Visual Effects Case Study: Bringing Back Christmas

Daniel is fired right before his son's expensive surgery. An angel takes him on a journey back in time to witness the trials of Joseph and Mary before the very first Christmas, reminding him how God's love can carry him through anything. (IMDb)

Foxtrot X-Ray created about 80 VFX shots for this family film, including time travel portals, glowing angels, and other miscellaneous magical effects. The centerpiece effect for this film is the golden, sparkly teleportation effect that the angels use to move through time. Although these are the “flashiest” effects in the film, the more frequent effect seen is the glowing angels. Roughly half of the ~80 shots were adding glowing wings to actors to make them into angels. The wings were less structured than physical wings, and more of a halo effect to give a magical feel. Not only were the wings done in daytime shots, but also in night shots. Foxtrot was also responsible for any cleanup and paint-outs necessary for branding and shot composition.

Although this film wasn’t our typical Christmas movie, it was a VFX-heavy film with fun effects that let us stretch our creative wings and create some on-screen magic for the holidays.

Other projects featuring similar effects by Foxtrot X-Ray include A Dickens of a Holiday, Making Spirits Bright, and Future48.

To discuss how Foxtrot X-Ray can create memorable VFX for your projects, schedule a meeting with our team of professionals today.