Images courtesy of Paramount Pictures and Sega of America, Inc.
Jim Carrey reprises his role as the main antagonist, Dr. Ivo Robotnik.
MPC served as the main vendor with 1,200 to 1,400 shots involving character animation.
Successfully adapting video games has been a rare feat in Hollywood – and even more so to warrant a sequel – but filmmaker Jeff Fowler and Visual Effects Supervisor Ged Wright have come together once again to produce Sonic the Hedgehog 2 for Paramount Pictures and Sega Sammy Group. In the sequel, Dr. Ivo Robotnik (Jim Carrey) escapes from the Mushroom Planet and partners with an alien echidna called Knuckles (Idris Elba) to find a mystical emerald that has the power to destroy civilizations and defeat his hedgehog nemesis Sonic (Ben Schwartz) and the two-tailed fox Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey).
“After finishing shooting, we did a version of the film through Blender rendered in Eevee with motion blur, depth of field, proper tracks, and integrated the characters into the live-action photography. An in-house team of 10 to 14 people produced well over 12,000 versions of shots [within a period of 12 to 14 weeks] that went into editorial and allowed the creative team to come up with a cut of the movie that didn’t throw MPC off track. This was critical in allowing the film to get completed by the absolute skin of our teeth.”
—Ged Wright, Visual Effects Supervisor
For Tails, Visual Effects Supervisor Ged Wright wanted to make sure that his tails were present and creating nice shapes.
“The thing that has drawn me back to this was Jeff Fowler, [producer] Toby Ascher, [executive producer] Nan Morales and all of the of the other people involved who made turning up to work feel like you’re making a movie with your friends rather than going into battle every day,” states Wright. “The first one made the storytelling side of things more straightforward [this time around] and created a certain number of parameters that you’re working within.”
“We ended up with 1,200 or 1,400 character animation shots, so those little furry dudes are in most of the movie. Certain things were reusable [from the first movie], like the look and quality of the fur. These characters have vast eyes, so a significant amount of work was spent improving the shading, look and feel of them as they communicate a great deal, and that worked paid off in this film.”
—Ged Wright, Visual Effects Supervisor
The sequel was unable to outrun the pandemic. “We were making an animated film on a live-action schedule, which means rather than having three or four years we’re doing it in half of the time,” notes Wright. “Then all movie productions stopped. All of the big companies shrunk their staff, but [when all of the productions simultaneously started up again] then everyone wanted to hire back their same staff within the same six- to eight-week period. You had a huge amount of content, however, not enough people trained on how to do it. There is a massive skills shortage in the visual effects industry right now.”
Knuckles rarely opened his hand because it looked like he was wearing oven mitts.
Critical in being able to release Sonic the Hedgehog 2 on time was the emphasis placed on previs and postvis. “After finishing shooting,” comments Wright, “we did a version of the film through Blender rendered in Eevee with motion blur, depth of field, proper tracks, and integrated the characters into the live-action photography. An in-house team of 10 to 14 people produced well over 12,000 versions of shots [within a period of 12 to 14 weeks] that went into editorial and allowed the creative team to come up with a cut of the movie that didn’t throw MPC off track. This was critical in allowing the film to get completed by the absolute skin of our teeth.”
DNEG got the opportunity to explore the Mushroom Planet that was hinted at the end of the original movie.
There were over 1,900 visual effects shots by MPC, DNEG, Marza Planet Animation and an in-house team while Fish Flight Entertainment assisted with the previs and postvis. “We ended up with 1,200 or 1,400 character animation shots, so those little furry dudes are in most of the movie,” laughs Wright. “Certain things were reusable [from the first movie], like the look and quality of the fur. These characters have vast eyes, so a significant amount of work was spent improving the shading, look and feel of them as they communicate a great deal, and that worked paid off in this film.”
“The focus was on making sure that the things that were in and around the humans had the most amount of real production budget spent on them. We wanted the production designer involved in designing the whole film because otherwise we would have had big chunks of the film where those decisions were being made by the wrong people. There is no other way to put it!”
