I sat down with James Alexander (VFX Producer) and Michael Ralla (VFX Supervisor) on Warner Bros.’ Sinners, directed by Ryan Coogler and starring Michael B. Jordan.
During the interview, I became enamored by the level of fidelity these two aimed for in reproducing Ryan Coogler’s IMAX film look. Ralla wrote a 35-page paper on the qualities of film, and then translated those into digital VFX with every aberration, halation, and lens flaw faithfully reproduced.
The technical achievements on Sinners were immense:
Re-creating period-accurate cotton fields. With species-accurate variation.
Michael B. Jordan–to–Michael B. Jordan cigarette handoff. Dual performances stitched across real smoke, drifting light, and CG fingertips.
A three-and-a-half-minute IMAX “one-er” stitched across five Steadicam runs and rebuilt to burst through a burning roof.
Alexander and Ralla detail the process steps for all the above. It’s a fascinating deep dive.
Here’s the Sinners trailer:
