You Are the Demogorgon: How Netflix and Rodeo FX Gave Cannes Lions an Unforgettable Scare

At this summer’s Cannes Lions festival, attendees of Netflix’s rooftop party were handed a surprise they wouldn’t soon forget. As fans of Stranger Things can attest, there’s little more terrifying than a demogorgon - a chilling, lovecraftian horror whose giant mouth opens up like an unsettling flower - leaping at you from the shadows. Imagine the levels of shock, then, if you were to realise that you were in fact the demogorgon. 

In a groundbreaking collaboration between Rodeo FX’s advertising and experiences division and Netflix, leaded by Dickie Chaytor (Netflix’s event manager) and Jordan Soles (senior VP), that’s precisely what Cannes festival-goers were offered by Rodeo FX, the studio behind the award-winning visual effects of Stranger Things Season 3 and 4. A fusion of cutting-edge technology and creative expertise resulted in an interdimensional mirror encounter that pushes the boundaries of what's possible for IP and brand experiences.

Through a captivating mirror portal, guests found themselves merging their own reflection and behaviours with the iconic Stranger Things demogorgon in a mind-blowing, boundary-defying moment.

To discuss the installation and, fascinatingly, what it might mean for similar IP-driven experiences in the near future, LBB caught up with Rodeo FX’s executive creative director Romain Demongeot… 

LBB> Romain, what makes the demogorgon such a good fit for an experience like this in your view? 

Romain> First of all, huge thanks to Dickie Chaytor who trusted us throughout this whole process! I also want to make sure that the credit for this job goes to the whole team - and all of our amazing artists!

There are three aspects which made this project such a strong fit. Firstly, on a visual level, the character worked perfectly in a ‘mixed reality’ context. Most ‘magic mirror’ characters, including those in AR filters, are usually simplified to a level which could be described as low poly and, as a result, it feels a lot more cartoony. 

The demogorgon didn’t face any of those problems given that it was a villainous horror character - and an incredibly realistic one at that. This made the challenge very interesting for our artists, who totally rose to the occasion, and having previously worked with Netflix on Stranger Things for several seasons, definitely helped the fit.

On an interactivity level, we made great use of the demogorgon’s physical characteristics. Its petal-mouth, for example, forced us to develop a very efficient real-time tracking system which allowed its unique design to feel natural. We wanted people to be willing to open their mouths and scream - which is unusual in itself for these kinds of installations - and have the demogorgon be able to mimic their movements immediately to create a bond. 

Finally, on a market level, the fact it has become such an iconic creature in a flagship Netflix TV show meant that audiences could connect with the concept very quickly. It certainly gets you thinking about the kind of possibilities for other established IP. 

LBB> What kind of vision did you have at the start of the project, and how does it align with the finished experience? 

Romain> We simply wanted to create the most realistic character possible, while maintaining the real time experience. Both to maintain the show’s quality expectations, but also so that users would experience a smooth run with no latency. That was the absolute goal. 

In the event itself, I think we probably created one of the most visually advanced real-time experiences in a user tracking context. We are all very proud of the R&D pipeline we created for this project, and we’re excited to see where it can be used next.

LBB> How did you find the reactions of people on the ground? Did any of them surprise you? 

Romain> They loved it even more than we hoped. The total number of users, and users finishing the experience, was quite high for this type of experiential stunt - and our intent of getting them to really engage was met. 

On a funny note, the jumpscare at the end worked perfectly! People were surprised by the twist, which was very satisfying to see. 

LBB> Can you tell us more about how you made sure that the Demogorgon in this experience was a faithful representation of the creature in the show? And was that process made easier because Rodeo FX supplies visual effects to the Netflix show itself?

Romain> Well, we started with the 3D model created by our own artists for the show, so yes, it helped; but then the real challenge was how to map it into Unreal Engine, and get the animations and blend shapes to work in a real-time software. This was a massive challenge. Once again, kudos are due to our real-time artists. 

On top of that, we had to explore how to simplify the textures and the lighting as much as possible in order to maintain a high frame rate while keeping the monster and the environment realistic. 

LBB> Did the experience of working on this project fuel your ideas for future installations at all? 

Romain> This certainly wasn’t the first interactive project our team has tackled, but a very high end execution is what we were after in this case. The fact that, in my opinion at least, we managed to make it happen, is what drove us to think that we could bring Mixed Reality content to a whole new level in the future. 

Imagine the possibilities of the mixed reality market, if we are now able to immerse audiences in experiences that no longer feel gimmicky, but real? This kind of visual and interactive quality can create deeply emotional and powerful bonds with audiences. You are not “playing” anymore, you are simply living. It’s a bit dangerous, but exciting…

LBB> Is there anything that you’d do differently if you had your time again? 

Romain> We would probably try to have users directly integrated in the experience somehow, rather than ask them to turn around to take a selfie, which was a little less instinctive.

LBB> Finally, these kinds of experiences lend themselves well to one-off events like Cannes Lions to create memorable moments. Do you think this is something that we’re going to be seeing more of at industry events in the near future? 

Romain> Yes, I’ve heard that Disney and Snapchat also had an interactive experience at Cannes this year. It is a very direct and immersive touchpoint to explore to meet younger audiences. 

But it’s when you consider this technology on a wider scale that it becomes really interesting. Take theme parks as an example. We’ve seen plenty of AR activations in recent years, but imagine being in Super Mario World, or fighting a Sith with your own lightsaber in a Star Wars experience. It’s almost like VR without the headset. 

And let's go even wider! Imagine being in a Disney store with your kids, and have them try one Snow White’s dress or Aladdin’s robes. What if they could then keep the clothes digitally, to wear it directly in one of their favourite console games? Or have it indefinitely on their phones as a digital token, just like what Nike is doing with RTKFT for collectible virtual sneakers? What if then you could enhance those items the same way you enhance your armour in RPGs? 

The possibilities, to me, are very wide. Both on an entertainment level, but also on a market-driven one. It has the potential to be a full ecosystem shift. Can you merge the digital and the physical worlds in a way that makes the frontiers totally seamless? It’s not gaming, it’s not streaming, it’s not e-commerce; and that’s the type of IP that brands are looking for to connect with their audience : it’s all of it together, all at the same time.