Hybrid VFX · Synthetic FX
Three Generations, One Christmas · 175 hybrid VFX shotsHoliday Touchdown · 550 hybrid VFX shots
Source footageFinished frameWinter from a summer shoot, night through a daytime window, a fuller crowd from the extras on set. Synthetic FX, the effects company of Synthetic Cinema International, combines live action with AI-assisted creation and traditional VFX, finished by artists.
Three Generations, One Christmas · Great American Family · Viamar Productions
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Demo reel
Two-and-a-half-minute reel of finished Holiday Touchdown shots: snowy Chicago streets and a pub, a Bears tailgate outside Soldier Field, a firehouse and a public library in winter, a Christmas market, a riverside cafe, a snow-covered house and the stadium colonnade.
01Two ways to work with us
The difference is who films and where we start. Either way, Synthetic FX finishes the effects.
For production companies
Your team films the scene. We turn the shots into finished effects, such as winter from a summer shoot or holiday dressing, and deliver them to your post team.
Three Generations, One Christmas
Great American Family · Viamar Productions
For networks and producers
One producer for the shoot and the finish. We plan the shoot and the digital finish together, film the real performances and finish the effects, around your budget.
Holiday Touchdown
Hallmark Media, Skydance Sports & NFL Films
| Who does what | Post-production effects | Full hybrid production |
|---|---|---|
| Who films | Your production company | SCI, with the effects team planning from prep |
| When we join | Before filming, or once you're in post | From the script and prep |
| You send | Selected shots, a reference cut and your post contacts | The script, the budget, the schedule and the location challenge |
| You get | Approved effects shots for your editorial and finishing | Finished scenes or the finished film, from prep through delivery |
| You keep | Filming and overall delivery of the film | Creative approval of the look and the finished scenes |
| Case study | Three Generations, One Christmas (Great American Family), starring Mario Lopez, Taylor Kalupa & Tony Danza; produced by Mark Roberts & Mario Lopez; filmed by Viamar Productions; post-production by Synthetic Cinema International | Holiday Touchdown (Hallmark Media, Skydance Sports & NFL Films), produced by Synthetic Cinema International |
02How hybrid VFX works
Three stages of one shot from Holiday Touchdown, where only the street through the store windows changes.
Source footage
1Change 1: the street in the door glass2Change 2: the street through the display windowAI-assisted pass
1Change 1: the street in the door glass2Change 2: the street through the display windowFinished frameSelected work
Select a frame to compare the source footage with the finished frame, and to see what changed and what we kept.
03Before you choose a partner
Hybrid VFX is new enough that buyers should ask hard questions. Here is how we answer them.
No. We don't use your footage to train AI models.
No. We don't create digital replicas of performers.
Before work begins, we list the AI-assisted steps on each shot for your designated studio or network contact.
You do. We agree up front who approves the look and the finished shots, and how notes reach us.
Yes. We scope the complete effect, from tests and AI-assisted creation to compositing, artist finishing and reviews, and flag the cost or timing effect of any change before extending the work.
Yes. SCI has produced film and television since 2004, including a large holiday slate.
04Our standard
We change the world around it: the season, the view, the crowd, the time of day.
05Start
Tell us about the scene and send what you have. We'll tell you which route fits and what the scene needs.
Start with
A script excerpt
A shot list
Existing footage
Private demonstrations by request