Daryl Sawchuk began his journey in animation more than 25 years ago and has since built a rich career at major studios including MPC, Method Studios, Marvel Studios, and HBO. His credits include Life of Pi, Jumanji: The Next Level, Flora and Ulysses and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. He now discusses his latest venture: bringing the world of IT: Welcome to Derry to life.
What is your background?
I grew up drawing and painting and studied Fine Art, originally aspiring to become a classical animator. Early CG films like The Abyss, Terminator 2, and Jurassic Park sparked a deep interest in computer animation, leading me to spend much of my career as an animator and animation director before transitioning into VFX supervision. Throughout, I’ve been driven by a passion for crafting digital performances—both character and creature—and collaborating on the design and execution of action sequences.
How did you first get involved with IT: Welcome to Derry, and what attracted you to the project?
While wrapping Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, I learned about Welcome to Derry through my agent, Jason Garber, and soon after spoke with Andy and Barbara Muschietti about their vision. Andy’s ambition to match—or surpass—the previous two IT films made the decision easy. When he mentioned shooting in Toronto, where he’d made three of his four films, I noted that I’d studied at the University of Toronto and Sheridan College. When Port Hope and Hamilton came up as key locations, I added that I was born in Hamilton. The shared connections surprised us both and gave the conversation a real sense of kismet.
Can you tell us about your collaboration with the showrunners and the various directors?
Showrunners Jason Fuchs and Brad Kane were highly collaborative from the outset. Their deep knowledge of the IT universe—and the wildly inventive scare sequences they’d written—created an exciting sandbox to work in. Alongside Andy, we designed creature-driven set pieces for each episode with a talented team of concept artists: Vincent Proce, Dan Peacock, Max Verehin, and Jamie O’Hara.
We then worked closely with each episodic director to refine design and shooting methodology through detailed sequence meetings, often centered around previswe’d developed. A key part of that process was bringing the episode editors, Esther Sokolow, Glenn Garland and Matthew Colonna, in early to recut the previs, shaping dramatic tension and suspense with temp score and sound design. Those edits ultimately became our on-set shooting bible.
How was the VFX work divided among the different studios involved in the show?
Rodeo FX served as our primary vendor, delivering approximately 730 VFX shots. Their work included the Mutant Baby scare in Episode 101; Mother Thing and Pickle Jail in 102; and all Pennywise work from Episodes 105 through 108. This encompassed Matty’s transformation into Pennywise, the close-up Kill Mouth performance inside the tunnels, the Deadlights scenes outside the burning Black Spot and the kitchen sequence at the end of episode 107, the auditorium scene, and Pennywise’s full range of transformations during the final battle in 108 —from his head being blown apart, to reforming as a jack-in-the-box, bone-shifting regeneration, mini Kill Mouth, Pennybird, and the final shapeshifting visages before returning to the Deadlights. Rodeo also collaborated with their sister company, Alchemy24, on the Final Fog Fight in Episode 108.
Crafty Apes handled the second-largest volume of work, overseeing all military-related sequences, including the Derry Air Force Base, views from the kids’ hideout at the Standpipe, and extensive period and seasonal transformations of downtown Derry. Folks VFX delivered the Cemetery sequence in Episode 103 and the large-scale fire work in Episode 108, while Digital Domain contributed the Skeleton Man sequence in that same episode. DNEG handled the Marge Eyes scare in Episode 104.
Herne Hill / Mr. X created the end-of-episode work in 105, telling the origin of IT’s arrival on Earth, including the Seski scare, the giant Priest, and Bull Moose shots. Outpost VFX handled the Cistern sequence in Episode 103—featuring the giant toy pile and floating children—as well as the Neibolt House and the river scare in Episode 104. Rocket Science VFX, Onyx, Van Dyke VFX, Instinctual, and a small in-house team rounded out the vendors who helped bring the series to completion.
Pennywise is such an iconic and terrifying presence. What were the key visual and technical challenges in bringing this new 1960s version of the clown to life?
