Scott Rhea - website

“Unplugged” – A Cinematic Expansion of a Photographer’s Vision Client: Scott Rhea (Photographer/Director)

Production Role: Creative Direction, VFX Supervision, CG Simulation & Compositing In a visually poetic short entitled “Unplugged,” we collaborated with celebrated underwater photographer Scott Rhea to bring one of his surreal still-image visions into motion. Known for his emotionally evocative, dream-like underwater portraits, Scott approached us with the idea of evolving one of his iconic shots into a moving narrative. This cinematic piece would feel like a moving painting.

Set in a mid-sized swimming pool, the concept revolves around a woman tethered by a massive plug and chain, sinking in an ethereal aquatic dreamscape. The goal was to transform a single photographic moment into an immersive, surreal sequence with haunting atmosphere and weightless motion.

• Underwater Cinematography: Shot on a Phantom high-speed camera, this project required expert coordination of lighting and fluid movement. Achieving slow-motion clarity underwater is no small feat — high light levels were necessary to illuminate the depths for the Phantom’s extreme frame rates.
  

• CG Environment & Simulation:

  • We recreated and extended the physical environment in 3D, expanding the limits of the practical pool.

  • A massive CG chain and pool plug were built, tracked, and composited into the plate.

  • We created underwater chain physics simulations using custom rigging and buoyancy setups to match the behavior of heavy metal links submerged in liquid.
    

The final piece was an evocative marriage of fine art photography, VFX-driven worldbuilding, and motion poetry. The project gained wide recognition across the experimental film and art community, screened in boutique festivals, and was featured as a showcase of underwater VFX craftsmanship.