The panel featured Producer Miles Dale, Production Designer Tamara Deverell, and VFX Supervisor & MR.X founder Dennis Berardi, in conversation with filmmaker, critic, and programmer Emily Gagne. Together, they explored how this long-awaited passion project evolved from script to screen, and why del Toro continues to build his creative worlds in Ontario.
Throughout the discussion, the panellists reflected on the responsibility of helping tell a story that del Toro has carried with him for much of his life, and on how working with Netflix enabled an ambitious production on every level. They spoke about the trust and shorthand built over years of collaboration on projects like Mimic, The Shape of Water and Nightmare Alley, and how that trusted group of Ontario-based department heads and crews gave del Toro the confidence to finally tackle Frankenstein at this scale.
The conversation also dug into the practical and artistic challenges of world-building, from reimagining familiar elements of the novel to designing the film’s major sets and visual effects. The panel walked the audience through the process of constructing complex environments such as Victor’s lab and the ship, creating realistic wildfire in VFX, and how physical builds, miniatures and digital extensions were woven together to create a cohesive world.
The evening closed with a tribute to the Ontario crews who helped build Frankenstein’s haunted landscapes, as well as many other del Toro worlds over the last two decades. As Tamara Deverell put it, “The carpenters, the painters, the grips, the electrics – the crew here has grown up for many years, and I’ve seen it: the skill level is unparalleled.”
Thank you to TIFF Industry, panellists Miles Dale, Tamara Deverell and Dennis Berardi, moderator Emily Gagne, and all the DGC Ontario Members and guests who joined us for this special celebration of collaborative filmmaking!
