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German VFX Supervisors Power 'Sinners' Into Record 16 Oscar Nominations

Their work breaks technical ground with a custom halo rig that enabled Michael B. Jordan’s twin performance.

Overview

  • Sinners enters the 98th Academy Awards with a record 16 nominations as awards watchers also point to Avatar: Fire and Ash as a leading rival.
  • German supervisors Michael Ralla of Achern and Guido Wolter of Dessau led teams that delivered more than 1,000 shots for the IMAX production, covering roughly half the film’s runtime.
  • The crew devised a circular multi-camera halo rig worn by Jordan to capture angles needed for precise twinning of the characters Smoke and Stack.
  • The visual effects span expansive digital environments and creatures, including seemingly endless cotton fields, computer-generated snakes and stylized vampire sequences.
  • Following the Oscars, Ralla is set to reteam with Ryan Coogler on a Hulu-ordered X-Files pilot, and Wolter says his next assignment is a major Marvel film with the title not yet disclosed.