Barney Jordan joins Company 3 London as Senior Finishing Editor

Company 3’s London studio has announced the addition of Barney Jordan to its team as a Senior Finishing Editor.

With a wealth of experience and a passion for crafting visually stunning work, Barney brings a unique perspective and skill set to the company.

Barney’s impressive career spans a variety of projects, from commercials and music videos to feature films and television series. Highlights include Red Eye for ITV, Catastrophe S2-4 for Channel 4, You & Me for ITV and many more. His work has also been recognised with a BAFTA nomination for Best Visual Effects, which was for George Orwell: A Life in Pictures.

I’m incredibly excited to join the talented team at Company 3. The opportunity to collaborate with such a diverse range of creative individuals is inspiring, and I look forward to contributing to the businesses continued success.

Barney Jordan, Senior Finishing Editor at Company 3

Barney’s extensive experience and exceptional talent will be invaluable to our team and our clients. We’re excited to see what he brings to the table.

Johnny Whitehead, Director of Operations, London at Company 3

Barney’s reputation as a highly skilled and dedicated editor precedes him. His addition to our team further strengthens our commitment to delivering world-class postproduction services. We’re thrilled to have him on board.

Billy Gabor, President, London, Los Angeles and Atlanta at Company 3

With Barney’s expertise and passion, Company 3 is poised to continue its legacy of delivering exceptional post-production services to clients worldwide.

Harbor expands with dedicated dailies facility at Shepperton Studios

Harbor has announced the opening of a new dedicated dailies facility at Shepperton Studios, strengthening its position as a leader in post-production services.

This purpose-built facility will provide state-of-the-art dailies capabilities, including an HDR grading and screening room engineered to support the exceptional creative output and leading technical standards.

The new Harbor-at-Shepperton location features high-speed production data uploads to studio and cloud storage, as well as Anchor – Harbor’s proprietary set-to-screen workflow platform – ensuring seamless integration with both local and remote workflows. This service is available to all clients, reinforcing Harbor’s commitment to providing versatile solutions that cater to a wide range of production needs, including those of independent filmmakers, studios, and major streaming platforms.

Located in one of the UK’s most significant production hubs, the Shepperton facility is strategically positioned to support productions from a variety of clients. Shepperton Studios is a key site for industry giants such as Netflix, which has created a major production base there, and Amazon Studios, which recently signed a multimillion-pound deal to expand their operations at the historic studio complex.

The facility offers a direct connection to both Harbor’s Turnmills studio in Central London – serving as the creative backbone – and its proprietary high-speed network, enabling secure collaboration across the company’s global infrastructure. This includes brick-and-mortar studios in New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Chicago, as well as 90 satellite facilities with local billing capabilities.

Harbor’s mission is to provide a premium experience through a centralised hub for innovative front-end production support and full post-production services, ensuring a seamless set-to-screen workflow that meets the needs of today’s filmmakers. With this new Shepperton facility, we’re bringing cutting-edge solutions to one of the most storied studios in the industry, reinforcing our commitment to delivering exceptional services that meet the evolving demands of modern production.

Thom Berryman, UK Managing Director at Harbor

The Harbor-at-Shepperton dailies facility also serves as a UK hub for Harbor Virtual Lab maintenance and distribution, positioning Harbor as a strategic partner for productions requiring versatile, global post-production solutions.

Harbor’s extensive network will support operations at the new facility, providing access to its renowned international talent pool and ensuring filmmakers benefit from the expertise of a team dedicated to high-quality dailies, colour grading, colour science, and seamless project integration from set to screen.

Absolute unveils box office Colour line-up

Absolute, part of the ENVY Group, have revealed the arrival of not one but three world-class talents to its Colour division.

In an unprecedented move, Leianna Gilmartin, Peter Oppersdorff and Philip Hambi have all joined the company. Long regarded as one of Europe’s finest Producer and Colourist teams, the trio will form a brand-new department in what is an exciting transition for Absolute.

We are thrilled to welcome such exceptional talent like Leianna, Pete and Phil to the team at Absolute. With a team of this calibre, the work really speaks for itself. It’s very exciting to have them on board as part of our ever growing future!

