Emmys 2025: Image Engine on Dune: Prophecy's Cinematic VFX

Martyn Culpitt, Image Engine's VFX Supervisor, is currently Emmy-nominated for Outstanding Special Visual Effects In A Season or A Movie for his work on Dune: Prophecy (HBO Max). Discover how the 150-member team tackled over 208 shots on the epic sci-fi/fantasy series, and which ML-powered Silhouette Node came in handy.

Congrats to you and the team on being Emmy-nominated for your work on Dune: Prophecy! How does it feel to be nominated?

It’s a huge honour to be recognized alongside such talented colleagues across the industry. This nomination reflects not just my work, but the creativity, dedication, and collaboration of the entire Image Engine team. All 150 of our crew, from artists to supervisors and support staff, contributed to creating the VFX that helped bring Dune: Prophecy to life, and it’s amazing to see their effort celebrated on this scale.

What type of VFX did you and the team handle during the season?

We handled a pretty wide range of VFX across 208 shots, from fully CG environments to creature animation and complex FX simulations. Some of the standout sequences were the sandworm attacks on Arrakis, the intense ice lake storm, the holographic table projecting the desert and sandworm predictions, a mechanical robot battle in a fully CG junkyard, and the mindkiller sequence, where a surgical machine pulls out an eyeball to implant a device. 

Each shot came with its own challenges, and it really required a mix of technical precision and creative problem-solving to keep everything feeling cinematic and true to the Dune universe. 

You have access to Silhouette, Mocha Pro, and Sapphire in your workflow. Why is it essential for your artists to have access to these tools?

Having the right tools available gives our artists the flexibility to tackle a wide range of challenges. In our BG Prep department, we use Silhouette for key tasks like tracking, rotoscoping, and frame-by-frame paint, which are the most important skills we use it for.

Can you give a few examples of how you used Boris FX products on the series? 

Our BGPrep Lead on Dune: Prophecy, Jiayi Siew, shared a few examples of how these tools supported the team’s work. The new Silhouette machine learning Retime ML Node was particularly useful in episodes 1 and 6, where it helped us retime shots while reducing the need to paint out retime artifacts.

Silhouette and Mocha Pro also played a key role in giving BGPrep the precise mattes needed for compositing, which was critical in complex moments like the ice lake sequence in episode 6.

And in the Anirul sequence, extracting characters from the blue screens presented a challenge, but the tools gave us the precision and flexibility we needed for these shots. 

What was the biggest VFX challenge you faced during the season?

One of the biggest challenges was delivering feature-film-quality VFX on a TV schedule. We were aiming to match the legacy of the Dune films, but with shorter timelines. Many of the sequences were really complex with dense FX simulations and fully CG environments. 

To manage that, we leaned heavily on procedural workflows and custom tools like flare setups and animation templates, which helped speed up repetitive tasks and cut down on errors. Sharing these setups across teams also made the pipeline more flexible, giving our artists more time to focus on the creative side rather than just mechanics. 

It was a real balancing act, but it pushed the team to think creatively and technically at every step.

Which scene/shot was your favorite to work on, and why?

There are so many sequences I’m proud of, it’s hard to pick just one, but the ice lake storm really stands out. The black-and-white snow reflecting Valya’s emotional state, combined with dynamic snow simulations, ice cracking effects, and layered compositing, made it a complex but incredibly rewarding sequence. 

Another highlight was the Anirul world we created to represent family tree information from the Dune houses. The intricate trees are able to turn on and off, move, illuminate, and create graphical elements from their branches. It’s so unique and complex. I’ve never seen anything quite like it.

At the same time, sequences like the Arrakis sandworm, holotable, Mek robot, and the mindkiller all presented unique challenges and opportunities for creativity. 

Overall, it was an unforgettable project, and I feel very fortunate to have worked with such a talented team.