Low Orbit

Project overview

A grounded space drama that needed orbital vistas, a fully digital station and zero-gravity performances that never pulled the audience out of the story.

Category: Feature film
Year: 2026
Format: Feature film
Shots: 412
Duration: 11 weeks
Delivery: 4K ACES EXR
Services: CG & Animation, Environments, Compositing

01Creative brief

Build a believable near-future orbit — the station, the planet below and the star fields above — while keeping the camera language of a handheld drama.

02The challenge

Most of the film is set in microgravity. Actors were shot on wires and gimbals, which meant every shot needed rig removal, digital set extension and subtle secondary motion so bodies, hair and props floated convincingly.

03Approach & execution

We previsualised every orbital sequence with real lens data, built the station as a single modular asset and lit it against a physically based sun and planet so continuity held across 412 shots. Compositors worked from shared light rigs, which kept notes cycles short.

VFX breakdown

The shots by numbers

CG assets built86
Artists on the show34
Average versions per shot6
Delivered as4K ACES EXR

In detail

Behind the shots

The station was built once as a modular kit — corridors, docking rings and solar arrays — so the art department could reconfigure it for new angles without new modelling. Every surface was look-developed against the same sun and planet bounce, which meant wide establishing shots and close interiors always agreed.

Zero-gravity performances were shot on wires and gimbals. We removed rigs, added secondary motion to hair, cables and loose props, and extended the practical set digitally beyond the first few metres of corridor.

Gallery