Artifex Animation Studios
where imagination meets collaboration
AA Studios Wins a Silver Telly for Le 422's Second Season!
We are delighted to share this bit of news--after the first season's success, Le 422's second season wins a Silver Telly in Television - Series: Children: Official Listing. Our team had the pleasure on working on the many VFXs of the series, including set extensions, the 8th dimension door, and more!
AA Studios goes to the Arlette Premiere!
Great premiere for Mariloup Wolfe's film Arlette. While working on the film, we've gotten to watch the film a few times over, and the jokes never get old. Bravo to the whole team and to the director Mariloup Wolfe, who did such a brilliant job with this gem of a movie!
Two Awards for Noemie dit Oui at Dieppe Film Festival!
We are proud to see yet another film our team had the pleasure of working on make its mark at the Dieppe Film Festival--this time for the dramatic piece Noemi dit Oui, which won two awards! Congratulations to the team, and a special shout out to Kelly Depeault for her outstanding performance.
FARADOR: Prix du Publique at Dieppe Film Festival!
Congratulations to the team of Farador for winning the "Prix du Publique" at the 2023 Dieppe Film festival! This movie was a long time coming from the original viral video comedic sketch, and it is heartwarming to see audiences enjoy the film all these years later!
The Duty of Remembrance: Megantic's Story
It would be no exaggeration for us to say the series Megantic is one of our studio’s greatest prides. The show is currently receiving national and international attention, which we hope commemorates the necessary duty of remembrance following the tragedy that befell this small town of Quebec. We are honored by the renewed trust of the team at Also Production that gave us the opportunity to push our technical limits for this exceptional show.
Désobéir: A drama series based on a real, and still relevant story
We are particularly proud to have collaborated on the prestigious show Désobéir, le choix de Chantal Daigle. We erased traces of our modern day from the film to bring audiences back to the story's era, even if the struggles Chantal Daigle faces remain all too relevant in our day and age—it serves as a reminder that the march for women’s rights needs to keep moving forwards. We are thrilled that the series is meeting with such resounding success, befitting its quality.
Wong & Winchester: A Lion's Gate and Pixcom in an American-Quebec Co-Production
Once again, our talented team of pyromaniacs artists delivered stunning fire effects on this amazing American and Quebec co-production series, Wong & Winchester. It is always an honor to collaborate on the daring projects from Pixcom, but also getting to Lion’s Gate as co-producers, there was something extra to be proud of.
BBC's Secrets of the Jurassic Dinosaurs Documentary
Secrets of the Jurassic Dinosaurs was a big project for the BBC, and we had the chance to bring to life some wonderful dinosaurs, with the diplodocus and allosaurus being the stars of the show. Our 'baby' dinosaurs were created using Unreal Engine, and we are happy to say they are all thriving. We are very proud of them! You can see them for yourself on the BBC iPlayer.
La Cordonniere a hit at the box office!
Like the barn we set on fire with the Houdini software’s magic, La Cordonnière is setting the box office abalze! The movie is currently the best box-office start for a Quebec film this year! We were delighted to have worked on a wide range of VFX for this fabulous film.
Farador off to the festivals!
We had the privilege of working on the special effects for the stunning feature film Farador, which closed the Rendez-vous Québec Cinéma festival 2023. It was a challenging project that required our artists to push their creativity and imagination to new levels to bring this world to life on screen.
Truth and Lies available on TVO!
We were thrilled to undertake the challenge of developing the look of the graphics for the exciting and ambitious documentary series Truth and Lies. And that was only the beginning of the journey. Our team was then involved in the creation of nearly 300 animated shots!
Audrey est Revenue moves audiences
Audrey est Revenue presents a moving, nuanced story that touches its audiences’ hearts. So we were happy to learn that the show, which was the first Quebec television series to be selected at Canneseries, won both the Grand Prix Dior and the festival's Special Interpretation Award. Congratulations to everyone on the team!
BABYSITTER Premieres at Sundance Film Festival 2022
BABYSITTER, a film by Monia Chokri written by Catherine Léger based on her play 'Baby-sitter', premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival and won the awards for BEST FILM and BEST ACTOR (Steve Laplante) at the Monte Carlo Film Festival. Congratulations to the team!
3rd Season Greenlit for Bracelets Rouges!
