The visual effects company Siamese, based in Perth, has shared details of its work on the zombie film We Bury The Dead. Their work focused on building a believable post-apocalyptic environment, combining large-scale destruction with more intimate, character-driven scenes. The team developed disaster environments, military response extensions, and atmospheric effects.
Digital compositing and visual violence to expand the scale 🧟
To achieve realism, Siamese turned to advanced digital compositing and the creation of zombie effects. The team was responsible for enhancing the visual violence and expanding the cinematic scale of the film. The military set extensions and disaster environments were integrated using matte painting and camera tracking techniques. Atmospheric effects, such as dust and smoke, helped give cohesion to the shots, while the zombies required detailed treatment to avoid breaking the illusion of constant danger.
The apocalypse spares no one, not even special effects 💀
Of course, making the end of the world look believable is no easy task. Siamese had to deal with the classic problem that a poorly rendered zombie ruins all the tension. In the end, they managed to make the undead look disgusting enough and the urban chaos seem real. Because, let's be honest, if you're going to watch a zombie movie, at least you want the corpses to have good lighting. 🎬