How PFX created its invisible effects for The Hungarian Dressmaker
PFX has released its VFX breakdown reel for Iveta Grofova’s The Hungarian Dressmaker, the Slovak nomination for the Best International Feature Film at next year’s Oscars.
Set in Bratislava during the interwar period, the film – the story of a Hungarian widow who shelters a young Jewish boy in her home – captures the city’s rich multicultural atmosphere, influenced by Slovak, Hungarian, Czech, and German cultures.
Set extensions, crowd simulation and an extensive fire sequence
For the movie, PFX worked on over 120 VFX shots – largely invisible effects, including set extensions and crowd simulations – completed by a team of 40 artists from its Czech and Slovak studios.
“The recreation of 1940s streets, buildings, and decorative elements, such as flags and The Hlinka Guard uniforms, was a key part of our work,” said VFX Supervisor Tibor Meliš.
“We paid special attention to every detail to ensure historical accuracy.”
Special focus was given to iconic locations in Bratislava, such as Michael’s Gate, where period elements were meticulously recreated based on historical photographs.
Another major challenge was the fire sequence, seen towards the end of the breakdown, which featured long shots exceeding 600 frames, with realistic smoke and fire simulation.
The project, including color grading, was completed in just three months.
For the work, PFX used Maya for modeling and lighting, Houdini for crowd simulation, Arnold for rendering, and Nuke for compositing, plus ftrack for production tracking.
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