Emilia Pérez

Mexico, today. Lawyer Rita receives an unexpected offer. She has to help a feared cartel boss retire from his business and disappear forever by becoming the woman he’s always dreamed of being.

The Mill, previously MPC Paris, handled all aspects of digital image post-production for Jacques Audiard’s latest film, Emilia Pérez, from visual effects (VFX) to image finishing. 

Under the overall supervision of Cédric Fayolle, our team was involved from the early stages of the project starting in September 2023. The unique aspect of Emilia Pérez is that, although the story is set in Mexico, almost the entire film was shot against blue screens in the Paris region. One of the major challenges in post-production was ensuring visual consistency, making sure the effects remained seamless across more than 350 shots.

Rodolphe Zirah, VFX Supervisor, and Lise Fischer, 2D Supervisor, explain that every street, every outdoor, and sometimes even indoor set required digital visual effects. For instance, in the opening scene with Zoé Saldaña, only a few shops were physically present; everything else, from buildings and trees to the ground, was created digitally.

Similarly, the chase sequence, mostly created using CGI, highlights the significant contribution of the VFX team. For this complex scene, extensive planning was necessary, involving close collaboration with the director. Rodolphe and Lise point out that over 65% of the footage seen in the trailer was digitally modified.

Christophe Courgeau, Digital Environments Supervisor, notes that numerous tests and iterations were needed to balance realism and stylization. The virtual environments, designed to evoke an imaginary Mexico, included digitally created buildings like Emilia’s house and the prison, as well as entirely recreated landscapes. 

Yann Nivet, VFX Producer at MPC Paris, coordinated over 70 artists over eight months, working with Executive Producer Édouard Valton to ensure every stage was completed on time and within budget, especially for the Cannes Film Festival. 

The close collaboration between the VFX and image post-production teams was crucial. The footage shot by Director of Photography Paul Guilhaume was color-graded in Resolve by Arthur Paux. Brice Leclert, Post-Production Manager, highlights the responsiveness of his teams in adapting workflows and ensuring smooth communication with the VFX teams. 

The MPC Paris teams are very proud to have contributed to creating the captivating visual world of Emilia Pérez and extend their thanks to Why Not Productions, Jacques Audiard, and Les Artizans for their continued trust.