—Ged Wright, Visual Effects Supervisor
A massive amount of blue electrical energy is generated by Dr. Ivo Robotnik (Jim Carrey) on the Mushroom Planet.
No matter the lighting conditions and position of the camera, Sonic, Knuckles and Tails always had to be recognizable. “If you photograph one of us at sunset, we look different, which is something we have come to expect,” says Wright. “But with iconic, stylized characters there is often an expectation for them to look consistent throughout the film, which is not a photographic reality. It was easy at first but got harder towards the end.” The original 2D character designs had to be adapted to work in 3D. “Sonic’s mouth had to be off to one side and generally on the camera’s side,” adds Wright. “For Knuckles, you rarely want to open his hand because it looks like he’s wearing oven mitts. You want to keep him on character and make sure that he feels strong and intimidating. For Tails, you want to make sure that his tails are present as part of his character and creating nice shapes. They can easily look as if they were dragged along the floor. Nobody wanted that.”
A ring portal opens with adversaries searching for Dr. Ivo Robotnik (Jim Carrey).
Driving the character animation was the voice cast. “A lot of the time, if the voice performance changes, then it feels like the actual physical performance needs to change, not just the lip sync,” notes Wright. “We were as diligent as possible to make sure that the voice performance was turned over as early as possible so that the animators could be sitting there working with it. We also did a similar thing with filming the actors while they were performing. We didn’t end up going through the process of doing any facial motion capture this time around because the characters are so wildly different and the amount of effort that goes into capturing that data felt like it was a diminishing return doing that.” Less was considered more with the lip sync. “They don’t have lips so it can feel like a latex mask moving around if you’re not careful,” observes Wright. “You want to be hitting the core shapes; however, focusing on properly enunciating each syllable is not the best outcome.” The process of getting the live-action and CG characters to interact did not greatly change. “We had the usual hit list of interactive items, like little sandbags that people can pick up,” says Wright. “We slightly moved things along from the first film, as far as on-set reference, which was more helpful. The most challenging interaction bits are when the characters are hugging them. Picking them up was more successful, because with the little bodies it’s easier to figure out what that interaction is going to be. To nail those interactive shots, you need to be doing a 3D representation of the human characters. We weren’t able to do that this time around because we simply ran out of time.”
Various Rube Goldberg traps were constructed out of mushrooms by Dr. Ivo Robotnik (Jim Carrey).
An emphasis was placed on getting practical elements. “For the snowboard chase we did a week-long shoot up in the Canadian Rockies that gave us a tremendous amount of material to inform that,” states Wright. “When they discover the Big Owl cavern, that was all CG because there are no human characters. The focus was on making sure that the things that were in and around the humans had the most amount of real production budget spent on them. We wanted the production designer involved in designing the whole film because otherwise we would have had big chunks of the film where those decisions were being made by the wrong people. There is no other way to put it!” Minimal greenscreen was utilized. “At the end of the film when they’re in the riverbed, rather than surround everything in greenscreen we chose a location that had a similar texture and feel,” adds Wright. “That’s a better approach rather than having to change absolutely everything.” Virtual production was part of the toolset. “We had the LED volume and used that to get the lighting in a better place on the set pieces and characters,” says Wright. “One example is when Robotnik is in the ‘mech head’ and has all of the electricity around him, he was actually in a LED volume. It was better to do the roto and extract him off something that was giving him all sorts of interesting lighting cues on his face and eyes rather than trying to light the actor and have a clean key to pull.”
“We had the LED volume and used that to get the lighting in a better place on the set pieces and characters. One example is when Robotnik is in the ‘mech head’ and has all of the electricity around him, he was actually in a LED volume. It was better to do the roto and extract him off something that was giving him all sorts of interesting lighting cues on his face and eyes rather than trying to light the actor and have a clean key to pull.”
