Biography

Michael Ralla is a visual effects supervisor and Audiovisual Media engineering graduate from Stuttgart’s Hochschule der Medien (HdM). He began his VFX career at Scanline VFX in Munich in 2004, after initially training as a sound engineer and even pursuing a career in heavy metal drumming. Inspired by the pioneering short film 405, he shifted his focus to compositing. Ralla’s professional journey has taken him around the globe, with roles at Animal Logic in Sydney, Framestore in London, MPC in Vancouver, and later Digital Domain and Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) in Los Angeles and San Francisco. His studio experience also includes time at Marvel Studios and additional high-profile facilities, contributing to major productions such as The Avengers (2012), Ender’s Game (2013) and Christopher Robin (2018. In 2022, he transitioned to independent and studio-side supervision, serving as a visual effects supervisor on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), John Wick 4 (2023) and as the Overall VFX Supervisor on Sinners (2025). His work has earned industry recognition, including a Visual Effects Society (VES) Award for Outstanding Compositing in a Photoreal Commercial for Welcome Home (2018), shared with Steve Drew, Alejandro Villabon, and Peter Timberlake. He has also received multiple nominations from both the VES and the Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) for his contributions to projects such as The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021) and several high-profile commercials.