Trick Digital

Trick Digital is a Los Angeles creative studio working across visual effects, animation, commercial filmmaking and interactive application development. Founded in 1999 by Adam Clark and Gretchen McNelis, the company combines film and television post-production with software and digital media projects for commercial and industrial clients.

Its visual effects work spans digital creatures, character animation, crowd generation, set extensions and effects designed to blend into photographed footage. Capabilities include modeling, rigging, texturing, camera tracking, rotoscoping, compositing and simulations of fire, smoke and other particle effects. The studio also handles on-set supervision, script breakdowns and technical planning, connecting production requirements with the subsequent effects work.

Film and television work

For The Last Movie Star, Trick Digital integrated newly filmed footage of Burt Reynolds into sequences from Deliverance and Smokey and the Bandit. The work involved historical plate integration and invisible compositing. On the 2023 science-fiction feature 57 Seconds, the studio completed more than 200 visual effects shots and designed the opening titles.

Its broader portfolio includes creature extensions and particle-based title work for Jeepers Creepers 3, visual effects for horror productions such as You Might Be the Killer and Open 24 Hours, and digital creature work for Anaconda 3: Offspring.

Interactive and commercial production

Beyond screen effects, Trick Digital develops native mobile applications, web applications, interactive touchscreen experiences and three-dimensional product visualizers. Its industrial projects include tools for demonstrating products, configuring materials and estimating requirements, with work for Bosch Security Systems, Stanley Black & Decker, Bostitch, Proto Industrial Tools and Armstrong Ceilings. Website and e-commerce development form another part of this practice.

Commercial production services extend from concepts, scripts, storyboards and pre-visualization through directing, cinematography, editing, sound design, original music and color grading. The studio has also produced immersive content, including a dome VR experience for Super Bowl LII, bringing its animation and interactive capabilities into live experiences.