Stranger Things 5: Recreating Young Will With VFX | Collider BTS

The Real Reason Stranger Things 5’s VFX Feel More Real Than Ever comes straight from Visual Effects Supervisor Betsy Patterson, who reveals how the team tackled the season’s most intimidating sequence: the opening flashback featuring a young Will Byers. By partnering with Weta Digital and sourcing every frame of archival footage possible, the team built a stunningly accurate digital version of Noah Schnapp that could match lighting, motion, and emotional nuance.

Patterson also details how Vecna’s Season 5 look emerged from a true collaboration between prosthetics and CG. Barry Gower’s team created physical pieces engineered to integrate with digital vines and micro-movements, while Jamie Campbell Bower adapted his physicality — even wearing shoulder-enhancing pads — to match the creature’s imposing silhouette.

The breakdown expands into Stranger Things’ trademark approach: practical grounding first, digital enhancement second. From digitizing real sets with laser scanners to recreating every flickering Upside Down light in CG, the team ensured flawless stitching between the physical set and digital extensions. Fans curious about Stranger Things VFX behind the scenes, Vecna animation techniques, or Upside Down environment builds will get a deeper look at how Season 5’s spectacle remains rooted in realism.

0:00 Betsy Patterson Introduces Season 5’s VFX
0:26 The Pressure of the Opening Flashback
0:45 Building a CG Will Byers
1:33 Designing Vecna’s Hybrid Look
2:20 Jamie’s Performance Adjustments
3:07 Making the Unreal Feel Physical
3:54 How Previs Shapes Every Department
4:36 Scanning Sets & Capturing Lighting
5:40 Flickering Lights and Complex Reflections
6:03 Set Extensions Across Hawkins
6:52 Coordinating Final Battle Effects

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