Dave Cadle, CEO of the Envy Group

Having worked together for 10+ years, Leianna, Pete and Phil are respected worldwide. The trio will work together to shape a new direction for Colour in what continues to be an exciting transition for everyone at Absolute. If their catalogue of work shows one thing, it’s their ability to innovate and raise the bar time and time again. We can’t wait to open the doors to the fantastic creative opportunities I know these guys will bring in abundance.

David Smith, CEO of Absolute

Starting her career back in 2006 as a runner, Leianna spent her early years working across all aspects of post from Colour, 3D and Digital to Experiential. The following decade saw Leianna produce some of the most awarded projects. With an impressive portfolio of work and a loyal client base to boot, Leianna made the move to specialise in Colour, together creating the renowned team with Peter Oppersdorff and Philip Hambi. With over 18 years in post-production, eight of those working within Colour, Leianna takes on the role of ‘Head of Production for Colour’, working alongside Absolute’s senior team to aid Philip and Peter grow the department, and the Absolute Colour brand.

I am thrilled to be joining Absolute as Head of Production for Colour, a place already known in the industry for its commitment to artistic excellence and creation. I’m delighted to be doing this with two exceptionally talented colourists, whose expertise will help shape and elevate the future of our company. We have been given an exciting opportunity to rebuild the colour department with the introduction of state-of-the-art grading equipment from our friends at FilmLight. Together, we look forward to collaborating with the incredible team, bringing vibrant and transformative visual storytelling to life.

Leianna Gilmartin, Head of Production for Colour at Absolute

Peter Oppersdorff is a multi-award winning Colourist who joins Absolute as Creative Director of Colour. Peter started his career in 2014 as a protegé of Colour pioneer Jean-Clement Soret. The following decade has seen him establish himself as one of the industry’s leading talents, with a catalogue of award wins and nominations. In 2021, he won two Kinsale Shark Awards for ‘Best International Colour Grade’. The first was Gold for his work on Arlo Parks Caroline, while the second was a Bronze for his work on the US Facebook campaign Good Ideas Deserve To Be Found.

In 2022, Peter’s exceptional craft on Stonewall’s Proud Mistletoe campaign saw him shortlisted at the prestigious British Arrows, the International Filmlight Awards, AICP Post Awards and the Berlin Commercial Awards. In 2023, Peter was again shortlisted at the AICP & Berlin Commercial Awards for his work on the charming Confused.com spots Piggy Bank and Clap. While in 2024, Peter took home a Silver in the ‘Best Colour Grading’ category at the Creative Circle Awards, for his work on the Erste Bank Xmas Rodeo Christmas campaign.

His arresting catalogue of work has seen Peter collaborate with some of the industry’s most established directors, including Dave Meyers, Dorian and Daniel, The Sacred Egg, Ian Pons Jewell, Jake Scott, Amber Grace-Johnson, Vedran Rupic, and FKA Twigs. He has also worked alongside leading cinematographers, such as Chase Irvine, Larkin Seiple, Molly Manning-Walker, Simon Chaudoir, Benoit Soler, Federico Alfonzo and Natasha Braier.

The chance to join Absolute at the beginning of this exciting new era was a no brainer. Their reputation throughout the industry is excellent, so I’m proud to have the opportunity to enhance that legacy in the future. We want Absolute Colour to become a benchmark department globally, a place where talent can thrive and where clients want to be.  We’ve built an excellent rapport with the team at FilmLight over the years, so the backing we received from Chris and Dave to keep that relationship going means a lot to myself and Phil.

Peter Oppersdorff, Creative Director of Colour at Absolute

Also joining as Creative Director of Colour, Philip Hambi is a highly distinguished colourist, known globally for his award-winning work. Boasting a stunning portfolio, Philip has worked on projects for brands as varied as Adidas, Delta Airlines, Samsung, BMW, Burger King and NASCAR. He can point to an enviable roster of directors that he has worked with, including ALASKA, Floria Sigismondi, Mathijs Van Heijningen, Paul W. S. Anderson, The Sacred Egg, Mark Jenkinson and Miles Aldridge; as well as Cinematographers Darius Khondji, Fabian Wagner and Monika Lenczewska.

