articulate how narrative and mood infect every layer of the production’s visuals. His FMX talk focuses on how emotional beats in the second season are mirrored in visual storytelling—translating despair into terrain, storms, cityscapes, and meticulous blood detail.
This is not just about post-apocalyptic flair for flair’s sake: it’s about crafting a grounded, richly textured world where VFX breathe life into narrative tension. Expect breakdowns of vast mountain shots, conflagrated city environments, and storm-brewing atmospheres—culminating in what’s described as one of the most shocking and emotionally-charged sequences in both TV and gaming history.
Sinners, Saints and Celluloid: VFX Meets Soul in Coogler’s Feature
In a second FMX headliner, Sinners promises a radically different yet equally ambitious VFX showcase. Directed by Ryan Coogler and shot entirely on 65mm IMAX film, the period supernatural drama twins actor Michael B. Jordan as both brothers in a haunting narrative set in Jim Crow-era Mississippi.
FMX attendees will get insight into how a VFX team fused analog and digital worlds: combining prosthetic and digital makeup to ground the supernatural in something tactile and terrifying. Leading the talk is VFX Supervisor Michael Ralla, joined by SFX makeup lead Mike Fontaine and Espen Nordahl, VFX supervisor at Storm Studios.
A particular spotlight lands on Autumn Durald Arkapaw, whose role as cinematographer marks a historical first—being the first woman of color to operate full IMAX camera gear on a feature. The physicality of analog gear meets the complexity of digital post: a match made in technically ambitious heaven.
With over 1,000 VFX shots and the weight of historical trauma, Coogler’s team offers a unique case study: what happens when narrative soul collides with optical grandeur. Digital craft here doesn’t overwrite analog—it augments it.
Tickets to the FMX sessions can be booked here. Whether you’re here for spores, soul, or the seamless stitching of pixels and prosthetics: it’s going to be one for the breakdown reels.
