Led by MPC’s Production VFX Supervisor Ben Mossman and VFX Producer Martin O’Brien, the team continued the momentum established in the previous two seasons – to keep things grounded in the photography by rendering photoreal historical locations and enhancing the action with complex FX simulations.

With CG environments serving as the bulk of work, the team embraced the challenge of digitally recreating multiple locations, including intricate cityscapes and enhancing landscapes that transported viewers back to the 11th century. Examples include – Syracuse, Constantinople, Greenland, and Poland; as well as recreating the iconic Winchester Cathedral and the ever-present Viking stronghold of Kattegat.

With MPC’s work featuring across all 8 episodes, one of the stand-out moments was the cliff collapse in Episode 304, which required precise timing and execution. Shot in a quarry and with very few practical effects available for the collapse itself, the VFX team was tasked with creating a full CG moment of rocks giving way, a boat being destroyed, Vikings ejected, and the turbulent aftermath.

Another challenge came in Episode 308 and the fire sequence, which needed to be fully recreated in CG – a significant shift for the production, as they typically relied on practical fire elements on set. Given the limited live-action footage available, the team needed to carefully augment the visuals to effectively illustrate how Freydis deceives her captors and the crowd into believing she is conjuring flames. The timing and movement of all elements were essential for effectively telling the story, as the fire not only lit the scene, but also concealed the heroes’ escape. To achieve a believable look, the team collaborated with the creative team on an early test shot, which helped to refine the visuals and maintain consistency throughout the entire sequence.

“Bringing back the world of Vikings has been an epic journey for myself and the whole team here at MPC,” says Production VFX Supervisor Ben Mossman. “We’re so incredibly thankful for the opportunity to work across all 3 seasons and truly proud to have delivered close to 2000 VFX shots. Our thanks go to Jeb Stuart, Sheila Hockin, Nick Iannelli, Ian Keltie, Take 5, and everyone at Netflix & MGM for entrusting us on this journey.”

All 8 episodes of Vikings: Valhalla are now streaming on Netflix.