Phil’s work is regularly recognised for its excellence, with multiple nominations and wins at the British Arrows, Ciclope, D&AD, FilmLight Awards and The Kinsale Shark Awards. Last year, his first foray into the world of long form, with longstanding collaborator Tom Day, became the 5th watched film in the UK on Netflix for their feature documentary The Battle Of The Baddest. In October, he was nominated for a FilmLight Colour Award for his work on Crawford vs Madrimov Everything or Nothing.

Absolute have been on my radar for some time now, with a consistent quality of work and enviable company culture. So when the opportunity arose, I simply couldn’t turn it down. The proposition was made even sweeter with the arrival of my colleagues; Peter Oppersdorff and Leianna (Campbell) Gilmartin. Collaborating together for many years, we’re ecstatic to be at the forefront of the rebuild and regeneration of Colour at Absolute. I’m thrilled to be able to carry on evolving my craft, and cultivate a strong colour culture in this iconic company during an exciting new era.

Philip Hambi, Creative Director of Colour at Absolute

Bringing in just one Colourist of Pete and Phil’s magnitude would be a no-brainer for any post company in the world. So to have them both join us is a real coup. When you pair that with the addition of Leianna, who is regarded as one of the finest Head of Department’s in the industry, we have assembled a box office team. These additions speak volumes about the direction we want to move Absolute in. Our ambition is to be the best in the business, and Pete, Phil and Leianna are all part of bringing us to that next level.

Chris Batten, Managing Director at Absolute

This is a new era for Absolute and Leianna, Pete and Phil with their unique talents and perspectives will bring incredible energy and creativity. This marks an exciting new chapter for Absolute as we expand our team and elevate the capabilities of the ENVY Group.

Natascha Cadle, Creative Director of ENVY Group

Vine FX brings the action for Paris Has Fallen

Cambridge-based VFX studio, Vine FX, delivered over 1,350 shots including environment extensions, driving shots, and action sequences.

A terrorist attack hits the streets of Paris and MI6 protection officer, Vincent Taleb, finds himself thrown into the middle of a sinister plot. The Paris Has Fallen TV series is based on the Has Fallen movie franchise and brings the same intense action as the blockbusters, focusing on the protection of the French Minister of Defence from an unravelling terrorist scheme.

Shows like Paris Has Fallen are replete with nail-biting action and drama. For visual effects studio, Vine FX, the challenge was one of complexity and quantity.

This is one of the biggest projects we’ve taken on. It’s a gripping story that’s filled with incredible sequences, some great CG, and plenty of visual effects work. The team here did a great job to blend all of that together so it’s genuinely hard to tell where live action ends and VFX begins.

Laura Usaite, Managing Director of Vine FX

Paris Has Fallen features the largest VFX shot count to date for Vine FX. This cinematic world is brought to life through a seamless blend of distinctive 2D and 3D elements, including environment extensions, aeroplanes, dynamic driving sequences, and explosive action. The enhancement of practical set builds with custom Parisian environment extensions played a vital role in shaping the show’s unique aesthetic, balancing both realism and visual excitement. Amidst it all are intense shootouts and clashes where VFX elevates the drama to new heights.

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The art of CG

What makes complex sequences more manageable is good reference material.

There’s a scene where the characters run across a roof and jump into a hovering helicopter. The production team had done a great job building a rig with a partial helicopter on a green screen stage. It gave us a good frame of reference when it came to replacing the rigged vehicle with a fully CG one.

Newton

Several shots needed almost entirely rebuilding during post-production, so the Vine FX team had its work cut out. A specific shot that used a full CG rebuild was when a terrorist walks through a corridor, punches out a window and prepares to fire a shot across the embassy courtyard square. While this may sound simple, the shots had to be very specific as the sequence itself was filmed on a green screen stage and the exterior elements were filmed on location, meaning the matching of angles had to be seamless.

The angle of the corridor shot didn’t match the exterior plate. We opted to rebuild the embassy courtyard in CG and composite the environment behind with matte paintings so we could realise the geography of the story. It’s one of those innocuous sequences that has a lot more visual effects work than an audience might realise.

