The World of Visual Effects ① Changed Status
Participating from the Content Design Stage... Domestic Technology at Asia's Top Level
Rapid Growth through K-Content Genre Diversification, China's Market Likely to Reopen
This year’s key topic in the content industry is visual effects (VFX). The advent of global over-the-top (OTT) online video services has caused demand to surge. The scope of management has expanded from post-production to the entire production process. It’s not just movies, dramas, and advertisements anymore. With various research and development (R&D) efforts and the introduction of virtual studios, it is extending to metaverse and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). We observe the rapidly changing trends and look toward the future.
Just a few years ago, VFX personnel were called “erasers.” Their work was dismissed as merely removing green screens and compositing different backgrounds. Now, with VFX inserted into almost every movie, drama, and advertisement, the situation is different. They participate from pre-production. If their role is significant, they even join the planning stage. They propose various ideas and establish the image framework early on. Thorough preliminary work directly affects the completeness of the work. It also induces efficient production, reducing costs. Jin Jong-hyun, supervisor at Dexter Studio, said, “It has become difficult to establish detailed plans without finding VFX solutions in advance,” adding, “Participating from the initial design stage enables efficient production processes through to post-production.”
NEW’s subsidiary Engine Visual Wave has also recently been involved in most projects from pre-production. The globally popular Netflix original series Hellbound is a representative example. CEO Lee Sung-gyu said, “The old concept of project acquisition has long been broken,” and “We play a key role from pre-production.” He implemented images such as the hell emissaries through pre-visualizing at the planning stage. This gave persuasiveness to large-scale projects that are difficult to secure investment with just a scenario. Lee said, “By presenting images along with content, we differentiated the presentation.” Another VFX company CEO said, “Global OTTs like Netflix and Disney+ emphasize production efficiency,” adding, “They carefully check VFX visualization in advance before deciding on investments.”
VFX work for global OTT content is quite demanding. The resolution standard is 4K. Engine Visual Wave’s recent projects matching this include director Kang Hyoung-cheol’s film High Five, director Park In-je’s drama Moving, and director Eom Tae-hwa’s film Concrete Utopia. CEO Lee said, “We recently invested 2 billion KRW to triple our storage capacity,” adding, “We can work on five 4K contents simultaneously.” The denser pixels require more sophisticated VFX technology. Engine Visual Wave uses its self-developed technology to break away from the traditionally labor-intensive workflow. They pursue high-efficiency production and focus on enhancing content completeness.
Korean VFX technology is among the best in Asia. In the past, companies were evaluated based on simulations of water and creatures. Now, through diverse collaborations and exchanges, these have become commonplace. Each company seeks differentiation through efficient VFX work and immersive content technology. V.A. Corporation is concretizing real-time VFX implementation (a system where input data processing occurs simultaneously with commands). A company official said, “It is already applied to virtual production and digital humans.”
Dexter Studio focuses on deepfake technology (edited footage where a specific person’s face is composited into a video using AI technology). Previously, replacing faces by creating 3D characters was difficult to depict naturally due to complex processes and challenges. The technology developed by Dexter Studio enables the computer to automatically learn various facial expressions. Users can create desired expressions that look real. Supervisor Jin said, “The difficulty of high-resolution imaging will be resolved soon,” adding, “It can be applied in various fields.”
VFX technology has grown rapidly thanks to the diversification of K-content genres. Dexter Studio has accumulated diverse know-how by working on Mr. Go, Along with the Gods, Ashfall, Modagishu, and Space Sweepers. Mofac and Engine Visual Wave are no different. CEO Lee said, “Our work schedule is booked through the first half of 2024,” adding, “Overseeing digital characters, lighting, compositing, and animation across various projects strengthens VFX capabilities accordingly.”
The workload may increase further. Recently, Chinese production companies have been competing to produce content with a high VFX ratio. Within China, the desire to consume overseas content is stronger than domestic content. Supervisor Jin analyzed, “This could be a signal that presenting complete content responsible for everything from planning to post-production, beyond simple VFX work, can yield positive results.”
A variable is the growth of major Chinese VFX companies. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many small and medium companies went bankrupt, causing a large influx of VFX personnel. It is evaluated that the technical level has greatly improved with overseas inflows as well. The domestic industry seems largely unconcerned. One official said, “We recently received a blockbuster project request from China,” adding, “Our production pipeline environment is much more stable to guarantee quality.” Another official said, “There is still differentiation in design and composition aspects that require creative interpretation and know-how.”
CEO Lee Sung-gyu of Engine Visual Wave on the VFX of Hellbound
“Core effects in expressing the energy and smoke enveloping the hell emissary’s body”
“The ‘demonstration’ in Hellbound is a supernatural phenomenon. The emissary is a creature. The asset was important. It’s the stage of creating 3D models of characters or animals. Director Yeon Sang-ho emphasized realism as if the emissary just burst out of hell. It’s not a concept that actually exists but an expression or atmosphere of something that could exist. We discussed how to minimize the sense of alienation in detailed expressions. After much consideration, we implemented the expression of mysterious energy and smoke flowing on the skin. This has rarely been expressed even in the creature genre. Actually, it’s easy to put horns on the head or draw a grotesque face. You just have to modify a stereotyped form. That’s why I think the emissary is unique. It’s not simply a scary character. Due to the nature of the drama, it had to convey both intimidation and awe simultaneously. Does its movement resemble a human’s? I’ll leave that to your imagination. It’s a secret until the second season is released (laughs).”
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