—Ged Wright, Visual Effects Supervisor
Most of the interior of the giant mech robot was dark until the emerald electricity comes on and lights it up.
Knuckles and Tails can move at high speed like Sonic. “One of the core differences this time around is we had other characters in that heightened reality,” observes Wright. “As soon as you have two characters that are moving at the same speed, you almost don’t know that everything is in a heightened reality. There were a different set of parameters there. We had a couple of instances where we wanted to demonstrate that effect upon the rest of the world. One of them is when they’re fighting in the backyard and Robotnik spills his popcorn as they go into this heightened speed. We shot Jim on a super high-speed camera to get that. Most of the time it was two CG characters that are in that world, so you’ve got a lot more flexibility to alter and add things to be able to heighten those moments.” The speed trails were tricky. “They’re quite a graphic stylized element and self-illuminated, so it’s hard to get a sense of depth,” explains Wright. “You end up having to design them specifically for the shots to get the right look.” Driving everything was the sheer volume of the performance and character animation. “There is no shortcut for that. It takes time both for the animation team and the wonderful animation director that we had, Eric Guaglione, to come on and find that language,” Wright says, adding that the tonal variety of the narrative was an asset. “What I enjoyed about making this film was the possibility to lean into storytelling and the intimacy between characters while also having these big action beats. Often on movies you get to do one or the other. It’s unusual to be able to do both.”
Emmy-Award winner Margaret Dean is the Head of Studio for SKYBOUND, the home of Invincible and The Walking Dead, and is responsible for the production of original content and studio operations.Inspired at an early age by dramatic black and white films from the 30s and 40s, Marge discovered the moving image as an art student and delved into her passion for visual storytelling through animation. Known for building studios and animation pipelines, Marge has been responsible for the design or re-design of several studios, and as President of Women in Animation, she is a recognized global leader in advancing women in the field of animation.
As the head of a studio, you are responsible for creating and nurturing the culture, where everyone feels they belong. What I work to do is instill a space that embraces mentoring – not only to expand and diversify the workforce, but because it lends a strong sense of inspiration and community. The flow of shared experience, knowledge and support is critical to building a collaborative environment. Women in Animation’s mentoring program is our most successful initiative and demand continues to grow. What is truly exciting is that our formal mentorship matches planted the seeds to grow new networks. I don’t think you can make your way in this often-challenging industry without people who share their lessons learned, foster your talents and provide encouragement – and as someone who benefitted from great mentors, I’m proud to be in a position to pay this forward.
I was a single working parent early in my career, and the issue of balancing a career and family is highly personal. I was able to figure out a way where I did not have to sacrifice one for the other – but so many parents, particularly women, feel backed into making that tough choice. Women in Animation is focused on the enormous need to provide job flexibility and more support for working parents and caregivers. The number of women who have had to walk away from their jobs because of the high cost and lack of childcare and too few options for hybrid work schedules is startling – even more so due to COVID. We need to do better and we highly encourage partners to join our advocacy.
There is an enormous need to provide job flexibility and more support for working parents and caregivers.
Women in Animation wants to achieve 50/50 parity for women and underrepresented genders in the animated creative workforce by 2025 – and we believe the industry is already committed to that goal.What we‘re focused on now is how to make it easter to do it. We’ve created a searchable database of more than 6,000 women/diverse gender professionals to dispel that myth of ‘Ican’t find anyone to hire.’ We are also working on breaking down barriers to build the pipeline, including creating pathways that do not require going to an expensive art school or college. I’m very excited about our ongoing work with the California Board of Education and The BRIC Foundation to build out training and apprenticeship programs to prepare people for a multitude of jobs and enrich our talent pool.
Ask Me Anything – VFX Pros Tell All
Join us for our series of interactive webinars with visual effects professionals. Ask your questions, learn about the industry and glean inspiration for your career path.
A time jet getting ready to jump across decades. Height references included weather balloons and footage of Felix Baumgartner’s record freefall as a reference point for the curvature of the Earth.
