Fresh from its premiere at the Melbourne International Film Festival, Beast of War has already drawn strong critical acclaim. The Guardian praised it as “smashingly well-paced and gung-ho” with an “exciting visual flavour,” while ScreenHub described it as “inspired.”

Directed by Kiah Roache-Turner, the film follows a squadron of Australian soldiers locked in a desperate fight for survival – against both the ocean and a formidable shark.

Filming took place at Screen Queensland Studios in Brisbane, where ModelFarm’s VFX and Virtual Production Supervisor, Rangi Sutton, and his team oversaw every aspect of the virtual production. Their remit spanned from early consulting and LED volume build management to Virtual Art Department, Brain Bar, and on-set supervision.

A major challenge was the integration of a 40-metre water tank – the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. Maintaining precision camera tracking required frequent recalibration, with crew members literally wading into the tank to ensure seamless operation between the physical and virtual environments.

“ModelFarm were absolutely incredible on Beast of War. The team provided a world-class service that truly made us feel like we were on a studio-budget set. The ability for actors to perform against real environments elevated their performances, and the designs ModelFarm delivered perfectly complemented Kiah’s unique style.”

Producer Blake Northfield, CEO of Bronte Pictures

With studios in Queensland and South Australia, ModelFarm continues to expand its footprint across the VFX spectrum. Recent credits include Equalizer 3 and last year’s Lego movie, Piece by Piece. The company’s growing Virtual Production capability is giving filmmakers new creative opportunities while maintaining world-class production values.