Congratulations to the beautiful series Les Bracelets Rouges, which won the 'Ça M'allume' Grand Prize in 2022 and the Revelation of the Year Award at the 14th 'Zapettes d'Or' ceremony, for being renewed for a third season. We used all our know-how to create very challenging leg-erasing effects for the first two seasons, and are looking forward to the technical challenges the third season will bring!
Le 422, back for a second season!
Having worked on the amazing first season of the show Le 422, which won the award for 'Best Youth Series' at the 2020 Gémeaux Awards, the 'Audience Favourite' Excellence Award at the 2020 Alliance Média Jeunesse, and the Bronze Award in the Craft-Visual Effects category at the 2021 Telly Awards—let’s just say we were very excited to work on the VFXs of the second season!
La Bête Noire Season 1 Nominated for 2 Awards!
We are thrilled to collaborate once again with Sophie Deraspe and the Encore Spectacle television group on the first season of La Bête Noire. The series was nominated for the 2022 Rockie Award in the Best Limited Series category and for the Séries Mania and Banff festivals in 2022. This Quebecois series is now being broadcast on Series Plus!
Au Bras du Lac: A Prestigious Short Film
By participating in Caroline Mailloux's short film Au Bras du Lac, we joined a very prestigious project that has been widely acclaimed at the numerous festivals it has competed in, including:
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Québec en Court — Clermont-Ferrand, 2022
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Festival REGARD, 2022
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Gala Prends Ça Court!, 2022
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Festifilm de la Beauce, 2022
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Filmoramax, 2022
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San Diego International Kids’ Film Festival, 2022
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Les Percéides, 2022
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Off-Courts Trouville, 2022
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CINEMANIA, 2022
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Cinema on the Bayou, 2023
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Rendez-Vous Québec Cinéma (RVQC), 2023
Patrick Sénécale Presents Wins 2 Gémeaux!
Patrick Senécal Presents is an anthology series featuring stories that delve into the world of horror, mystery, suspense, sci-fi and dark humor. Awarded two Gémeaux wins for Best Male Lead and Best Female Support Role in 2021, it was a great pleasure to have created the scariest effects seen in this show!
Nadia, Butterfly makes it into TIFF'S Top 10 Features of 2020
TIFF Digital Screenings has put it aptly; 2020 has been a trying year for all, so we have to make the most of the highlights when they come our way and celebrate them. For us at AAStudios, seeing Nadia, Butterfly make its way into TIFF's Top 10 Canadian features of 2020 was certainly a cause for excitement!
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You can have a look at the list of winning features by clicking on the button below.
Nadia, Butterfly: Making Of
We were invited to the 24 Hours of Chaos event to showcase the work that went into the making of Nadia, Butterfly. The presentation was led by one of our senior 3D artists, Jérémy Berger, and we were proud to show off our behind-the-scenes during the streamed event. You can have a look for yourself by clicking on the button below!
Cannes Selection 2020
June 03, 2020
We are happy to announce, Nadia, Butterfly Directed by Pascal Plante and Produced by Nemesis Films has been selected to be part of the Official Selection at Cannes 2020!!
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AA Studios had the pleasure of creating all the VFX shots for the film, including two very long, sequential shots full of CGI crowds.
Good Luck!
Youth Media Alliance Gala 2020... WINNER!
May 29, 2020
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Le422 is the WINNER of the Public's Favorite Award at this years Youth Media Alliance Gala 2020
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AAStudios worked with BlachFilms producing all 510 VFX shots for this TeleQuebec Award Winning Series!
​We are proud to have had a key role in this production and to have been involved since the development stage.
Thank you Benoit Lach and Vincent Lafortune for your trust and passion!
Debut Series on National Geographic, Channel 4 and Discovery Channel in 2019
December 07, 2018
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Lost Treasures of Egypt is a debut series that takes the viewer on a virtual tour inside the final resting place of some of the most well known Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt, Tutankhamun, Seti I, Ramses lll and Hatshepsut, just to name a few. This 6 episode series provides a glimpse into the lives of these influential Pharaohs, detailing they’re succession to the throne, rule and subsequently death, leading to their individual burials in the Valley of the Kings.
