VFX Supervisor Laurent Taillefer Joins Rodeo FX
VFX supervisor Laurent Taillefer, behind the projects Ad Astra, Deadpool, Stranger Things, The Walk, and Ghost in The Shell, joins the creative company Rodeo FX.
Originally from France, early on in his career, Laurent became fascinated by the countless possibilities that VFX offered—in light of this, he decided to pivot from his initial aspirations to direct for a creative position where he believed the 'real magic happened'.
At a time when VFX training was scarce in France, he learned the ropes from artists and industry veterans, developing his expertise as a generalist on advertising projects in Paris. After arriving in Montreal in 2006, he helped build departments and teams at several renowned studios, including Scanline, Atomic Fiction, Mokko Studios, Mikros Image, and Raynault VFX.
"I've always been attracted to technology and how it can be leveraged by teams and integrated into processes. It led me to constantly rethink the structures in place to optimize production," says Laurent. "But after a while, I really wanted to get back into the creative side of things, I missed the magic."
Laurent collaborated with Robert Emmerich on his blockbuster Moonfall, where he had the chance to go directly on set to assist the director. His most recent productions have all been box office successes such as Thor: Love and Thunder, Free Guy or the HBO series His Dark Materials.
Laurent says he is delighted to join the new team, "Everyone knows Rodeo and it is an honour to join the company. I see a lot of familiar faces and find there’s a culture that encourages everyone to give their best, but also to try new things and be bold,” he confides.
Rodeo FX, which for the second year in a row received 3 Emmy nominations for Outstanding VFX, has just finished working on the new Netflix series The Witcher: Blood Origin, the Disney+ movie The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, and is currently preparing for the theatrical release of the 4th instalment in the John Wick franchise.
