Fabricio Baessa is a VFX Supervisor at DNEG with more than two decades in the industry. From his early days in Brazilian television to major blockbusters like Black Adam and Uncharted, his journey includes acclaimed titles such as Last Night in Soho and Blade Runner 2049.
What is your background?
I started as a VFX artist in the mid-90s, during a time when we all had to be generalists. There weren’t distinct disciplines yet, so we had to know a bit of everything. As my career progressed, I became increasingly detail-oriented, focusing on grounding even the most fantastical projects in realism. Whether working on heavy FX-driven films like Blade Runner 2049, Last Night in Soho, and Black Adam, my goal has always been to bring authenticity and believability to the screen.
How did you and DNEG get involved on this show?
DNEG came on board early, right after the production had its first rough previs pass. We had to jump in immediately, as there was a clear need to start developing assets, designing a large number of shots, testing lenses, and working closely with cinematography to establish the visual language of the film.
How was the collaboration with Director Ilya Naishuller and VFX Supervisor Raymond Chen?
It was an intense and rewarding collaboration. This show had very specific needs, especially with the aerial battle sequence involving Air Force One, which was technically complex and required that extra cinematic touch.
I had already worked with Raymond Chen on previous projects, so we had a strong foundation to build on. We maintained daily communication, running constant tests on continuity, camera moves, and technical challenges. Ilya was very involved too — once shots reached a solid point with Ray, we would review them with him for further creative direction. At one point, we had daily meetings to ensure we were pushing every shot to its maximum potential.
What are the sequences made by DNEG?
We handled four major sequences, each presenting its own unique set of challenges. These included a highly dynamic and detailed fight sequence featuring Priyanka Chopra Jonas, the Echelon surveillance island interiors and exteriors, the intense aerial battle sequence involving Air Force One, and the Air Force One crash and the aftermath at the crash site. Each sequence came with its own unique challenges, from complex environment builds to high-speed aerial combat.
The aerial battle involving Air Force One is a standout moment in Heads of State. Can you walk us through how DNEG approached this complex sequence, from previs to final shots?
From the start, Ilya had a strong vision. We began by designing a handful of key shots directly in CG with temporary assets to explore cinematography and tone. These early tests helped us understand the lensing, pacing, and shot composition.
Once we had that cinematic language, we built out the full sequence from takeoff to destruction as one cohesive layout pass. This let us assess distances, real-world speeds, cloud behavior, drone choreography, and timing.
Through this process, we realized we needed to tweak elements like drone motion, cloud positioning, and spatial relationships between aircraft to support the story and tension. We then rolled those refinements into every shot. When the rough edit arrived, we went back to revise further, adjusting camera angles, lenses, and motion to improve the overall flow.
One major challenge was balancing the scale of massive assets like Air Force One with the much smaller kamikaze drones, all within the same frame. We had to make those shots both readable and exciting, helping the audience follow the action.
Finalizing the sequence required enormous teamwork, attention to asset detail, and an immense amount of care from the hundreds of artists who brought it to life.
How did you handle the challenge of visualizing kamikaze drone attacks at such high speeds—up to 900 km/h—while maintaining clarity and tension for the audience?
That was one of our biggest early questions. We started by blocking the sequence using real-world speeds and altitudes to get a sense of realism. But once we reviewed it, it became clear we needed to introduce slight artistic adjustments to maintain visual clarity and dramatic pacing.
We subtly adjusted aircraft positions and camera angles, small changes that often required cascading updates across subsequent shots. That process was time-consuming but essential.
We also manipulated motion blur in key areas to balance realism with legibility. The goal was always to make it thrilling, but not overwhelming for the viewer.
What kind of techniques or simulations did you develop to show the evolving damage on Air Force One throughout the battle?
Initially, we planned to bake layers of damage into the asset, revealing them as needed per shot. But once the final lensing and compositions came in, we pivoted to a hybrid approach. We simulated each drone impact dynamically, which naturally produced different levels of destruction. These were layered with additional damage passes: scorch marks, panel deformation, and finer detail for close-ups.