Rodeo FX had been the primary vendor on the previous two films, so we built directly on the anatomical and rigging groundwork established there. Working closely with Rodeo VFX Supervisor Pier Lefebvre, our focus was on re-engineering Pennywise’s two signature facial contortions—the Kill Mouth and Deadlights expressions—where the mandible dislocates, the cranium splits, and multiple dental rows are exposed.
Rather than treating these as purely elastic deformations, we approached them as layered anatomical events. The facial rig was driven by a deeper understanding of skeletal displacement, specifically how lateral and vertical movement of the zygomatic arches would propagate into the orbital rims, altering eye position, lid compression, and scleral exposure. This allowed us to better integrate bone-driven motion with muscle and skin sliding, reducing the rubberized feel seen in earlier versions.
By anchoring the extreme shape changes to believable skeletal logic and secondary tissue response, we were able to push the horror further while maintaining a grounded, physically coherent performance.
How did you approach the facial design and expressions of Pennywise to keep him recognizable, yet push his unsettling and predatory qualities even further?
Andy had no hesitation about placing Bill extremely close to camera, which meant the digital asset had to withstand the highest level of scrutiny. We began with a foundational library of blend shapes migrated from the previous iteration of the character, then up-rezzed and expanded that library to support nuanced, performance-driven animation at extreme proximity.
In parallel, the asset was built to precisely match Pennywise’s highly intricate makeup and costume. That accuracy allowed us to seamlessly transition into fully digital shots when required, while preserving continuity and maintaining the integrity of the performance.
The series is extremely gory. How did the VFX team balance realism and stylistic horror when enhancing Pennywise’s facial distortions, transformations, or gore moments?
We made every effort to preserve and build upon Bill’s on-set performance, using as much of his practical work as possible as the foundation. His willingness to perform with significant saliva and drool became a key reference for the digital work, informing how we matched and extended those elements in post.
The practical effects on set were equally invaluable. Makeup lead Sara Craig and Prosthetics lead Sean Sansom consistently pushed the material with blood, slime, and viscera to ground the scares in something tactile and unsettling. We embraced that approach in post, often layering additional enhancements on top to amplify the intended effect. The early birthing-themed scare sequences in Episodes 101 and 102 are strong examples of that hybrid workflow.
Can you talk about the animation workflow for Pennywise—especially the subtle micro-movements, eye behavior, and body mechanics that make him so disturbing?
The performance was fundamentally driven by what Bill delivered on set. He has an exceptional ability to inhabit the character, and many of Pennywise’s twitches, eye behaviors, and subtle nuances originated directly from his performance. Whenever we needed to transition him into a physical or creature variation, we started from animation that matched his on-set performance and then transferred that motion onto the specific facial or creature form he was inhabiting.
I’m a strong believer in capturing as much reference as possible during production, and Bill was incredibly generous with his time. He recreated a wide range of facial expressions for us in the scanning booth, and I also shot a dedicated facial performance session focused on eye movement, lid behavior, cheek compression, and brow activity—from subtle eye darts and squints to his most aggressive performance reads. That material proved essential in achieving the level of performance fidelity we were aiming for.
Did you rely more on performance capture, keyframe animation, or a hybrid approach to achieve Pennywise’s unique physicality?
All of the performance work was keyframed, which is a real testament to the talent of the team at Rodeo. Their attention to detail—and their ability to study the micro-movements of Bill’s face and translate those nuances into a believable digital performance—was exceptional.
Pennywise’s presence often shifts between grounded and supernatural. How did you handle transitions—like changes in proportions, texture, or motion—to avoid breaking continuity while keeping him terrifying?
The rig became the backbone for all versions of the character, engineered with the flexibility to morph, split, and stretch to support seamless transitions between Pennywise’s many forms. The animation demands were extensive, spanning subtle lip sync and performance matching through to full creature transformations.
Transitions were often hidden within motivated motion—such as a head shake or sudden lurch forward—with Bill’s performance roto-animated to ensure a seamless handoff to the digital face.
The town of Derry in the 1960s is a character in itself. How did you build the period-accurate environment, and what parts of the town were fully CG versus practical extensions?
