Division director François Rousselet and the VFX team at The Mill Paris build a fabulously over-the-top, gilded maritime adventure around American actress/producer Yara Shahidi for Jean Paul Gaultier’s Divine perfume.

CG Supervisor Guillaume Dadaglio: “From the project’s outset, we were captivated by the script and the effects we needed to create. We joined the film shoot with a machine equipped with Unreal Engine. This setup allowed us to validate our creative intentions in real-time with the client and the agency while saving time during the studio-based effects creation.
 

“We joined the film shoot with a machine equipped with Unreal Engine. This setup allowed us to validate our creative intentions in real-time with the client and the agency while saving time during the studio-based effects creation.”

 
“The bottle played a central role in the film and proved to be the most complex element to handle in terms of creation. During filming, we used a real bottle held by the actress [Yara Shahidi] for added authenticity, making it easier to replace it with a 3D model once in the studio.

“After swapping the bottle, we added both the ship and the ocean in CG. Creating fluid simulations in confined spaces is always tricky, as they tend to look less natural and react less realistically. From an artistic perspective, the challenge lay in finding the right balance of effect and scale.

“The ocean needed to resemble a real one while still reminding viewers of a typical liquid inside a bottle. Additionally, we focused extensively on lighting to recreate a sunlit storm, drawing inspiration from the paintings of Rembrandt.”
 
 

 
Client: Puig Group
Creative Director: Françoise Jacquey
AD: Céline Moeur

Production: Division
Director: François Rousselet
DOP: Hoyte Van Hoytema
Editor: Adriana Legay / Pietro Di Zanno

VFX Studio: The Mill Paris
Executive Producer: Cécile Hubin, Cédric Négrel
VFX Producer: Nicolas Huguet , Grégory Tournier
VFX Supervisor: Stéphane Pivron
CG Supervisor: Guillaume Dadaglio, Mathias Barday
Previz: Alexandre Sauthier, Joelia Rose, Guillaume Poueymarie
Concept: Nathan Lucas, Olivier Puechberty
Rigging: Marine Sisnaki, Alexandre Sauthier, Claire Auvin
Animation: Alban Lelievre, Joellia Rose
FX: Benjamin Lenfant, Felix Guglielmi
Lighting: Mathias Barday
Compositing: Randy Gudin, Eric Lemains
Flame: Stephane Pivron, Sebastien Aubert, Damien Canaméras, Valentin Gingembre, Sébastien Kremer
After: Etienne Lunet, Manon Baillet, Giovana Koua, Caroline Mistral, Agathe Sayegh, Cyril Hiard, Davide Mendes, Olivier Jarry, Anais Scheek, Jeremy Chicheportiche, Maxime Cordier, Frank Maillet, Barnabé Cantin
Matte Painting: Olivier Puechberty, Benjamin Bardou, Bastien Halter
Generalist: Victoria Leger, Benjamin Gachot, Alexandre Corcoy, François-Xavier Gonnet, Gowri Sankar Velusamy, Laura Pham Van Cang
Color Assistant: Loïc Lavaux
Planning: Sophie Mailho, Magali Luthringer, Annabel Akerboom
VFX Coordinators: Mathilde Cohen-Selmon, Milan Vicet

Color: Company 3
Colorist: Jean Clément Soret