Recreating these tombs equipped with the treasures the Pharaohs were buried with along with personal possessions, secret passages ways, and much more was no easy task, but the AA Studios team accepted the challenge of bringing this Ancient world to the Twenty-first century with a style, all of their own.
The project spanned a total of five months from start to finish producing a total of Fifty-Eight shots, at forty-five seconds each. Twenty-Seven, 2D animated, motion graphic shots integrated within a particle world encased in a 3D environment. A style developed by the AA Studios team specifically for this project. Along with Twelve highly stylized 3D animations and nineteen maps spread across Egypt.
With a team of twenty AA studios set out to create a CGI pipeline consisting of hand drawn designs, mapping, animation, compositing and rendering all while ensuring each shot was of the highest quality.
Endless hours, passion and talent went into creating this project and once it begins airing in early 2019, on Channel 4, National Geographic and Discovery, we’re confident viewers will see why!
Successful Collaboration with Windfall Films on Mythical Beasts
November 09, 2018
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A debut series for The Science Channel, Mythical Beasts merges reality and myth to explain some of the world's most iconic and terrifying monsters, revealing the truth behind these otherwise unexplainable beings. From the mighty Minotaur locked in King Mino’s Palace Labyrinth in Crete, to the origins of a Cyclopean society. These are just some of the Beasts uncovered in this 10 episode series airing on the Science Channel.
Mythical Beasts was another successful collaboration between the two time Canadian Screen Award nominated Montreal based, VFX Studio, AA Studios and Award winning production house, Windfall Films.
Together, AA Studios and Windfall Films began this project in March 2018, with a team of seventeen artist. The project spanned a total of ten months from start to finish producing a total of a hundred and five shots, at forty-five seconds each. Fifty-Two, 2D animated, motion graphic shots and, Fifty-Three stylized 3D animations. Recreating Beasts such as the great Fafnir Dragon, of Rhine Valley, the Mesoamerican deity known as the Quetzalcoatl, as well as a few human beasts, such as the 17th Century Eastern European blood thirsty Countess, Elizabeth Bathory, and 16th Werewolf of Dole, Gilles Garnier, just to name a few.
AA Studios always prides itself on delivering the best VFX possible and Mythical Beasts was no exception. For this production, AA Studios created an extensive CGI pipeline, work consisting of hand drawn designs, mapping, animation, compositing and rendering in order to create the magnificent environments and Mythical Beasts seen throughout the series.
UK and US residents can watch full episodes of MYTHICAL BEASTS on the Science Channel.
Nominated for BEST VFX at the Canadian Screen Awards
January 31, 2018
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A prestigious award ceremony honoring Canadian talent in both film and television is, The Canadian Screen Awards. Often compared to the Emmy and Oscar Awards, nominee’s are chosen based on their exceptional work in both the film and television categories. To be nominated for both of these awards is a true honor and privilege. One that rings true to the AA Studios team, who’s passion and determination to create beautiful, captivating work proves to have gotten the attention of the Academy.
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AA Studios was nominated for two awards in the Outstanding VFX category, one for Le Cyclotron, and the other for the 2017 Simon Lavoie film, La Petite Fille Qui Aimait Trop Les Allumettes.
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The entire AA Studios’ team will be in attendance come Award’s night, which will be airing, March, 11th on CTV.
Successful collaboration with Digital Dimension on Mega Machines
January 26, 2018
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The Discovery Network show, MEGA MACHINES (formerly titled RISE OF THE MACHINES Season Two) gives the viewer an in depth look at some of the most iconic machines used today. The Ten-part series uncovers the ins and outs (literally) of these illustrious machines. Revealing how they’re built, how they work and most importantly how they’ve evolved over time, to be deemed, Mega Machines!
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The show was a successful collaboration between Montreal based, VFX Studio, AA Studios, animation studio Digital Dimension and the award winning production house, Windfall Films.
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Together, AA Studios, Digital Dimension and Windfall Films began this project in August 2017, a project that would take up to eighteen artists and over five months to complete. Splitting the work amongst the artist’s, AA Studios delivered eighty-five shots, at forty-five seconds each. Fifty 2D animated, motion graphics shots, and thirty-five photorealistic 3D animations. Recreating machines in 3D such as, the Sikorsky S-92 Helicopter, a Hovercraft, the Helix Rollercoaster, a Road Train, and a Freight Train. As for motion graphics content that would include all the same as well as, an Aprilia RSV4 motorcycle, an Arctic Icebreaker, an Airfish 8, an Antonov An-124 and a Shinkansen (Bullet Train).
