Netflix Merges VFX Units Scanline And Eyeline To Focus On Virtual Production, AI-Enabled Filmmaking

Netflix is merging its two in-house production units, Scanline VFX and Eyeline Studios, under a single brand known as Eyeline. According to the steamer, the move will leverage more than four decades of industry experience and look to spearhead advances in virtual production and “AI-enabled” filmmaking.

Founded in 1989 and acquired by Netflix in 2021, Scanline is best known for its large-scale effects work on major franchises such as Stranger Things, Wednesday, and Avatar: The Last Airbender. The studio scored an Academy Sci-Tech Award for its Flowline fluid simulation system and picked up an Emmy for its work on Season 2 of Andor earlier this year.

Eyeline Studios, established in 2019, focuses on virtual production and volumetric capture, most recently working on Wednesday Season 2 with the creation of Professor Orloff, played by Christopher Lloyd, seen above. The studio also developed the Light Dome, a system capable of reproducing real-world lighting conditions on stage, used on Happy Gilmore 2 and A House of Dynamite.

Under the Eyeline name, Netflix aims to integrate Scanline’s VFX expertise with Eyeline’s virtual production and research capabilities. The combined operation will continue to develop production technologies that leverage real-time rendering, volumetric capture, and generative AI tools, areas Netflix has been exploring in recent projects, such as the Argentine sci-fi series The Eternaut.

The rebrand positions Eyeline as Netflix’s central hub for advanced production technology.