The Challenge of the Troll Wall: How Apex Recreated Norwegian Vertigo

Gavin McKenzie, a visual effects supervisor with 16 years of experience at Framestore and credits including Thor: Ragnarok, faced a geographical challenge in the series Apex. Alongside director Baltasar, his mission was to bring Norway's imposing Troll Wall to the screen, combining wide shots and close-ups to capture its essence.

Cinematic visualization of a Norwegian cliff face being digitally scanned by drones, camera rig suspended from cables capturing extreme vertical angles, wireframe overlay projecting onto rock texture while lighting rigs simulate Nordic twilight, photorealistic technical illustration, dramatic shadows across granite surfaces, mist drifting through valley, motion blur on rotating scanner heads, red laser grid mapping terrain, ultradetailed rock formations, cold blue ambient light, equipment cables trailing into frame

Digital Replacement: From Real Scan to CG Wall 🏔️

The team removed sections of the real set and replaced them with a custom CG wall, based on a precise scan of the original rock. To heighten the sense of vertigo, they adjusted the mountain's angle and tilt, pushing the limits of real-world physics. Authentic blizzard references guided the creation of the storm, achieving an integration that blurs the line between captured and synthetic footage.

When Virtual Vertigo Surpasses the Real Thing 😱

All of this so that the viewer feels their legs go weak on the couch. McKenzie and his team tweaked the mountain's tilt until even a climber with chronic vertigo would have broken a sweat. In the end, the digital Troll Wall is steeper than the real one, but hey, no one's going to climb it from their living room.