Andy Muschietti’s – On IndieWire’s Craft Roundtables, “IT: Welcome to Derry” VFX supervisor Daryl Sawchuk described how previsualization created room for improvisation—especially when co-creator and pilot director Andy Muschietti delivered last-minute “Andy Specials” that became
There’s a moment on every film or TV set when the plan starts feeling too clean. For “IT: Welcome to Derry,” that gap between choreography and chaos turned out to be part of the method.
Speaking on IndieWire’s Craft Roundtables. VFX supervisor Daryl Sawchuk explained that the show’s visual effects workflow always began with previsualization for major sequences—but that the preparation wasn’t meant to box the team in. It was meant to give them space. “Usually you are previzing and working out the choreography and kind of having a template so that you can start with something. and that’s a base. ” Sawchuk said of his work on the Stephen King spin-off. “But as long as you have the main sequence covered, you can improv as you’re going.”.
That balance—clear targets without suffocating spontaneity—came into sharper focus when Sawchuk talked about Andy Muschietti’s approach. As co-creator and pilot director. Muschietti mostly stuck to the shot list. Sawchuk said. but he would occasionally throw the team a curveball. Those deviations weren’t random. They arrived late, and they arrived with a purpose: to land something memorable in the scene.
Sawchuk described Muschietti’s last-minute ideas as “Andy Specials.” “Andy was an interesting guy. I’d say 75 percent of what we talked about, we did on the day. The ‘Andy Specials,’ as we used to refer to them, were the ones that came up last minute,” he said. “They were a surprise to the DP and me. but some of the best shots in the series. we’d talk to Andy and go ‘When did you come up with that idea?’ and he’d say ‘Oh. last night at three in the morning I realized we had to come up with something cool to get into the scene. And you’re like ‘Oh my God.’ So you have to be prepared for both.’”.
The exchange makes the working rhythm easier to picture. A baseline plan gets the sequence anchored; preparation ensures the team can react without losing momentum. Then. when Muschietti’s late ideas hit—delivered. as Sawchuk put it. after 3 a.m.—the team has to be ready to translate inspiration into something that still feels inevitable on screen.
All of it feeds into what viewers are watching now: “IT: Welcome to Derry” is streaming on HBO Max.
IT: Welcome to Derry Daryl Sawchuk Andy Muschietti Craft Roundtables VFX previsualization HBO Max Stephen King spin-off improv shot list Andy Specials