Depending on the camera proximity, we would augment those with hand-placed paintwork or mesh refinement. The damage evolution across shots was one of the most technically and artistically challenging aspects of the project.
Cloudscapes and skies are important narrative elements. How did you craft these atmospheric layers to support the story and action beats?
Absolutely, clouds and skies weren’t just background here, they were storytelling tools. They conveyed altitude, motion, tension, and time of day. We built a full CG cloud system with a wide variety of formations and densities, carefully balancing realism with rendering feasibility. Layering them by altitude was particularly tricky due to the loss of visual scale; clouds can be visually deceptive. To address that, we brought in real-scale aircraft references and studied tons of aerial footage to anchor our compositions.
We also hand-placed cloud elements close to the planes to enhance the sensation of speed and help with cuts between shots. This required extensive testing. We ran hundreds of iterations until the atmosphere truly supported the action and emotion of the sequence.
Can you talk about the integration of digidoubles and dynamic fight choreography within the aircraft or around it?
We treated both human and vehicle digi-doubles with the same level of detail. For the actors, we built extremely accurate models matching face shapes, expressions, and movements to blend seamlessly into live-action footage.
Aircraft like Air Force One, the Ilyushin, and the drones were also treated as digi-doubles. Each was crafted with full photorealism and integrated into complex choreography, often involving high-speed movement and destruction. We also used what we call “invisible CG” subtle continuity work like small object interactions or touch-ups that support storytelling without drawing attention to themselves.
The Belarusian wilderness and the Echelon Surveillance island are two very different environments. How did you approach the design and execution of these large-scale CG locations?
For the Belarusian wilderness, we had aerial plates as a base. We used a mix of projection mapping and 3D builds to extend and enhance those environments, while maintaining flexibility for cinematographic adjustments. For hero shots like the Air Force One crash site, we moved to a fully concepted and modeled environment to ensure it delivered the emotional weight of the scene.
For the Echelon Surveillance location, we started with plate photography but quickly transitioned to full CG for both interiors and exteriors. After aligning with Ray and Ilya on the design language, we pushed the environment further with architectural tweaks and added digi-double crowds to populate the space naturally.
From high-speed aerial dynamics to dense environments, what was the most challenging shot or sequence for your team, and why?
One of the most demanding shots was the spiraling descent of Air Force One, fully damaged, riddled with holes, and spinning close to camera with a glimpse of Idris Elba through one of the breaches. It was an incredibly surreal shot that had to feel grounded, emotional, and spectacular at the same time. Achieving that balance was extremely tough but very rewarding.
Were there any surprising technical innovations or pipeline updates developed specifically for this film that you can share with us?
Yes, a few key ones.
For the cloudscapes, we developed a new system for layering clouds by altitude and density, allowing aircraft to pass through them while preserving realism and maintaining narrative clarity. This was essential for continuity across shots and ensuring proper parallax and speed cues.
We also created a layered damage system for Air Force One, involving geometry, simulations, and shader-based solutions. This allowed us to dial in the exact level of destruction needed per shot without compromising performance.
Looking back on the project, what aspects of the visual effects are you most proud of?
I’m most proud of how we brought the intensity and realism of the Air Force One battle to life. Balancing the cinematic spectacle of planes flying at 900 km/h with the danger, storytelling, and emotion all inside full 3D cloudscapes was a huge challenge.
It’s extremely satisfying to see how well the sequence turned out and how all the hard work came together.
How long have you worked on this show?
We worked on the film for about a year.
What’s the VFX shots count?
DNEG completed around 250 shots, including major sequences and primary asset and digi-double builds.
What is your next project?
There is something really cool happening, but unfortunately I cannot disclose. But of course it’ll have explosions, a bunch of FX and a lot of fun as always!
A big thanks for your time.
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
DNEG: Dedicated page about Heads of State on DNEG website.
© Vincent Frei – The Art of VFX – 2025
