Dexter Studios secured the technical grand prize at the 8th Daejeon Special Visual Effects Film Festival (DFX OTT Awards) for its work on the film 군체, according to an announcement by the studio.
The award marks Dexter’s fourth win at the DFX OTT Awards. The studio previously won the visual effects prize for 정이 in 2023, 외계+인 2부 in 2024, and 탈출: 프로젝트 사일런스 in 2025. Unlike those previous victories in the visual effects category, this year’s honor recognized technical achievements across visual effects, special effects, art, and sound, awarding the top prize to a single team.
How Dexter Studios Built the World of 군체
In 군체, directed by Yeon Sang-ho, Dexter utilized visual effects to construct a disaster-stricken city thrown into chaos by an infection outbreak. According to the studio, artists digitally rebuilt large commercial buildings and surrounding environments in Seoul, integrating motion capture to render massive crowds and zombie creatures.
To establish realism, the production team modeled individual monkeys with distinct fur patterns, colors, and movement mechanics. The infected characters and slime-covered sets also received layered visual effects to heighten tension throughout the narrative.
“‘군체’ is a project we built with a lot of thought to deliver the film’s unique world and imagination realistically to audiences,” director Yeon Sang-ho said. “Special visual effects played a crucial role in completing the world of the film, not just creating scenes.”
Technical Integration and Industry Standing
Hong Jung-ho, the visual effects supervisor for 군체, noted that the film consolidated Dexter’s accumulated expertise in large-scale action and creature projects. Alongside the award win, Hong was invited to speak at the DFX Tech Show, where he presented a session titled “Visible VFX, Invisible VFX in 군체” to discuss the production pipeline for blockbuster zombie media.
Dexter Studios has established a track record in the K-VFX sector, having collected awards across approximately 20 domestic and international ceremonies, including the Blue Dragon Film Awards, the Grand Bell Awards, the Baeksang Arts Awards, Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards, the Hong Kong Film Awards, and the Changchun Film Festival.