Maxwell

The show is full of complex camera moves. What makes the shots incredibly successful is how we integrate with the live action footage.

Laura Usaite, Managing Director of Vine FX

For sequences filmed outside, including leaps from buildings, there was no simple green screen to remove. The team at Vine FX rebuilt buildings in CG, adding DMP and city details in the background to recreate Paris authentically.

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Action on the streets

There are nearly 200 driving shots in Paris Has Fallen, all filmed against green screens. This, normally, would require either stock assets or extensive camera rigging to film live-action plates. Vine FX recommended mounting a 360-degree field-of-view camera to a low-level car to give maximum flexibility during post-production, enabling reframing to match green screenshots as needed.

We developed a method of filming backplates across Paris with a 360-degree camera. It meant that we could take a new, innovative approach that proved to be incredibly successful – especially when handling a huge volume of driving shots.

Laura Usaite, Managing Director of Vine FX

One of the added benefits was that, because of the 360-degree view, we immediately had reference material for reflections. It made the integration of green screen action and real-world backgrounds much more believable, helping to really anchor everything in place. We then built a template inside Nuke to iterate across multiple sequences.

Alexander

Paris Has Fallen demanded artistic mastery from every department to bring its gripping drama to life. While great visual effects work is often invisible to the audience, it’s important to acknowledge the dedication and countless hours invested in creating seamless sequences where the line between reality and visual effects is indistinguishable.

That’s a true testament to the artistry and skill of the Vine FX team.

Alexander

Watch Vine FX’s Paris Has Fallen showreel below. For more information, visit vinefx.com.

Government-funded Houdini bootcamps to upskill VFX and animation teams

Studios can now get 60 hours of instructor-led support, with personalised curriculums and schedules, with up to 90% of costs covered. 

Houdini is becoming an increasingly vital tool for modern VFX and animation pipelines – and Skills Bootcamp funding is now available to make it more possible than ever to rapidly upskill existing teams. 

Studios can brief Mastered – a specialist training centre – on what they need, for who, and the Houdini team there will propose a bespoke curriculum, to be delivered by SideFX recommended trainers, for £405 a person for 60-hours of support.

We know studios don’t want off-the-shelf training – they need it personalised to their specific pipeline, projects, teams and schedules – in order to make it stick. Skills Bootcamp funding is an affordable way for studios to develop their in-house talent and get up to 90% of the training costs covered by the government.

Perri Lewis, Co-Founder of Mastered

Mentors have all worked in industry, for companies such as Disney, Technicolor, MPC, among many others, alongside being expert trainers in Houdini. 

Our mentors work closely with SideFX, so you can be assured they have the latest insights and tricks for whatever Houdini version you’re using.

Perri Lewis, Co-Founder of Mastered

Beyond interactive, small-group sessions, the bootcamps also include one-on-one support to ensure each learner achieves their personal goals. Regular self-assessments track skill growth and confidence over the 16-week programme too, enabling for personalised interventions when needed.

Since 2015, Mastered has upskilled over 5,500 creative professionals across 95 countries in technical, business, and leadership skills. In the last 2 years they have trained 30+ studios in VFX, animation and games using Skills Bootcamp funding, ensuring the get highly subsidised rates.

If you are interested in finding out more about the funding and if you can use it, email perri@mastered.com. For more details, see join.mastered.com.

Cinesite expands XR capabilities with Adipat Virdi as Executive Director

Adi will lead and develop client relationships for new projects as Cinesite expands its footprint in the immersive market.

Cinesite, a global leader in visual effects and animation, has announced the appointment of Adipat Virdi as Executive Director, XR (Global). Adi will join Cinesite’s leadership team and oversee the company’s XR initiatives worldwide.

With a proven track record in XR and immersive technologies, Adi brings over two decades of experience. He has a background in experience design and immersive storytelling,  skills which he has brought to projects for a wide range of major brands and organisations such as BBC, Sony, Netflix, Virgin Atlantic, HSBC, Cosworth, Harbour Immersive, NASA, Charlotte Tilbury, Balenciaga, Lamborghini, Nike, IoC, Real Madrid and PagoNXT amongst others. Adi specialises in developing immersive storytelling frameworks for both social and commercial impact. He joins Cinesite from Facebook (Meta), where he was the Global Creative Product Lead for Immersive, spearheading the Emerging Platforms team’s exploration of VR/XR and immersive experiences.