By recreating these supreme machines in both TFX and 3D, the viewer is given the opportunity to understand the mechanics behind these Mega Machines as well as, viewing the crème de la crème of VFX work. AA Studios prides itself on delivering the best VFX possible and with that, comes an enormous amount of pre-production and planning, to ensure projects run smooth and, clients are happy. For this production, AA Studios created an extensive CGI pipeline. The work consisted of hand drawn designs, mapping, blocking, animating, compositing and rendering all while ensuring each shot was of the highest quality. Endless hours, passion, and talent went into creating this project and once it begins airing in Canada (in the next few months) Canadian viewers will see why.
UK and US residents can watch full episodes of MEGA MACHINES on the Science channel
Nominated for BEST VFX at the Quebec Cinema Gala
June 04, 2017
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The Quebec Cinema Gala is an award ceremony honoring Quebec cinema and the amazing talent within the Quebec film industry. Established in 1999, originally called the “Jutra Awards Night”, nominees are invited to attend the televised show and winner’s receive the distinguished Iris Award.
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In 2017, AA Studios had the honor of accepting the Iris Award nomination for outstanding VFX for their work in the Olivier Asselin World War Two film, Le Cyclotron. A project that took over six months for us to complete, with half of it shot on green screen, AA Studios created digital environments, a computer generated train, animated credits, motion graphics, and lots VFX shots ranging from compositing to full CGI.
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Accepting the Iris Award nomination and arriving to the Quebec Cinema Gala (2017) is owner and VFX Supervisor, Marc Hall (as pictured to the left) Emmanuel Bazin Concept Artist/Matte painter and, Jonathan Cyr VFX Artist (as pictured to the right).
Successful collaboration with Fake Studios on Big Little Lies
February 19, 2017
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Fake Studios, a post-production VFX studio in Montreal, has been working with Jean-Marc Vallée since 2005. Fast forward a few years and we’re in 2017, AA Studios is asked to collaborate with Fake Studios on Jean-Marc Vallée’s HBO mini-series entitled, Big Little Lies. Based on Liane Moriarty’s novel of the same name, which centers around the community of Monterey, California. Within which, families appear to have the perfect lives in this coastal paradise. Within the community, three women form a close bond as their children all attend the same elementary school. Unbeknownst to each other, they all hold a dark and painful secret that eventually, breaks free to reveal the ugly side of both love, passion and desire.
Nominated for forty-seven awards in total, winning thirty-nine from the Emmy’s, Golden Globes, SAG’s, and Critics Choice Awards just to name a few. With news of Season two in the works, this series is one to watch, not just for it’s beautifully choreographed direction but, for it’s seamless VFX work from both Fake Studios and AA Studios.
In an interview with radio-canada.ca published on January 25th 2018, Marc Côté is quoted as saying the series has about one thousand, four hundred and twenty-eight VFX shots over the course of the entire series. Of which, around two hundred and twenty per episode. Of this amount, AA Studios helped with episode 5 and did all the VFX work for episode 6 and episode 7, over the course of two months.
2016 TIFF Best Canadian Film winner
September 13, 2016
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Ceux qui font les révolutions à moitié n'ont fait que se creuser un tombeau is a 2016 TIFF Best Canadian Film winner. It was Co-Written and Co-Directed by Mathieu Denis and Simon Lavoie. The film was selected for the 67th Berlin International Film Festival upon it's release in 2016. The film also received three nominations in 2016 from the Canadian Screen Awards, including Best Motion Picture and, Best Supporting Actress for Gabrielle Tremblay's performance in the film. This nomination made history as she is the first trans woman to be nominated in this category.
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We are very proud to have contributed to this project by doing all the VFX work involved.
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This film, marks the first production AA Studios and Simon Lavoie had together. Over the course of several months, AA Studios worked on specialized VFX shots, Including, environment embellishments, facial replacement and engulfing one of the main character's in fire.
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Because of the successful and rewarding collaboration on this project, Simon Lavoie reached out to the studio to collaborate, once again on his new project, La Petite Fille Qui Aimait Trop Les Allumettes. Stay tuned to find out more.