Whilst at the company, she quickly began working on major projects (The Jungle Book: Mowgli, Thor: Ragnarok, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, Fantastic Beasts and Beauty and the Beast) as a Lighting & Lookdev Technical Director, before moving to Montreal in 2018.
Since then, she has built up her expertise at Framestore Montreal, moving from project to project until she became Lead Lighting on *Paddington in Peru*, *Detective Pikachu*, *Barbie* and the very recent live-action remake of *Dragons *.
Today, in her capacity as CG Supervisor, she has agreed to talk to us about her most recent projects: *Projet Dernière Chance* and the eagerly awaited *Supergirl*, due for release in France on 24 June.
An interview with a seasoned artist who is not only a special effects technician but also a passionate painter and illustrator.
Since we last met, how have your most recent projects been going?
Congratulations on reaching this new stage as a supervisor in your career!
Since the last interview, I’ve actually had the chance to lead the lighting team on *Peter & Wendy*, *Barbie* and *Dragons*, which are among the best-known projects. These were massive productions, particularly *Dragons*, which I personally felt was a real highlight. It’s an impressive film, with lots of highly complex full-CG shots and a large team to manage. Here, the visuals were key, and I think the result speaks for itself!
How did you come to work at Framestore back then?
It all went quite smoothly, both through applying via their website and through email correspondence with a recruiter at the time. But it’s clear that the job market was very different back then.
After graduating, you went straight to London, before moving to Quebec a few years later. How did you find moving to a new country?
Right from the start, I’d chosen this course of study with a view to working abroad; that’s always been the aim. The hardest part is the different pace of life it entails. Your close friends are far away, as is your family. You can feel as though you’re missing out on certain events, and that’s certainly the case. You have to be at peace with this choice and make it consciously; otherwise, it will be difficult to cope with.
As for me, I ring my family once a week. We send each other lots of photos and find ways to share moments that might seem trivial, but which mean the world to me.
When it comes to emigrating, I find that the multiculturalism it brings is a real asset. I love meeting people from all over the world, and I can say with certainty that I wouldn’t have had these incredible adventures if I’d stayed in France.
Today we’re talking about your work on *Supergirl*, first as lead lighting artist and then as CG supervisor. How did you come to be involved in this film?
This was the project that followed on directly from my work on *Dragons*, where I actually started out as lead lighting artist and was subsequently promoted to senior CG artist.
In the meantime, I went to lend a hand to my colleagues on the film *Project Last Chance*, but let’s just say that I worked on *Supergirl* from April to November 2025 as lead light, and that I returned to the project as CG Supervisor from December 2025.
We’re currently delivering the final shots as I speak.
Could you describe a specific scene or shot where you made a noticeable impact?
The sequence inside the bar is a special one for me; I set up the lighting rig whilst I was lead, then came back to deliver the shots once I’d moved onto the project as CG Supervisor. It was actually quite interesting to give feedback on my own light rig! You can also see an example of a shot that I supervised from start to finish in this trailer – from the camera track right through to the full-res lighting render – including this shot where Krypto also appears. I handled the entire tracking for this shot, working alongside the animation supervisor on the animation side.
What technical or artistic constraints shaped this work?
Night shots are always a challenge. We tend to always want to ‘see’ as much as possible, but we still need to respect the conventions of night-time scenes. Whilst working on the film, we also had to deal with shots lit with very red lights, where one of the characters (a rather green-skinned Alien) was supposed to have white blood, as requested by the client. Because of the lighting, the blood appeared red. We tried various approaches, but in the end there was no magic solution. Following our discussions, the client simply accepted this state of affairs and preferred to keep the result fairly subtle, which satisfied all the teams involved.
What tools did you use on a day-to-day basis?
Maya, Houdini and Nuke are the tools I use most often these days. I’ve mastered these tools thanks to my training at ESMA, a broad-based course that also taught me how to ‘do things I don’t yet know how to do’, and to learn through experimentation.
What skills have you developed through this project?
This was my first real project as a CG Supervisor, so I’d say that just about everything was new to me! Supervising departments that weren’t my own, organising, planning, putting plans into action with the help of the teams, and realising that communication was key to success – all of this was very important. I needed to be clear in the way I explained things, whilst also being able to respond to everyone’s questions and expectations, all the while taking the whole team into account. Keeping my cool and trusting the various departments was also a key aspect of this new role.
What has made the biggest impression on you about your time at Framestore so far?
Their integrity, their trust, but also the opportunities they have given me, whilst always listening to me and showing great consideration for my feelings. I consider myself very lucky to have joined this company, which suits me so well in so many ways.
How will *Supergirl* influence the next stage of your career?
This marks the start of a great run of projects! Superhero films aren’t really my first choice, but this one will always hold a special place in my heart, as it was my first major project in which I took on the role of CG supervisor.
Which films and worlds inspire you these days?
I’m fascinated by directors like Denis Villeneuve, who embody both a vision and an entire world within themselves. I really love science fiction, and all the possibilities this genre offers. But I must say that I’m also a ‘Disney girl’, who will never forget *Beauty and the Beast* or the world of *Christopher Robin*, and the way the studios managed to bring Eeyore and Piglet to life on screen. Finally, I really love films and series featuring fantastical creatures. *Dragons*, in that sense, was simply incredible.
What advice would you give to students who are aiming for this sort of role today?
There’s a world of difference between simply aiming for a specific role in this industry and actually getting there. You need to approach it with humility, and above all, never be in a hurry. On the one hand, you need to be good at your specialism, but on the other, you need to remain open to everything and take a keen interest in other departments and areas of expertise. No one area is more important than another, and being able to navigate between teams is a real asset.
Finally, this is a profession driven by passion, and it is crucial to be able to maintain a consistent standard of quality in your work, regardless of whether or not you are personally interested in the project. The important thing is that this film will one day exist, and it will form an integral part of your portfolio.
Supergirl is released in French cinemas on 1 July, whilst The Last Chance Project is one of the pleasant surprises of early 2026.
For her part, Lorène Bettker is continuing her career at Framestore, where she is already working on new projects which she obviously cannot tell us about yet, but which will soon be appearing on screens in cinemas all over the world.