We are thrilled to welcome Adi to the Cinesite group. His expertise in XR will be invaluable as we continue to push the boundaries of immersive storytelling and expand our offerings in this rapidly growing market.

Antony Hunt, CEO of Cinesite

Adi will drive Cinesite’s XR strategy, foster collaboration across the company’s global studios, and explore new opportunities for XR applications in entertainment, fashion, the automobile industry, and beyond.

At Cinesite, our decades of experience crafting stunning visual effects for Hollywood blockbusters have equipped us with a unique understanding of storytelling and immersion. Now, we’re excited to leverage this expertise to create XR experiences that truly transport audiences into the heart of the action. Our goal is to make them feel like they can choose to be main characters and dynamic participants rather than just passive observers.

Adipat Virdi, Executive Director, XR (Global) at Cinesite

Cinesite’s appointment of Adi reinforces the company’s commitment to innovation and its position as a leader in the immersive sector. Adi’s appointment follows the company’s division launch in January 2024. Since then, it has announced a long-term partnership with Frameless, creators of the UK’s largest multi-sensory art experience. The studio’s immersive work has been recognised by several awards including:

• THEA Award (The Bourne Stuntacular, 2020)
• VES Awards (The Bourne Stuntacular 2021; The Rembrandt Seascape 2024)
• BIMA award (The Rembrandt Seascape 2024, Frameless)
• LIT Entertainment Award (Forsaken, 2024)

Adi’s appointment is effective immediately. He is based in the UK and can be reached at immersive@cinesite.com.

UK VFX tax credit uplift will start on Jan 1st

Today (30 October 2024), the Chancellor of the Exchequer confirmed an increased tax incentive for spending on visual effects (“VFX”) in the UK, which has been warmly welcomed by the UK’s VFX industry.

Delivering Labour’s first Budget since coming to power in the July general election, Rachel Reeves announced that VFX spending in the UK will attract a net rebate of 29.25% and would be exempt from the overall 80% cap on spending eligible for film and TV tax relief. This had been proposed by the previous government in March 2024, but the early election meant that the uplift was not implemented, leading to an anxious wait for the UK’s VFX community.

The Labour government has identified the creative industries as one of eight growth-driving sectors within its Industrial Strategy, and the confirmation by the Chancellor of the VFX uplift, means that the UK is now set to attract an additional £175 million per year of spending on VFX for film and TV, an increase of over 45%, and to create 2,800 new jobs.

In a very welcome addition, requested by the UK Screen Alliance, the Chancellor has brought forward the starting date of the uplift, originally expected to be 1st April 2025, so that VFX spending incurred in the UK from 1st January 2025 will be eligible for the new incentive. This will avoid productions delaying their spend in order to qualify for the rebate, at a time when VFX companies need to get the work flowing as they recover from last years writers’ and actors’ strikes, and the general production slowdown. Claims for the rebate can be made from 1st April.

Earlier this year, the Treasury had proposed to exclude costs relating to Generative AI from the VFX uplift. However, following consultation with the industry, this proposal has now been dropped.

UK Screen Alliance has long campaigned to get the cap removed for the VFX spend and for a more competitive rate of credit, as this would allow the VFX industry to achieve its full potential, stimulating economic growth, innovation, and the creation of highly skilled, highly productive jobs in the UK.

The confirmation in the Budget that the VFX rebate will be available from the New Year is terrific news for the UK’s visual effects companies. We know that productions are making decisions right now on where to place their VFX work for 2025 and beyond. Today’s announcement means that these clients will be incentivised to place many millions of dollars of inward investment work with the UK’s award-winning VFX community, creating considerable value for the UK economy.

Neil Hatton, CEO of UK Screen Alliance

For our world leading creative industries, we will legislate to provide additional tax relief for visual effects costs in TV and film.

