Enter the World of Highend VFX
Visual effects enhance the storytelling process. The techniques of pre-vis, tech-vis and post-vis help solve creative and technical problems, produce proof of concept for ambitious ideas and help prevent costly errors of re-shoots. Maike Fiene is a Visualisation Supervisor at Framestore, an Academy Award-winning visual effects house that has worked across TV, film, advertising, rides and immersive experience. Her credits include major blockbuster titles including Spiderman: Far From Home, Wonka and Disney’s recent live action remake of The Little Mermaid. In an exclusive masterclass at Aesthetica Film Festival 2025, Fiene will share how VFX has helped make these fantastical and intricate worlds into a reality. We caught up with her ahead of the talk to gain an insight into her illustrious career.
A: Take us back to the start. How did you begin working in VFX?
MF: I came into the industry straight out of university at NHTV Breda, having completed a Bachelor in Game Design. The course taught me a variety of skills that were transferable to the movie Industry and it quickly became my dream to “one day” work on a movie that all my friends and family would enjoy. Of course, not being specialised enough to compete for pure animation positions made it quite challenging to get started, until I found a smaller company that was specialising in Previs – a process of creating a draft version of a film, animation, or video game scene before production. Little did I know it was where I was meant to be.
A: You’ve worked on huge titles including Spiderman: Far From Home and Wonka. Do you have a particular project that stands out as a highlight?
MF: A particular highlight is, and always will be, Game of Thrones Season 8. The work the team was creating was sensational, it was the peak of a well-established production and the challenge was immense. The sheer amount of planning in Previs, as well as extensive Techvis, was impressive. The whole thing was really well thought through, working together with the Production Team and Visual Effects Supervisors, enabling them to plan and execute complex shots to a tight schedule.
A: For those unfamiliar, can you explain the difference between pre-vis, tech-vis, and post-vis – and where they each fit into the filmmaking process?
MF: All of these terms describe a different phase in the pre-production pipeline. Generally – and really slimmed down – Previs involves the visualisation of a sequence before capturing any material on camera (this can be to great detail). The Techvis phase is preparing diagrams or quicktimes to help instruct on how to film your material and what might be required. And the Postvis phase is a first rough process of your filmed material showing the integration of placeholder VFX, which informs the edits.
A: What advice would you give to young artists wanting to work in high-end visual effects?
MF: Be passionate about what you do but not too precious. If you work on something until perfection, you are likely too invested to be open to receiving feedback. This is a creative industry, everybody has to start somewhere, and people generally enjoy sharing their experience so ask for feedback on your work whenever you can.
A: What excites you most about the future of VFX?
MF: To see what amazing Ideas new generations come up with and see the stories they have to tell. This is such a huge and global community with so many creative minds, and each wave of new people has more and more access to knowledge than the people before them. Your imagination is the only limit.
Words: Emma Jacob & Maike Fiene
Framestore: Enter the World of Highend VFX is at Yorkshire Museum on Thursday 6 November | 16:00 – 17:00
Book Your Tickets: asff.co.uk/tickets/
