The China Mail - Montreal studio rises from dark basement office to 'Stranger Things'

"Over time, it grew. We've seen really strong growth through the years," Ara Khanikian, who supervises visual effects at Rodeo FX, told AFP at the studio's current home, a modern office with elegant wood paneling.

But it all "really started in the basement of the building next door," he said with a grin.

Though still headquartered in the Canadian city far from the action in Hollywood, Rodeo FX now has offices in Los Angeles, Paris and Toronto -- establishing itself as a force in an industry dominated by studios tied to behemoths like Disney and Warner Bros.

The studio's list of past projects includes major hits, including titles from Tom Cruise's "Mission Impossible" franchise.

But "Stranger Things," the science fiction and horror series that has shattered streaming records since it debuted in 2016, is a highlight.

Rodeo FX worked on seasons four and five of the Netflix show that follows a group of teenagers in small town America as they take on supernatural creatures and a parallel universe.

Philip Harris-Genois, a 3D modeler at Rodeo FX, worked tirelessly for a year to perfect Demogorgon, the monster whose petaled face opens to reveal rows of menacing teeth.

Harris-Genois said part of his job was to make the beast "even more imposing."

Demonstrating the work, he added a scar to its chest with a deft mouse click.

Shaping Demogorgon, detail by detail, was like "making a clay sculpture," he said.

Harris-Genois said he took inspiration from a lion when creating Demogorgon's threatening posture -- toes perched, ready to pounce.

- 'A lot of love' -

For Julien Hery, a supervisor on projects including "Stranger Things," extraordinary visual effects "often draw inspiration from nature."

For the first season of "Dune: Prophecy," the HBO Max series released in 2024, the imperial palace was inspired by the Mediterranean coastline.

"We researched the vegetation. We looked for what kinds of trees grow along the Mediterranean coast, what kinds of rock," so viewers will be convinced by the visual effects, he said.

Turning a concept into a finished product is time consuming work that involves animation, simulation, lighting and integrating the effects in a sequence filmed with live actors.

The fight sequence between Demogorgon and Jim Hopper (played by David Harbour) in a Soviet prison in Season 4 of Stranger Things -- a scene of less than seven minutes -- took up to a year of work, from conceptualization to final cut, Hery said.

"We obviously spend a lot of time on our projects," he said.

"Season 4 was more than two years of work...It becomes very personal. We put a lot of love into it."

- Critical acclaim -

That process appears to be paying off.

Among the studio's major achievements is its work on the 2014 Best Picture "Birdman," where visual effects created the impression of the film being shot in a single take.

It also contributed to the dream-like world in "Dune: Part 2," which won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects last year.

Rodeo FX has also earned four nominations at the VES Awards, which honor the visual effects industry in a ceremony set for February 25.

And 2026 should include more high-profile work, said Hery.

"There are plenty of projects we can't really reveal," he told AFP, but confirmed the studio will be working on the Marvel blockbuster "Avengers: Doomsday" and the second season of "Monarch."

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