Rt Hon Rachel Reeves MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer

UK film and TV is globally admired, and a key sector driving economic growth. Our VFX sector is one of the jewels in the UK industry’s crown, with a depth of creative and technical expertise. But these are competitive times. Productions are looking globally for the best talent and incentives to guide their investment decisions. Any new measures must address intensifying global competition and help us put our best foot forward. Today’s confirmation of the VFX tax credit increase doubles down on UK strengths and will drive up investment. It is not only welcome, but essential to support our sector and wider UK growth.

Adrian Wootton OBE, Chief Executive of the British Film Commission

The UK’s place at the heart of the global visual effects industry has been hard-fought, and these changes represent a significant step forward. This is a highly skilled, highly creative and highly innovative sector with technology at its heart, and the strides we make across film, TV, advertising and immersive experiences have wide-ranging benefits for a wide range of industries. As the impact of emerging technologies continues to grow, it is more vital than ever that we future-proof the UK as a place where the best artists, technologists and creative thinkers can push the boundaries of what is possible – these changes will help them do just that.

Sir William Sargent, Chairman of Framestore Company 3

VFX is the fastest growing component of the film and high end TV industry. Its skills and technologies are shared across the games industry and wider economy as digital content creation becomes a fundamental tool of all industries. Today’s announcement provides a welcome boost to investment and job creation in this key area of the digital economy.

Alex Hope OBE, CEO of beloFX

The Chancellor’s announcement is hugely welcome and will reinvigorate the whole industry and the many support jobs it relies on. The film strikes have had a significant impact on our sector so the implementation date being brought forward is a well-earned endorsement of the VFX sector’s importance to the UK future economy and our position as global leaders in creative tech, significant growth will now be unlocked.

Antony Hunt, CEO of Cinesite Group

The UK’s creative industries are the envy of the world, and the VFX industry has played no small part in this reputation. Not only is our work capable of transporting audiences to Hogwarts, Buckingham Palace or Darkest Peru, but it also helps fuel economic growth, drives inward investment, and creates high-quality jobs for brilliant people from a wide range of different backgrounds. It’s heartening to see such a vote of confidence in the VFX sector from the UK government, and we look forward to working with them to ensure our industry goes from strength to strength.

Mel Sullivan, Chief Executive Officer of Framestore

The Chancellor’s statement is very welcome news for our industry, and recognises its delivery of considerable economic value and strong potential for further growth. This announcement will incentivise productions to place more highly creative VFX work in the UK, driving technological innovation and crucially creating a significant number of new jobs in our industry. We are grateful that the government has also agreed to bring the implementation date forward, allowing these changes to make an immediate and positive impact on the UK’s VFX sector.

Stefano Salvini, General Manager of DNEG London

We’re incredibly pleased to hear the announcement of improvements to the VFX tax incentive in the Chancellor’s Budget statement. This important step will undoubtedly retain and attract more VFX work to the UK.

Sue Lyster, Executive in Charge at Industrial Light & Magic

Today’s announcement from the Chancellor is very welcome news for the UK creative sector. This will enable the UK to retain VFX work on UK qualifying productions, driving growth in our world-class visual effects industry. I want to thank Neil and the team at UK Screen Alliance, for their persistence and determination, this a huge boost to the amazing creative talent we have in the UK.

Chris Burn, Group Managing Director at Milk Visual Effects

Today’s announcement is an enormous win for the UK VFX industry. This very timely support shows our government’s strong understanding of the vital role our sector plays in the UK’s creative economy. It will help power our growth, our job creation schemes and our innovation – amplifying the UK’s creative influence globally. This decision will help invigorate a vibrant industry and allow us to put our signature UK craftsmanship on even more screens worldwide.

Rachael Penfold, CEO of One of Us

This is welcome news. Lifting the cap, increasing the rebate and bringing it forward to January is transformative for the entire industry. These measures turbo boost the restart of the UK film industry which is still recovering from the challenges of COVID and the recent industry-wide strikes. This will empower productions to plan with greater optimism, enabling more ambitious projects and nurturing local talent. It will have a strong economic impact for a world leading UK VFX industry that I have no doubt will go from strength to strength.

