Visual Effects Case Study: The Last Deal

An actor appears to have his throat cut in a scene from the film The Last Deal
An actor appears to have his throat cut in a scene from the film The Last Deal, with VFX enhancements by Foxtrot X-Ray

Blood enhancements and digital makeup fixes for The Last Deal. Move the slider to toggle between before and after.

Project Type

Feature Film

Production Company

L.A.N.E. 38

Director

Jonathan Salemi

Producers

Carl Ciarfalio

Khalilah King

Tracy A. Martin

Aaron David Roberts

Jonathan Salemi

“Working with Paul and his team was one of the most collaborative, organized and seamless working relationships I’ve had. Nothing was too big or couldn’t be done with Paul and he always brought options and creative solutions. ”
— Jonathan Salemi

A black market marijuana dealer tries to make one final score before getting squeezed out of the business when cannabis becomes legal. (IMDb)

Foxtrot X-Ray provided over 50 VFX shots for Jonathan Salemi’s Los Angeles neo-noir film, The Last Deal. Many shots entailed using digital makeup to improve the special effects makeup of a wound on the lead actor’s head. These shots required facial tracking and close attention to detail to maintain realism and consistency. This project also involved several cleanup and paintout shots of microphone wires and logos.

The most intense VFX work done on this project was for an especially gruesome scene where a character’s throat is slit. In order to create a very visceral and disturbing effect, multiple layers of blood were used. Large, gushing blood pours out of the character’s neck at an alarming speed, while additional blood splatters scatter across his shirt. By the end of the sequence, his shirt is soaked red with blood. VFX was also used to create gunfire during the film’s climax.

Using VFX to create gunfire is an effective way to maintain safety during production. To learn more about firearms safety on film sets, listen to Paul DeNigris discuss firearms and VFX with multiple filmmakers on the VFX for Indies podcast.

Paul DeNigris discussed the VFX process with director Jonathan Salemi and editor Ryan Liebert on the VFX for Indies podcast.

Other projects featuring similar effects by Foxtrot X-Ray include And on the Eighth Day, Vendetta, and KillHer.

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