Backrooms walked an actor through a wall | VFX Engine Weekly

For A24's big-screen adaptation of the viral YouTube series Backrooms, production visual effects supervisor Edward J. Douglas and Mr. Wolf VFX had to solve the physical puzzle of "no-clipping" characters through solid walls. Instead of relying entirely on digital environments, the production built the Backrooms and basement sets adjacent to each other so actors could walk freely between them. The team then utilized witness cameras to capture precise actor positions, allowing artists to reanimate digital doubles, project shadows onto the re-placed walls, and blend the elements.

This hybrid approach demonstrates that the most convincing surrealism is anchored in physical truth. By prioritizing practical spatial relationships on set rather than deferring the entire problem to post-production, the VFX team retained realistic interactive lighting and natural actor movement. For pipelines tackling surreal or impossible physical interactions, the takeaway is clear: physical set construction paired with precise camera tracking beats pure digital recreation every time.

This week reveals a clear convergence: whether through practical on-set solutions for complex VFX, character pipeline tooling, or targeted educational initiatives, the industry is finding ways to optimize complex workflows. To stay competitive, focus on hybrid techniques that bridge physical sets and digital tools.