Tim Caplan, Co-Founder of Union Visual Effects

The announcement in the Autumn Budget ends a long wait and should mark the start of a momentous change in the outlook for the UK VFX market. Coming as it does at such a crucial time whilst our industry looks to recover, we are thrilled at the news and doubly pleased to see it effective at the earlier date of January 2025. We hope this creates fresh prosperity for the wealth of incredible talent homed in the UK.

Phil Greenlow, Managing Director VFX at Jellyfish Pictures

Having successfully navigated COVID and kept all of our team to the recent downturn in our industry, it can be very difficult managing an independent company so it is excellent news that this proposal has finally gone through and with the improved implementation date it reassures the industry that the government is following in Gordon Brown’s footsteps of supporting the creative sector and recognises the hard work and financial contribution the creative sector provides to the economy and country as a whole. Also, special thanks to Neil Hatton and his excellent team at UK Screen for tirelessly pushing this proposal, it is very much appreciated.

Simon Wilkinson, Co-Founder and Owner of The Flying Colour Company Ltd

This is a very good day for the UK VFX and filmmaking community! We’re delighted that this tax incentive will be effective from January 1st 2025. It will drive growth, and create more jobs, and help position the UK VFX industry as the first choice destination for international film and TV productions after a difficult period.

Tracy McCreary, Managing Director at BlueBolt

We are thrilled that the government is launching the rebate even sooner than expected. Starting January 1st is a monumental victory for everyone in the UK VFX industry. Eliminating the 80% cap is a game changer, empowering studios like Vine FX to attract premier projects and elevate our creative capabilities. This is the significant boost our industry has been waiting for and it paves the way for an exciting future ahead!

Michael Illingworth, Owner of Vine FX

Fantastic news – the accelerated timeline for the VFX tax credit means productions have every reason to get moving right away. With this early start, we can kick off 2025 with serious momentum, keeping the UK competitive and setting the stage for a high-impact year across the industry.

Tom Lewis, Managing Director at Lexhag Visual Effects

The bringing forward of this proposed change to tax policy indicates the new government clearly understands the issues the previous system caused UK based companies with a UK based workforce. As a northern SME working on HETV and international features, we lost numerous contracts to overseas companies where alternative incentives for VFX services enable UK based productions that reach the 80% ceiling to gain additional benefit by transferring the work. We belief this should guarantee employment for the wealth of creative technical talent that the North of England is so good at producing.

Thomas Mattinson, Company Director of Viridian FX

The news today is nothing short of fantastic for all the VFX teams across the UK. After an extremely challenging 18 months for people across the industry, this is the exact boost that was required, providing the necessary confidence so that we can all get very excited for the upcoming productions in 2025.

Luke Kaile, Head of VFX at Territory Studio

A much needed lift for the beaten-down VFX companies and artists. Can’t thank Neil, UK Screen Alliance and others who have championed on behalf of the VFX community.

Fi Kilroe, Managing Director and Executive Producer at Freefolk

We are really excited to see the update from the Chancellor today. Welcome news in a difficult period for our sector. Dupe will be ready to grow and continue to deliver world class VFX for our clients in 2025 and beyond!

Jonathan Harris, CEO and VFX Supervisor at Dupe Visual Effects

Read the full 2024 Autumn Budget here, the summary of responses on the consultation on additional tax relief for visual effects costs here, and see the highlights below.

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LIGHT expands its London team

LIGHT London officially welcomes Ben Hicks as VFX Supervisor.

As LIGHT’s portfolio continues to grow and diversify, they have welcomed Ben Hicks to their London team as VFX Supervisor. With over two decades at leading UK studios, Ben brings an impressive body of work, including films such as Inception, Godzilla, Total Recall, and the TV series Mindhunter.

Ben’s expertise in compositing is well established; he led the team for the critically acclaimed Mank, directed by David Fincher. Most recently, he contributed to numerous episodic projects for platforms such as Amazon Prime and the BBC, as well as feature films like A Man Called Otto, a project that LIGHT was also proud to be part of.

This new chapter reunites Ben with Antoine Moulineau, founder of LIGHT and fellow VFX Supervisor. They shared a history of working together on Ron Howard’s Rush and John Carter. LIGHT is excited about the synergy Ben’s extensive compositing expertise brings to the team.

With LIGHT’s established presence in both London and France, and a studio capacity to accommodate 120 artists, Ben will support the teams across a wide range of productions.

