Case Study · 2024

Northern Lights — Episodic VFX

Visual effects for the Northern Pictures limited series Northern Lights. 412 shots across 6 episodes — atmospheric atmospherics, CG environment extension, and full digital doubles.

Northern Lights — primary atmospheric composite
VFX · Atmospheric · CG Integration

Northern Lights

Northern Lights is a six-episode limited series set across the Canadian sub-Arctic — a landscape that was both the show's anchor and its principal challenge. Our team provided atmospherics, environment extension, sky replacement, and full digital doubles for the show's principal cast.

The series' northern setting required atmospherics that read as authentically cold: volumetric snow, breath condensation, and a specific quality of overcast light that our team spent a month researching and calibrating before principal photography.

Client
Northern Pictures · Toronto
Discipline
Episodic VFX
Year
2024
Delivery
412 finaled shots · 6 episodes
The Approach

Sub-Arctic atmospherics, frame by frame.

We embedded with the production during pre-production and on-location shooting in Whitehorse. Our on-set supervisor worked alongside the cinematographer to capture reference atmospherics — snow density, light diffusion, breath plume behavior — that we then replicated in simulation.

Sky replacement was the largest single category of work, with 240 of 412 shots requiring either partial sky augmentation or full replacement. Digital doubles were created for the show's three principal cast members in action sequences, with hair and wardrobe simulation matched to plate lighting.

All shots were delivered in 4K HDR for broadcast, with stereo variants for the international release. Final delivery was two weeks ahead of the air date.

Selected Frames

From the final delivery

Northern Lights — atmospheric hero Northern Lights — sky replacement Northern Lights — environmental Northern Lights — atmospheric detail
Working on something similar?

Let's discuss your production.

Our VFX team scales from single-shot deliveries to full episodic volumes. Initial consultations are confidential and complimentary.

Send a Brief Back to Portfolio