After sharing insights into the visual effects of Resident Evil in 2022 and later working on Shadow and Bone Season 2, Kevin Lingenfelser is back to talk about a very different experience on the series Man on Fire.
Casey Conroy brings more than 30 years of experience in visual effects. Over the course of his career, he spent nearly 18 years at Ring of Fire Studios, followed by almost five years at FuseFX. His credits include projects such as The Day After Tomorrow, Black Sails, Preacher, and Resident Evil.
How did you get involved in this series?
Netflix reached out to me and arranged an interview with the Showrunner, Kyle Killen; the Block 01 director and EP, Steven Caple Jr.; and a handful of Producers from New Regency and The Chernin Group. Steven and I hit it off and were on the same wavelength about his approach and how best to use VFX for the series, drawing on his previous VFX experience on Transformers: Rise of the Beasts and Creed II.
How was the collaboration with the showrunner and the directors?
Showrunner, Creator, and Writer Kyle Killen wrote all the original scripts and stayed in sync with all four of the Block directors. He was always available for feedback and open to new ideas. He made my job very easy.
How did you choose the VFX Studios and split the work amongst them?
As with every show I supervise, I like to cast vendors based on their respective strengths. The impressive destruction of Los Angeles sequence in the first episode of Fallout led me to choose RISE. SSVFX was chosen based on my previous experience with them on Shadow & Bone S1 and S2. Mr. Wolf has always been a workhorse of sorts, consistently delivering. Barnstorm VFX was a late addition and helped us out with two tricky sequences in the final episode. Boxel Studio provided two amazing Data Wranglers for us during the shoot. NeoReel was brought in to provide Previz for us on multiple sequences. Studio8fx is a vendor that my Producer, Casey Conroy, and I have used for over a decade for gnarly cleanup work. We were also fortunate to secure Clear Angle Studios for all our LiDAR and scanning needs. And we were contacted by Jason Fotter, whom we knew from FUSEFX, to use his BIND Studios systems for shot and QC reviews.
Man on Fire is set in Rio de Janeiro, though much was also shot in Mexico City. How did you approach recreating the city on screen, and what role did VFX play in blending real locations with digital environments?
RISE created two CG high-rise condominium buildings integral to the story, which needed to be composited into BG plates shot in Rio’s Leblon urban area. The city is surrounded by dense jungle overgrowth, and we had to ensure our buildings integrated properly into that environment. While filming in Mexico, we also had to be vigilant for any signage in Spanish and replace it with the proper Portuguese translation, including adding Brazilian Presidential propaganda posters throughout the city for another story point.
The favela sequences feel very immersive and grounded. How did you balance practical production with digital extensions or enhancements in those environments?
Most of the favela work was shot in Rio’s largest favela, Rocinha. Some favela interiors were built by Production Designer Rafael “RAM” Mandujano and shot at the Churubusco Studios in Mexico City. No extensions were required, as the drone shots overlooking Rocinha captured the vast, dense nature of these favelas.
Were there specific safety or logistical constraints in the favelas that required heavier reliance on VFX, and how did that influence your overall approach?
Production had its own Security detail throughout the entire shoot in Mexico City and Rio de Janeiro. And they also worked with several groups within the Favelas to offer security.
The series features several large-scale explosions. Can you walk us through the design and execution of the prison explosion?
There were three major explosions across the seven episodes. Working with Karen and Alex Vazquez of Efeccine MX, we determined what was possible within Netflix safety guidelines and how we could augment the explosions in VFX as needed. During the prison riot sequence, Yahya fractured his hand. Production was forced to stagger shooting the elements while he healed. We filmed the SFX explosions first. When Yahya was cleared to return, we shot exterior bluescreens of his version of the “Man on Fire” walk, ala Denzel Washington. We had six camera setups and one drone. In editing, it proved to be overkill compared to the two shots (one wide and one tight) used in the iconic Denzel scene. SSVFX composited the three camera angles used in the final edit and added embellishments, including smoldering FX debris, a shockwave, shattered FX glass from nearby windows, and jostling parked vehicles.
The attack on the residential building is particularly striking. How did you plan and execute that sequence, both creatively and technically?
The “terrorist bombing” of Rayburn’s Condominium building began with simple storyboards, which Marc-Andre Guindon and his artists at NeoReel PreViz fleshed out. They created a complete sequence covering Poe’s arrival, the explosions, and the aftermath, which Block 01 Director Steven Caple Jr., Showrunner Kyle Killen, the producers, and Netflix iterated on extensively. NeoReel quickly provided countless versions addressing every minute detail until it was finally approved. We already had a relatively vacant lot in the Santa Fe business district of Mexico City, where we would shoot live-action plates.
The Art department built the first-floor lobby as a foundation and a space for shooting live-action pieces with the actors. Practical pyro and explosion tests were conducted by Alex and Karen Vasquez at Efeccine MX. VFX Supervisor Andreas Giesen and his team at RISE then augmented the practical explosions with Houdini FX sims to restore detail and color variation in the pyroclastic FX that had been blown out by the camera exposure. And of course, the actual destruction of the condo building was accomplished with even more complex Houdini FX simulations by RISE.
