The Bargain

Date: May 18, 2021 ◼︎ Client: Eleonora Mignoli, Brother Bear ◼︎ Platform: VOD ◼︎ Software: Blender

Overview

I was approached by the incredibly talented writer/director Eleonora Mignoli to do some VFX for her latest film, The Bargain. I’ve been a fan of Leo’s work for a while and I was excited to work on one of her films. Here’s the logline:

Hired by a man who buys and sells time, a young bodyguard is torn between serving her master and fighting for the people he ruins with his power

“The Bargain” by Eleonora Mignoli

The film needed several VFX elements to complement the story:

  • An AR HUD characters use for seeing the amount of time a person has left.
  • Liquid in the time capsules representing the stored time.
  • Eye replacement, visualising time being taken or given and for when characters access their HUD.
  • Glowing circuitry around the temple, highlighting the HUD activation when a character touches the pad.

These effects required a combination of tracking, masking, animation, lighting and compositing, all of which was done in Blender. Brother Bear produced the film along with handling the edit. We worked together to make sure the comped footage I was exporting matched up with their original raw footage, something that’s incredibly important for the final grade.

Along with the VFX, I also created the the opening credits. Leo wanted a style that matched the HUD visuals, digital with scan-lines, with a slight glitchyness to it.

I’m incredibly happy that The Bargain has found a home on DUST and I look forward to seeing what’s next for Leo.