Take a closer look at the visual effects work behind Timur Bekmambetov‘s film Mercy, starring Chris Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson. The story follows Pratt’s detective character as he tries to prove his innocence before an AI judge. Several scenes were filmed using the LED volume at Stage 15 on the Amazon MGM Studios lot in Culver City, with DNEG handling key visual effects sequences.

We spoke with DNEG visual effects supervisors Chris Keller and Simon Maddison about their approach to integrating virtual production and VFX.

• Virtual Production and Volume Integration: The courtroom was fully created in Unreal Engine and projected around Chris Pratt during filming. This consistent design and lighting allowed many medium and close-up shots to require minimal VFX touch-ups. For wider shots, the volume imagery was replaced with a detailed CG courtroom, while still using lighting from the volume to blend Pratt seamlessly into the environment. Animated screens seen in the film were initially run as temporary animations on the volume, helping maintain timing and interaction with the actor.
• Vehicle Chase Scenes: Early morning shoots captured a truck driving through empty Los Angeles streets, providing a strong base for VFX. Additional traffic, police cars, crowds, and homeless encampments were added digitally to enhance the scenes. One fully CG shot featured a truck driving through a street parade, complete with fleeing festival-goers, food trucks, and a collision with an ice cream truck.
• Flying Quadcopter Shots: Practical gimbal rigs were used for close-up shots of the quadcopter, capturing realistic reflections and lighting on the pilot and vehicle. Many mid and wide shots were fully CG, incorporating spherical array captures of LA streets to boost realism.
• Designing the AI Judge’s Courtroom: The courtroom needed to feel futuristic yet grounded, balancing a dark, modern aesthetic with traditional courtroom elements. Key features included labs, a data center beneath a frosted glass floor, and a quantum computer with vertical light columns that provided natural lighting for the actors. After principal photography, the Unreal Engine asset was refined and rendered using RenderMan for the final look.
• Visualizing the Municipal Cloud: Unlike other virtual screens created with 2.5D techniques, the municipal cloud required a full 3D approach due to its complexity. The cloud was designed as a hierarchical structure of thousands of screens displaying footage, documents, and data. Source material was organized into a database and loaded into Houdini for procedural instancing. RenderMan shaders were developed to achieve a sleek, glassy UI appearance. Temporary graphics created during production helped provide practical lighting for seamless integration.

This collaboration between virtual production and visual effects teams brought the futuristic world of Mercy to life with a blend of innovative technology and creative artistry.

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