How did you ensure continuity and realism when combining practical effects, stunt work, and digital destruction in such complex explosion sequences?
We used SFX and pyro for every explosion we could, often augmenting practical elements with Houdini FX pyro sims for the Condo and prison escape explosions. The final Molotov explosion inside the hospital reception area was filmed entirely in camera and required no additional VFX. Five stunt men standing in as guards were coated in fire gel, allowing them to remain in the explosion and the resulting flames for an extended period. All VFX had to do was remove the exposed fire-retardant gel from their clothing.
The action sequence in and around the aircraft, partly designed as an Oner, is very ambitious. What were the main VFX challenges in pulling that off?
The “Tarmac or Airport Attack,” as it was often called, was an extremely ambitious sequence for a series not trying to emulate a James Bond-type action piece. It was critical to make the sequence cohesive with the rest of the story. It was storyboarded as a single 8-minute Oner, from the start of the goodbye sequence with Poe and Creasy through the end of Tiago and Creasy’s fight inside the Learjet cabin. The previsualization was completed as a single Oner. We quickly realized that, given the logistics and the five-day shooting window, we needed to break the work into more manageable chunks, or mini-sequences of longer shots.
We split the work between the Main Unit and the 2nd Unit, under the direction of Stunt Coordinator Hank Kingi Jr. The Main Unit filmed everything with the hero actors, while Hank and I filmed all the stunts and VFX plates. The Learjet was only available for one day, aside from our LiDAR and scanning day, when we had it in the BG for the “goodbye” sequence. We did shoot plates of the plane taking off, but they looked far too smooth and professional for a plane with a blown engine and an inexperienced pilot.
How did you approach the integration of digital elements within that sequence to maintain the illusion of a continuous shot?
We used split composites by design whenever possible, which was critical for the early shots of the Learjet cabin door and the airport tarmac, two entirely different locations shot weeks apart. 2nd Unit Director and Stunt Coordinator Hank Kingi Jr. and I shot the majority of the exterior plates at the actual working airport, and the interior cabin plates were shot on a greenscreen stage at Churubusco Studios in Mexico City.
Can you talk about the collaboration between the VFX department, the stunt team, and the camera crew on these large-scale action scenes?
There was great energy and a kind of symbiosis among Camera, Hank Kingi Jr., his stunt team, and VFX, especially during the Tarmac and Hospital shoot-out sequences, which required weeks of intense filming with almost no rehearsal time. Casey and I were on set to support whatever Production needed, which often grew out of a spontaneous idea or just a simple necessity.
Many of the most effective visual effects are the ones audiences never notice — is there an invisible VFX shot or sequence in Man on Fire that you’d be willing to reveal to us?
There are multiple “invisible” VFX sequences across the seven episodes. In ep101, the aftermath of the Rayburn condo bombing was meant to be shot on location in the Santa Fe business district of Mexico City. However, inclement weather delayed and halted production twice, resulting in the loss of location permits and forcing us to shoot the sequence in a vacant warehouse in the heart of Mexico City, with two-thirds of the structure covered in blue screens. Working within a structure not designed for film production presented numerous challenges. Due to the limited space, blue spill contaminated almost every inch of the working area. SSVFX was tasked with extensive world-building, recreating downtown Santa Fe for Leblon, Rio. Along with the city extension, they added firetrucks spraying water, falling ash and embers, and copious amounts of digi-double first responders and crowds. A truly massive undertaking, one that shouldn’t look as good as it does given all the challenges.
Another example was in ep107, where actors converse on a hotel balcony overlooking Mexico City; it was never meant to be VFX, but the disparity between Mexico City and Rio was glaring. We shot tiled plates in Rio after production wrapped, rotoscoped the entire balcony with actors, and replaced the Mexico City backgrounds with proper Rio de Janeiro plates.
The Piranha Juice torture sequence featuring Tiago in ep102 exemplified interdepartmental synergy, using a generous base layer of MUFX, including sweat, grime, and blood. VFX created the interaction of the piranha juice on his skin through bespoke Houdini FX fluid and smoke sims, 2D elements, and comp integration with the practical MUFX.
Looking back, what sequence or aspect of the show best represents the creative and technical ambitions of the VFX work on Man on Fire?
There are numerous sequences throughout the series that showcase the creative and technical ambition of all involved. From the Rayburn Condo destruction to the walkthrough of the aftermath, which logistically shouldn’t look as real as it does, to the chaos of the Tarmac Attack sequence bringing together Stunts, Camera, SFX, and VFX for a harrowing 8-minute ride. The shootout in the hospital corridors and reception area relies heavily on creative VFX to bring maximum chaos to the series finale.
How long have you worked on this show?
I was hired in June of 2024, and we wrapped in February of this year.
What’s the VFX shots count?
968 shots.
What is your next project?
Currently helping out on a little show called Lanterns.
A big thanks for your time.
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
RISE: Dedicated page about Man on Fire on RISE website.
SSVFX: Dedicated page about Man on Fire on SSVFX website.
© Vincent Frei – The Art of VFX – 2026
