Crime 101

In this crime thriller, elusive thief Davis (Chris Hemsworth) is planning one final, high-stakes heist—but his path collides with an insurance executive (Halle Berry), a rival thief (Barry Keoghan), and a relentless detective (Mark Ruffalo) closing in fast. As the job approaches, the line between hunter and hunted begins to blur.

Crime 101, directed by Bart Layton and based on Don Winslow’s novella, features Cinesite as the lead VFX vendor, delivering around 150 seamless shots. Led by VFX supervisor Simon Stanley-Clamp, the team focused on invisible effects that enhance realism—from CG vehicle takeovers in complex stunt sequences, including high-impact crashes and transitions between stunt performers and digi-doubles, to detailed work such as blood, rain, glass shatter, signage replacement, and clean-ups—all carefully integrated to support the story without drawing attention.

Read the Art of VFX Interview with VFX Supervisor Simon Stanley-Clamp

How early were you involved?

From very early on. The contact came through Working Title, and I was given the script while I was still in post for them on Matilda. Director Bart Layton came in for a meeting and we had several early discussions, particularly about the car chases, the methodology of how they would be shot and the overall style. I presented a range of approach options, from full CG backgrounds to CG cars and in-car cameras, referencing old footage from Steve McQueen films including Bullitt and The Thomas Crown Affair. Although Crime 101 is a contemporary film, it has a stylish 60s aesthetic and one of the hero cars is the same car as from Bullitt.

Were any other companies involved in the VFX?

Cinesite was the main vendor, with a couple of in-house compositors and a graphics company in Sydney called Past Curfew creating the screen inserts for around 35-40 shots, from mobile phones to iPads, news overlays and computer screens. They deployed a few London freelancers too, which made the feedback process easier (between Australia, LA and London time zones). The graphics needed to be precise in their timing and interaction, since they were often necessary expositions which carried the storyline.

Who did you mainly deal with on a day to day basis, as a client?

Working Title Productions was the main client, and I dealt directly with director Bart Layton. Bart made a film 16 years ago called American Animals which I had seen and enjoyed, a crime caper or heist movie, the same genre as Crime 101. It’s a genre I’ve not worked with previously, so the opportunity was particularly exciting.  On the whole, the VFX are invisible, they’re enhancements, but they’re not Hollywood-like; nothing is over the top and it’s all very subtle.

Where and how was Crime 101 filmed and who supervised on set?

Grant Hewlett was on set in LA in 2024, while I finished up on Warfare for Alex Garland. The 101 of the title refers to highway 101 in California, which is where the film was shot, around LA for the majority of the film. There was a brief shoot in London in 2025 which I attended – both studio and location work, with places dressed to look like LA.

Can you describe any instances where visual effects were used to subtly alter documents or text throughout the film?

This kind of effect happens a few times throughout the film, to support story development, mainly from test screenings which resulted in story finessing and tweaks to enhance points of exposition. In some instances that meant zoning in and enhancing typography which needed to be tracked and matched with the plate. One example of this is when we added a file into the top of a storage box, which hadn’t been there previously – it is revealed after a cat which had been sitting inside the box gets up. Another was changing the handwritten wording on the back of a photograph.  One deceptively simple shot like this was actually one of the most tricky to achieve – replacing the label on an evidence bag – that was a long shot which was very difficult to track, but which needed to be entirely seamless.