Australia – Cloud-based VFX house Atmos Studios has delivered its most ambitious work to date with The System, a striking new campaign for personal injury law firm Arnold Thomas & Becker Lawyers that transforms an intimidating legal process into a cinematic, sci-fi experience.
Created by Andy Flemming and Kenny Hill at Kopilot and directed by Mitch Kennedy through The Producers, The System reimagines the law as a vast, sentient machine.
Set in a Blade Runner-esque, film-noir world, the film frames the system itself as the antagonist, reinforcing the rallying cry, “don’t be scared to take it on”.
Atmos was tasked with building what feels like the final act of a science-fiction feature: a living, reactive environment made from thousands of handcrafted components.
Without relying on generative AI, the team combined meticulous art direction with procedural systems, supported by extensive R&D and a bespoke pipeline that scaled under tight timelines.
Atmos Studios CG lead Chris Harris said, “It was an incredible opportunity to build a grimy, atmosphere-laden world drawing on 50 years of cinematic influence. What began as a clear mental picture became something richer as artists interpreted, refined and elevated the idea–layering in nuance, texture and movement that no single person could have designed alone. The finished film didn’t just match the initial visualisation; it surpassed it.”
Kenny Hill, founder and executive creative director at Kopilot, said, “Every time we opened a WIP link from Andreas it felt like Christmas morning. The technical prowess of the talented humans at Atmos is undeniable, and their passion for this project is there in every frame. We can’t wait to work with them again.”
Director Kennedy’s choice to shoot on Atlas Mercury Series 1.5x anamorphic lenses informed the CG, with Atmos replicating distortion and flares to maintain continuity.
Reactive lighting, screens, and pathways reinforce the sense of a system fighting back, positioning ATB as the human force capable of navigating, and dismantling, complex legal machinery.
Atmos founder Andreas Wanda said, “For Atmos, it’s a statement project and proof that no brief is too complex when collaboration, craft and curiosity lead the way. Our creative confidence comes from our culture where ideas are challenged constructively, and artists are trusted to push beyond the brief. As the team puts it–built by humans, powered by experience, and absolutely worth taking on.”
