On February 10, Rennes welcomed creative industry professionals for a full day of conversations at the crossroads of cinema, audiovisual production, and digital innovation. As part of the Made By program, The Yard VFX was honored to curate this eighth edition and share its perspective on an industry in transformation.
Held in Rennes and organized by Rennes Métropole and Clair Obscur as part of the Travelling Film Festival, the Made By The Yard day brought together professionals, institutions, studios, researchers, and students to reflect on the major artistic, technological, and economic shifts shaping today’s image industries.
With its activity firmly rooted in the international landscape, The Yard shared insights into the realities of working with major Hollywood studios, the evolution of global production models, and the challenges—and opportunities—facing the French VFX sector. The 2026 edition of the Travelling Film Festival focusing on Los Angeles gave particular resonance to these discussions, as conversations explored how French studios collaborate within—and help shape—the global audiovisual ecosystem.
The Yard structured a programme around themes central to the studio’s vision of the industry: production excellence, international positioning, technological competitiveness, and the future of talent. The team also invited many speakers as bringing together diverse perspectives was essential to shed light on the challenges and the collaborations that are necessary to strengthen—and ensure the sovereignty of—our industry in France.
You’ll find below key highlights of the conferences held during the day :
Opening remarks and studio vision
The day began with welcoming words from Sebastien Semeril, Vice President of Rennes Metropole, alongside Fabrice Bassemon, Director of Clair Obscur, who both came back on the importance of the creative and cultural industries in Brittany, followed by Marie Afriat, Managing Director and Joelle Cleworth, Head of Marketing of The Yard.
Laurens Ehrmann then retraced his professional journey and presented The Yard VFX’s development strategy. In just over a decade, the studio has become a recognized player in the international VFX industry, contributing to globally renowned franchises such as The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Predator : Badlands, Stranger Things 5. His presentation highlighted our ambition to combine creative excellence, strong production organization, and international collaboration—while continuing to grow from our French bases in Paris and Montpellier, as well as in London with strong studio values.
VFX Made in France in a Globalized Market
The first roundtable, moderated by Joelle Cleworth, gathered industry professionals and institutional representatives to discuss the positioning of French VFX within a highly competitive global market.
Laurens Ehrmann, Raphael Benoliel, Producer and Founder of FIRSTEP, Caroline Julliard-Mourgues, Deputy Head of Film France-CNC Department, CNC, and Yann Marchet, General Delegate of PIDS ENGHIEN and France VFX, discussed together major market trends shaping France’s VFX industry, France’s international tax incentives and its positionning, and the country’s attractiveness for foreign productions and international studios. Panelists also addressed the emergence of new business models, the industrialization challenges facing the French VFX sector, and the growing need for experienced talent.
From Hollywood to Paris… and Back: Predator: Badlands Case Study
The morning concluded with an in-depth look at one of our latest projects: Predator: Badlands.
Presented by Virginie Wintrebert, Head of Production, and Bertrand Cabrol, CG Supervisor of The Yard, this session took the audience behind the scenes of a major Hollywood production—from its early development to final delivery. Beyond the creative challenges of contributing to a globally recognized franchise, the presentation illustrated The Yard’s strategy to attract international productions to France and showcased the impact of international tax incentives. The presentation also highlighted how the production was organised around a seamless collaboration between our Paris and Montpellier teams, and the studio’s ability to meet the highest creative expectations, thanks to craft excellence and technology.
Technology and Competitiveness: Staying in the Race
In the afternoon, discussions turned toward innovation and competitiveness. As technological mastery becomes as critical as artistic excellence, studios must constantly evolve.
Bringing together representatives from academia (Marc Christie, Rennes University), research (Samuel Boivin, INRIA), public institutions (Thomas Grosperrin, CNC), and studio leadership (Alexis Oblet, CTO of The Yard), the roundtable moderated by Joelle Cleworth explored how France can assert a distinctive and sustainable innovation model within the global VFX industry. From infrastructure and R&D to pipeline optimization and emerging technologies, the conversation blended practical feedback with forward-looking perspectives on how to remain competitive in a rapidly changing environment, through bridges between studios and research, and financing opportunities.
Training Tomorrow’s Talent
The final session of the day brought together The Yard’s executives, Laurens Ehrmann, Virginie Wintrebert and Alexis Oblet, and leading digital art schools representatives, Jean-Michel Bihorel and Camille Campion, co-founders of Creative Seeds, and Alexandre Pagot, director of the ArtFX’s Lille Campus, to examine the future of VFX education.
At a time when the job market is under pressure—with more candidates than opportunities and increasing challenges for juniors—the discussion, moderated by Yann Marchet, tackled essential questions:
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How should schools adapt to a more selective and competitive market?
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How to train talent for demanding positions in production or innovation?
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Should training focus on specific tools, defined roles, or adaptability and long-term skills?
Participants addressed the need to better align education with industry realities, to structure production and technological career paths more clearly, and to develop hybrid profiles combining artistic and technical expertise. Governance, labeling, and quality standards were also discussed as levers to restore clarity, attractiveness, and trust in the French VFX training ecosystem.
Throughout the day, conversations were rich, honest, and forward-thinking.
We would like to warmly thank everyone who attended the Made By The Yard day on February 10—from Rennes, Brittany, and far beyond.
We greatly appreciated the quality of the discussions and the engagement of professionals and students alike. Your questions, perspectives, and enthusiasm made this day truly meaningful.
A special thank you goes to all our external speakers for their generosity and insight, and to our team members who worked over the past months to curate and deliver a compelling and thought-provoking program.
Together, we continue to shape the future of French VFX—locally rooted, internationally connected.
Photo Credits : Gilles Pensart – Festival Travelling | Benoit Rogez – 3DVF | The Yard VFX