Death on the Nile

As the main VFX partner for the latest adaptation of Agatha Christie’s classic ‘Death on the Nile’, DNEG delivered close to 850 shots across 11 key sequences including a fully CG build for the Karnak Steamship and multiple CG environments for iconic Egyptian locations.

For the Karnak ship asset, our VFX team created a full CG build of both the interior and exterior of the vessel, including the steam paddle wheels and all of the doors, windows, decking and cabin details. For the ship’s interior, we added the upper sections, cabin interiors, and glass panelling that was predominantly made of bevelled glass. To create the multiple levels of bevelled glass, we exported 3D mattes to perfectly line up with the practical window frames, then applied a bevel effect before adding distortion in 2D.

As well as our hero ship asset, our teams also created several environments for the movie. Based on Lidar scans and reference photography, we built the Abu Simbel temple complex in full CG and added set extensions for the Nile, shoreline, vegetation and dunes that surround it. We also created the city of Aswan including the spice market and temple ruins, and our creature animation team were kept busy adding the native animals that inhabit the Nile and its shoreline, including crocodiles, snakes, ibises, and tiger fish.

Our DNEG Virtual Production team also provided visualization support for both pre-production and ongoing shot design during filming.

HERCULE POIROT MUST INVESTIGATE THE MURDER OF A YOUNG HEIRESS

'Death on the Nile' | VFX Breakdown