Meet The Yardeners – the passionate team at The Yard, dedicated to cultivating creativity and transforming it into stuning visual effects, inspiring collaborations, and unforgettable stories.
This week, we are pleased to introduce Corentin Bachelet, our talented Head of Environment. With a rich background in both animation and VFX, Corentin has brought his artistic vision and technical expertise to major productions across France and Canada. Since joining The Yard in 2023, he has played a key role in developing our Environment department and delivering striking, story-driven landscapes for our latest high-profile shows.
Hello Corentin ! Could you please explain your role at The Yard ?
Hello everyone ! I lead the Environment and Digital Matte Painting department at The Yard VFX, where I oversee both the creative and operational development of the team.
My role includes managing the development of the department from a technical and procedural standpoint (workflow, pipeline), building and organizing a strong team of leads and artists through training and recruitment, and supervising the creation of environments on shows. To do this, I develop methodologies tailored to each project’s artistic vision and guide the team to deliver high-quality, realistic environments for feature films and television productions.
One of the CG environments crafted by The Yard team on Halo – Season 2:
What brought you to VFX ?
I actually began my career in feature animation. As a kid, I was always fascinated by the creation of new worlds and by what artists could bring to the screen. Early on, I set my sight on working in animation and CG.
After finishing school, I spent a few years working for different companies, but over time, I found myself growing a bit tired of stylized, cartoon-like visuals. My interests gradually shifted toward more complex and realistic CG work, and I was really inspired by the groundbreaking projects coming out of studios like ILM and Weta.
Eventually, an opportunity arose that allowed me to make a major life change—I jumped on a plane and joined Rodeo FX in Montreal. After two and a half years there, I was offered the chance to step as a supervisor at DNEG, where I later became Head of Environments.
After seven years in Montreal, with two kids and a wealth of experience, I decided it was time to return home, in France, and help develop the Environment department at The Yard.
Could you share the main challenges in the environment department ?
Interestingly, the main challenge is also what I enjoy the most: being a generalist.
We’re expected to deliver the same quality as specialized departments, but often with less time to ramp up, which can be demanding.
It requires constantly staying up to date with the latest tools and software. However, keeping the motivation to continuously learn is tough, especially in an industry that’s always evolving. Technology moves fast, and keeping up is simply part of the job. It takes real dedication—staying open to new tools and technologies and consistently exploring fresh solutions to meet the creative and technical demands.
When I first arrived at The Yard, the challenges were a bit different. My focus was more on organizing the department, figuring out how to collaborate with the existing team and reorganizing some processes to streamline production. It’s always a challenge stepping into a company that operates at a a different scale and growth timeline than what what you’re used to. But the quality and motivation were already there—it was just a matter of finding the right pace for everyone.
What major evolutions do you see upcoming in your field ?
AI—for better or worse. It’s hard to predict exactly how it will impact the industry, but its influence is already growing.
I do see potential for it to streamline technical processes, like speeding up renders, improving denoising, cleaning LIDAR scans, or automating rotoscoping. But I also have concerns. There’s a trend among young artists to focus more on the technical side and less on artistic fundamentals. My worry is that AI will accelerate this shift, and we risk losing the artistic foundation the industry has spent years building.
During your career, you’ve worked on various film genres. Is there a particular project that stands out to you as the most memorable ? If so, why ?
I was incredibly lucky to supervise the environments for Dune: Part One. It’s one of the few projects I’ve worked on that had such a clear artistic vision and direction. The journey to delivering it was challenging—steep and sometimes bumpy—but the end result, along with the heart and dedication that the whole team put into it, made it all worthwhile.
You have worked at diverse studios in France and Canada, in VFX and Animation. Have you noticed any discernible differences in the approaches to productions ?
There’s definitely a difference in mindset, which I think reflects broader cultural differences. In Montreal, feedback often starts on a positive note: “It’s good, but…” Even if the work isn’t quite there yet, the tone tends to stay encouraging. That can sometimes be a little confusing for some artists, who might think their work is nearly finished when it still needs development.
In France, feedback is generally more direct. People will say, “I don’t like this or that,” and if they do like something, it’s often just “Keep going.” I actually appreciate the honesty and clarity in that approach, but I also think there’s value in blending it with a bit more positivity when interacting with artists.
I like that at The Yard, many of our artists, leads, and supervisors have worked in different countries and studios. It creates a cultural mix, with everyone bringing back the experiences they’ve gathered and now sharing them here in France.
Any advice you’d give students interested in becoming environment artists ?
Don’t hesitate to ask questions. School gives you about 75% of what you need— the rest, you learn by reaching out to more experienced artists. I’ve seen many juniors struggle with their first shots, trying to prove they can do it on their own. But this isn’t a one-man show—our industry thrives on collaboration.
I have a personal rule: I allow myself 15–20 minutes to try and solve a problem, and if I am still stuck, I ask for help.
Is there any funny saying that you often hear or say in your job ?
It might just be my thing, but I often say that to be a real environment artist, you have to “break some rocks” at some point. So much of our work revolves around landscapes—and you can be sure there will be rocks, boulders, cliffs, or mountains involved somewhere along the way.
