The Dragon CG Integration Workshop by Alex Hanneman

This workshop is a straight shot to a killer reel. Instead of piecing together random tutorials, you get 7 days of focused work on 8 high-end comps, including a feature-film dragon dropped into real Iceland footage. It’s the kind of project that makes recruiters stop scrolling.

🎯 What you’ll learn

• Seamlessly integrate CG renders into live-action footage
• Match lighting, color, and atmosphere for photoreal results
• Use camera projection and matte painting workflows
• Build a portfolio of 8 studio-ready shots

✅ Requirements

• Skills: Basic knowledge of Nuke interface and node-based compositing
• Tools: Nuke (Non-Commercial, Indie, or Commercial)
• Hardware: 16 GB RAM minimum, 32 GB recommended; 150 GB storage (300 GB ideal)

📝 Description

This isn’t a “watch me work” tutorial. You’re building the shots yourself, with a Senior Compositor guiding you through the exact workflows used at Weta Digital and ILM. The course starts with theory and methodology, then dives straight into 8 production-level shots. Each one pushes you to solve real problems: matching a dragon’s CG lighting to Iceland’s overcast sky, faking reflections with camera projections, and blending digital matte paintings into the footage.

The real value is in the repetition. By the time you finish the last shot, you won’t just have a single good comp — you’ll have a consistent, high-quality reel that proves you can handle hero CG work. The assets are top-tier: cinema-quality Iceland plates, a fully rigged and animated dragon, and tracked cameras with LiDAR data. You’re getting the same kind of material you’d see on a feature film.

🧑‍🎓 Who this course is for

• Compositors who know Nuke basics but struggle with CG integration
• 3D generalists who can render great CG but can’t make it look real in comp
• Working artists looking to level up from junior to mid or senior roles
• Students who want to go the extra mile and build a standout reel

🧑‍🏫 About the Author

Alex Hanneman is a Senior Compositor with credits at Weta Digital, Industrial Light & Magic, and Sony Pictures Imageworks. He’s worked on numerous feature films and knows exactly what supervisors look for in a demo reel. His teaching style is direct, practical, and focused on the real-world problems you’ll face in a studio pipeline.

🏁 Final Result

• 8 completed, portfolio-ready CG integration shots
• A demo reel that demonstrates professional-level compositing skills
• A deep understanding of the principles behind photoreal CG integration