See how Vine FX created 150 VFX shots for Enola Holmes 3

Vine FX has released its VFX breakdown for Victorian era mystery drama Enola Holmes 3, on which it worked on 150 VFX shots, spanning both invisible and stylized effects.

Invisible effects included creating digital matte paintings to replace carpets with sand, enhancing backgrounds with mountains and trees, and extending coastal views.

The studio also carried out a lot of clean-up work on live footage shot in Malta, removing cables and modern structures to transform the environments into Victorian-era settings.

Visualizing thought processes and Morse code
Creative effects included a sequence centred on Enola’s puzzle-solving process, where letters and symbols lift from a page and reform in the air as she works through a coded message.

The look of the letters went through multiple design variations, evolving from an initial concept of liquid ink flowing off the page to dried letters peeling away from the paper.

Vine FX used combination of Maya and Houdini for the work, compositing the shot in Nuke.

Another notable sequence involved a coded message hidden on a mirror, where Enola uncovers Morse code and translates its meaning as part of her investigation.

Again, the look went through multiple iterations, with Vine FX using real fingerprint references to create the markings on the mirror’s surface.

Vine FX also delivered an action sequence involving an explosion within a mine environment.

The production team had shot a practical explosion on set, which Vine FX used as reference to extend the destruction, working from on-set HDRI references and LiDAR scans.

Studio: Vine FX
Project: Enola Holmes 3
Artist credits: On IMDb
Other info: On the Vine FX website

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