Christian Kaestner

Biography

Christian Kaestner is a visual effects supervisor at Framestore. He earned a Master of Fine Arts in 3D Animation and Visual Effects from San Francisco’s Academy of Art University. He initially worked in graphic design and served as an art director in the advertising industry before transitioning into visual effects in the mid-2000s. He began his VFX career at The Orphanage in California and joined Framestore in 2007, where he progressed through roles including compositor, compositing supervisor, lead 2D, and eventually became a visual effects supervisor. At Framestore, Kaestner contributed to a wide array of high-profile projects. Early in his career, he worked as a compositor on Gravity (2013), and as a compositing supervisor on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010), where he shared a nomination for an HPA Award for Outstanding Compositing – Feature Film. He also supervised visual effects on films such as Quantum of Solace (2008), earning a VES nomination for Outstanding Compositing in a Feature Motion Picture for sequences like the Sienna chase and fight; The Aeronauts (2019), which garnered a VES nomination for Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature; and Paddington (2014), Mary Poppins Returns (2018), Captain Marvel (2019), Edge of Tomorrow (2014), Alien: Covenant (2017), and Geostorm (2017). More recently, Kaestner has excelled on both cinematic and episodic fronts. He served as Production VFX Supervisor on Netflix’s 1899 (2022), overseeing a large, multidisciplinary team and the integration of concept art, visualisation, virtual production, and global VFX collaboration. He also contributed photoreal creatures and major action sequences to the Ridley Scott epic Gladiator II (2024).