Crafty Apes built the large-scale environment for the town of Derry, grounded in extensive ground and drone-based photogrammetry, LiDAR scanning, and round-shot photography. Production designer Paul Austerberry and his team dressed the street-level environment with period-accurate signage, awnings, and covered parking meters, while we extended the look digitally by adding outrigger signage to upper floors, and removing any non period features that we came across, to complete the townscape.
A significant portion of the work evolved out of necessity. Schedule shifts caused by the strike in 2023 required extensive seasonal changes across the town. Given Derry’s heavy surrounding foliage—and the tree-lined main street—we digitally replaced large sections of vegetation to maintain continuity. When we returned to shoot additional material, the town had begun major plumbing work, leaving the entire street torn up, which required full digital replacement of road surfaces and building facades.
That completed environment ultimately became the foundation for the views of Derry seen behind the kids whenever they’re up in the Standpipe, looking out over the town.
What visual references or archival materials helped the team recreate that specific era of small-town America while still embedding the unsettling tone of the series?
The Art Department did the heavy lifting on early research, assembling an extensive archive of 1960s-era photography covering architecture, vehicles, and military reference that became the foundation for the Derry Air Force Base. Crafty Apes built out that work, creating dozens of period-accurate military aircraft, helicopters, support vehicles, and supporting ground detail to populate the large-scale establishing shots.
This material is featured prominently in Episode 101 when Leroy and Paulie first arrive in Derry, and again in Episode 103 during the Chinook helicopter sequence.
Skeleton Man has a very striking design. What was the creative and technical process behind developing and animating this creature?
The Skeleton Man began with strong early designs from Vincent Proce, Dan Peacock, and Max Verehin, developed in close collaboration with the team at Digital Domain. We had a uniquely striking actor cast in the role—his physical condition, with minimal muscle mass and pronounced bone structure, became the foundation of the creature. We started by scanning him and building a highly accurate digital double, then designed the transition to quadruped creature, complete with a Pennywise style Kill Mouth and many rows of teeth, from there.
During the chase through the forest, the creature grows to nearly eleven feet tall, and movement was informed by extensive reference of contortionists capable of extreme spinal rotation and inverted locomotion. That influence is most apparent when the Skeleton Man unfurls and pins Francis to the ground, preparing to feed. Digital Domain’s world-class skin shading and muscle simulation were critical in realizing a hero creature that could hold up at extreme proximity to camera while delivering that level of physical distortion.
The flying demon baby is one of the show’s wildest elements. How did you craft its look and movement so it remained frightening rather than unintentionally comedic?
The Mutant Baby sequence was designed as a shocking opening to the series, and we knew it had to land. Strong early designs were developed and executed by Rodeo, whose Previs team began building the sequence from initial storyboards. The scene was shot on an LED volume, which required extensive plate photography captured ahead of time—starting on rural roads outside town and progressing into Derry’s main street as Matty hitchhikes in.
Budget constraints prevented us from bringing in a dedicated nine-camera array vehicle, so instead we executed multiple passes with a six-camera array mounted to a U-crane arm vehicle. As we moved closer to shooting, it became clear that our original stitching approach wouldn’t hold up. After a detailed editorial pass to determine clip order and coverage, Crafty Apes developed a fully loopable 360-degree stitch that could be deployed on the day without slowing production.
On set, we used two practical versions of the baby as prosthetic puppets—both for actor interaction and as lighting reference—which proved invaluable. The creature’s movement was designed as a lopsided, frenetic, bat-like flight cycle, further destabilized by its tether to the mother via the umbilical cord and the confined interior of the car. That erratic motion culminates as it clambers over the seat and launches its final attack.
For the theater sequence at the end of the episode, the creature had grown to nearly seven feet tall as it emerges from the screen. We used a motion performer in a gray suit with an oversized foam head and wing to establish correct scale, eyelines, and framing, while also capturing grounded physical movement that informed the final animation as it scrambles through the seats toward the kids.
It’s also worth noting that while the original plan was to shoot the theater screen blue and replace the footage entirely in post, we instead completed all film-burn effects and compositing ahead of time, integrating Matty and the family into the Music Man footage. We delivered a final 4K projection that was played back on set, allowing the screen content itself to drive much of the lighting in the scene. That decision resulted in a more cohesive and realistic final image.
