Thresher
Thresher is Critical Role's first cinematic actual play horror series. We partnered with 12-Sided Studios to film the entire series in our Manchester studio over a single day, with the Critical Role team and cast flying in from LA to make it happen.
With six hours on camera and a tight schedule, every element of this production had to be planned and executed with precision. From crewing and studio logistics to shoot scheduling and post, we managed the full pipeline - giving the creative team the space to focus on performance and storytelling while we took care of everything around them.
Shot entirely on green screen, The Vectar Project built all of the underwater environments in 3D, using dynamic lighting within Unreal Engine to blend the physical and digital worlds into something that feels genuinely cinematic. The art department ensured physical props and set dressing worked seamlessly with the virtual sets, so the cast felt - and looked - truly embedded in the world of Thresher.
With everything captured in a single day, John Surdevan called and cut the whole show live - keeping the energy up and the production moving across multiple cameras simultaneously. It's one of those roles that makes everything feel effortless on screen, even when it's anything but behind the scenes.
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Alongside the two main episodes, we also produced two exclusive Cooldown episodes for Critical Role's Beacon subscriber community. Four pieces of high-quality content, delivered in a single studio day - for one of the most passionate and engaged fanbases in the world.
behind the scenes
