The Santa Clauses

Network: Disney+
Year: 2022
Role: VFX supervisor, on set
Tools: Maya · Substance Designer · Houdini · Nuke

The brief

I was the department head and visual effects supervisor for Season 1, on set for every VFX need and managing the work from plate to final.

To keep costs down I also built a lot of the stylized effects myself: the magic orbs, the glitter gags and a run of smaller shots, plus hero assets like the main-title snow globe.

Main title

Built in Maya and Substance Designer.

Snow globe asset

White displacement render of the snow globe in Maya — Displacement pass

Close render of the engraved copper base — Copper base

Magic

Orbs and glitter in Houdini, glitter sickness in Maya, all composited in Nuke. The rooftop shot was shared with Barnstorm VFX; I built the CG sack.

A glowing orb forms in an elf’s hands — Magic orb

A puff of magic glitter blown from a hand — Glitter breath

An elf throws up a stream of glitter — Elf glitter sickness

A burst of glitter in the North Pole control room — Glitter pop

Two kids watch the magic inside a snow globe — Snow globe

Santa hangs from his sack over a moonlit sky — Santa over the rooftops

Hero assets

Textured CG horse render — Horse look development

Animation rig skeleton of the horse — Horse rig

Grey render of the workshop interior — Santa’s workshop

Grey render of the workshop balconies — Workshop, second angle

Grey render of the workshop floor — Workshop, third angle

Icy North Pole landscape under the northern lights — North Pole environment