The company has collaborated on high-profile productions such as John Wick 4 (delivering 183 shots), the epic Ridley Scott’s Napoleon, The Witcher season 3, the series of cinematic trailers for Batman: Arkham Shadow, and the last-ever Daft Punk music video among other notable work. By continuously enhancing its compositing capabilities and refining its craft, LIGHT remains committed to pushing the boundaries of excellence in the industry.

Fitzrovia Post reunites with Rob Butler-Biggs as Executive Supervising Sound Editor

Fitzrovia Post has announced the return of Rob Butler-Biggs, the highly-acclaimed sound engineer and original founder of Fitzrovia Post, as Executive Supervising Sound Editor.

Rob’s unparalleled experience in animation sound design spans 30 years, from shows in stop-motion to Unreal Engine, and from stereo to Atmos, making him one of the most versatile and respected figures in the industry.

Rob’s return is a major boost to Fitzrovia Post’s long-form animation work, which is central to their expanding portfolio. Fitzrovia has earned a reputation for delivering world-class sound design, foley, and mixing across a wide range of animated projects, and with Rob’s creative leadership and deep knowledge of the entire spectrum of animation, they are poised to build upon this legacy and take it even further.

I am very happy to welcome my friend Rob back to the Fitzrovia family. His breadth of experience, from stereo to Atmos, and from stop-motion to Unreal Engine, is simply unmatched in the industry. Rob understands animation sound like no one else, and with him leading our long-form animation projects, our clients can be assured they are working with the very best. It is great to have him around the new studios and I am filled with confidence in his ability to oversee the creative delivery of our productions.

Keiran Brown, CEO of Fitzrovia Post

When the call came from Keiran recently, it was a no-brainer for me. I’m thrilled to return to Fitzrovia Post and continue my passion for animation sound design. With Keiran’s incredible leadership, I can focus purely on the creative process and nurturing the incredible in-house talent we have here.  I’m very happy to be back in the Fitzrovia family and excited to collaborate with the team.

I’m also very much looking forward to welcoming back all my old clients to the new studio. Our state-of-the-art facilities have been designed to be fully accessible, and I invite everyone to come for a tour and in person catchup.

Rob Butler-Biggs, Executive Supervising Sound Editor at Fitzrovia Post

Rob’s vast experience and undeniable talent in animation sound design solidify Fitzrovia Post’s reputation as an industry leader, ensuring that their clients receive nothing short of exceptional quality for every project.

Company 3 welcomes Mark Redfern as Senior Finishing Editor

Company 3 has announced the appointment of Mark Redfern as Senior Finishing Editor in its London studio.

With over 14 years of experience in the industry, Mark brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the team. Mark’s impressive career spans a diverse range of projects, including acclaimed documentaries like The Warhol Effect, MH370: The Plane That Disappeared, and Tour De France: Unchained. He has also worked on popular series such as Formula 1: Drive to Survive, Red Rose, and The Box.

There’s a great atmosphere here at Company 3.  Everyone is so supportive and the work that they do is of the highest standard. I am really looking forward to working alongside their incredibly talented team.

Mark Redfern, Senior Finishing Editor at Company 3

We are thrilled to welcome Mark to Company 3. His extensive experience and exceptional skills will be a valuable asset to our finishing department. Mark’s ability to seamlessly navigate complex projects and deliver outstanding results aligns perfectly with our commitment to providing the highest quality post-production services.

Johnny Whitehead, Director of Longform Operations (London) at Company 3

Mark’s reputation for excellence in finishing is well-established. His passion for his craft and his collaborative approach will undoubtedly contribute to our continued success.

Billy Gabor, President of Company 3 London, Los Angeles, and Atlanta

Mark’s recent career highlights include his work on F1 Drive to Survive, for which he was nominated for a BAFTA as part of the editing team. He has also contributed to feature documentaries such as Cavendish: Never Enough and Don’t Let the Devil Take Another Day.

Mark’s arrival further strengthens Company 3’s position as a leading provider of post-production services in the UK. His expertise and experience will undoubtedly enhance the company’s ability to deliver exceptional results for its clients.