Rodeo FX Welcomes Christopher Ahrens as VFX Supervisor

Christopher Ahrens has joined Rodeo FX as VFX supervisor, bringing more than two decades of visual effects experience to some of the biggest franchise television and film work, such as Arrival, Pacific Rim, and Watchmen.

Christopher moved to Canada from Europe, settling in Vancouver at a time when major American studios were just beginning to open outposts there. He trained as a lighting artist and cut his teeth on District 9, where he lit some of the film's most iconic 'Prawn' shots.

From there, his path moved steadily toward leadership. As a head of department, he grew a lighting team six-fold, from five to 35 artists, in about a year and a half, an experience that showed him first hand how a department scales and runs. He then moved into CG supervision, working across the Star Wars universe in Montreal on the first two seasons of The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and Obi-Wan Kenobi. For Christopher, it was a dream come true: like many in the industry, he grew up watching the original trilogy, and it was a formative influence in sparking his passion for visual effects.

Roughly ten years into his time in Vancouver, Christopher relocated to Montreal, where he went on to serve as VFX supervisor on Dark Matter and Chief of War where his team served as the main vendor on the season's final episode, tackling complex lava simulations, large-scale destruction, and crowd and army extensions.

"Even after twenty-plus years doing this, it's still my passion," Christopher said. "The tiniest details of moviemaking still captivate me and spark my interest. You have to stay open-minded and stay curious, and just as important, you have to collaborate. I love working closely with clients, and especially with the internal team: when people feel understood and involved in shaping a project, they give their best work."

Joining Rodeo FX, Christopher will now leverage his expertise on the creative company’s upcoming projects, including Dune: Chapter 3, The Rings of Power Season 3 and Brad Pitt’s Heart of the Beast.