Were there any particular sequences—environmental or creature-related—that pushed your team’s pipeline or technology further than expected?
The series presented constant, unique challenges, as each manifestation of IT was designed around a specific character’s fear. In Episode 102, the Mother Thing was a bespoke creature build driven by two separate performers—one for the upper body and one for the lower body—shot in multiple passes within the bed set to scale the character approximately thirty percent larger in the room.
The sequence required highly accurate full-body rotomation to support the digital mummification and womb-like creature effects. This included extending the umbilical cord, layering additional slime and blood FX, and animating the living digital womb as it constricts and threatens to tear the lead actress apart. Rodeo handled this sequence, as well as the Pickle Dad scare later in the episode, which presented an entirely different set of challenges.
Pickle Dad was designed as a tentacle-based, octopus-like entity that begins as separated elements before slithering together into a single organism. A single hand balances the head with subtle finger articulation, while one foot provides grounding and locomotion. The three facial segments operate in concert while the CFX team added critical finishing detail, including ground friction, tentacle folding, soft-tissue wobble, and creasing driven by finger pressure, completing the illusion of weight and physicality.
Looking back, is there a particular sequence or invisible effect that you’re most proud of, or that audiences might not realize was heavily supported by VFX?
The Black Spot fire sequence in the penultimate episode was a major technical challenge. It begins as a oner, seamlessly stitching together seven invisible cuts as we move from the interior of the set into a limbo-like, smoke-filled environment where all sense of geography dissolves. The DP, Dani Vilar, SFX lead, Darcy Callaghan, and I conducted extensive camera tests using real fire and smoke alongside safer LED-based fire lighting with atmospheric smoke, ensuring we could accurately replicate interactive firelight.
For safety reasons, we couldn’t place extensive practical fire near a large group of adult and child actors in a low-visibility environment, so we assembled the sequence carefully during production to confirm the stitches would hold. Folks VFX then took over, leveraging the practical fire, smoke, and ember elements we captured on set, supplemented by a robust library of digital fire, smoke, and embers. They used this to design the escalation of the fire throughout the scene, delivering a substantial FX and compositing effort that preserved the sense of heat, claustrophobia, and emotional intensity.
The other major—and far more visible—challenge was the Final Fog Fight in the finale. Once again, we collaborated closely with the SFX lead and DP to determine how much smoke we could practically deploy on a large soundstage in an effort tocapture as much of the effect in camera as possible. Early tests were promising, provided we shot precisely in the center of the stage; however, time constraints often made that impractical. As a result, lighting rigs and bluescreen edges were frequently visible in frame, requiring every shot to receive VFX treatment.
The sequence was originally budgeted for roughly 200 shots and ultimately grew to nearly 450. Working closely with my producer, Steve Dellerson, we had to find a creative solution to manage the expanded scope. Rodeo FX’s sister company, Alchemy24, was already contributing to the series, and together they developed a shared pipeline that allowed hero simulations and all Pennywise work to remain with Rodeo for consistency, while the majority of the fog and snowstorm FX were handled by Alchemy24. The collaboration proved seamless, and the final sequence held together both technically and creatively.
How long have you worked on this show?
Almost 3 years! 2 years, 10 months in fact.
What’s the VFX shots count?
We had a total of 2700 shots split across 14 vendors in the end.
What is your next project?
Looking to line that up as we speak!
What are the four movies that gave you the passion for cinema?
E.T, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park and Star Wars.
A big thanks for your time.
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
Rodeo FX: Dedicated page about IT: Welcome to Derry on Rodeo FX website.
Digital Domain: Dedicated page about IT: Welcome to Derry on Digital Domain website.
DNEG: Dedicated page about IT: Welcome to Derry on DNEG website.
Mr. X: Dedicated page about IT: Welcome to Derry on Mr. X website.
Outpost VFX: Dedicated page about IT: Welcome to Derry on Outpost VFX website.
© Vincent Frei – The Art of VFX – 2026