Netflix’s The Adam Project is a family drama embedded in time-traveling, world-saving science fiction. To help with the sci-fi aspect, Overall Visual Effects Supervisor Alessandro Ongaro tasked DNEG London with conjuring up unique-looking wormholes, decades-hopping “time jets” and digi-double “time soldiers.”
The wormholes were a key visual effect in The Adam Project. It was decided that the wormholes would have some kind of funnel in the middle through which a jet could disappear. Then each wormhole had to disappear after the jet had gone through.
In the Shawn Levy-directed story, Adam (Ryan Reynolds) is a time pilot from 2050, on an illegal mission to rescue his wife Laura (Zoe Saldana). He crash-lands in 2022, and, as he heals himself and fixes his jet, enlists the help of his 12-year-old self (Walker Scobell). It is the year following the death of their father, Louis Reed (Mark Ruffalo), from which they have never recovered emotionally. Reed was a brilliant quantum physicist who accidentally invented time travel, which has been used by Reed’s former partner, Maya Sorian (Catherine Keener), to enrich herself and create a dystopian future. To undo this terrible timeline, Adam and his younger self travel to 2018 to seek out the help of their younger father. Once there, they must also find a way to make peace with his future absence. Jennifer Garner also stars in the film, portraying Adam’s mother Ellie Reed.
“The wormhole was the main pivot of the movie. DNEG has a great history of doing wormholes and black holes for movies, so we had the tricky task of coming up with something innovative that had not been done before.”
—Mike Duffy, VFX Producer, DNEG
The time jets needed to project velocity and urgency when leaving Earth’s environment. Vibration and camera shake were added to Adam’s jet to give the chase a more frantic feel.
The single most important effect in The Adam Project was, arguably, the wormholes that the time jets create for time jumping. Explains DNEG VFX Producer Mike Duffy, “The wormhole was the main pivot of the movie. DNEG has a great history of doing wormholes and black holes for movies, so we had the tricky task of coming up with something innovative that had not been done before.”
“There was also one instance where we had to digitally replace young Adam’s legs. There is a scene where they are plummeting so quickly towards Earth that they had to rig young Adam on wires to make him appear weightless, but to add to the comedy value we added [a boy’s] legs dangling behind him, which really helped to sell the gag of those couple of shots.”
—Alexander Seaman, Visual Effects Supervisor, DNEG
Time soldiers drop from the jet of Sorian (Catherine Keener) and begin pursuit on hoverboards. Stunt actors in time soldier outfits were digitally scanned on set, with the data used to create digital versions.
Older Adam (Ryan Reynolds), younger Adam (Walker Scobell) and Laura (Zoe Saldana) are in a classic GMC Jimmy truck as they flee the time soldiers through the forest.
DNEG Visual Effects Supervisor Alexander Seaman recalls, “The creation and animation of the wormhole was actually quite a simple 3D task with some fairly rudimentary 3D volumes and shapes which could then be easily animated to be scaled up and down.” The real challenge was working out the unique design of the wormhole, which had to disappear after the jet flew through it. Seaman adds, “Director Shawn Levy guided us towards optical flares and lens distortions as references. We looked at the way that different prisms behaved, and then ultimately decided that the wormhole needed to have some kind of funnel in the middle of it which the ship could disappear through.”
DNEG augmented the time jets’ original designs and designed their cloaking effect. The spectacular dogfights of the swift and agile jets – piloted by older Adam or Sorian’s head of security, Christos (Alex Mallari Jr.) – were “a fairly complex process,” according to Seaman. “We were provided with a few rounds of pre-visualization, as well as some aerial footage and plates of mountains from above the clouds in North America, which we then repurposed to create the same camera angles and speeds. Where this wasn’t possible, we digitally created the parts of the environment, including a digital valley, a digital rock surface and a digital cave. We would then block all of that out and animate the chase. Next, we would assess whether the scene was thrilling or fast enough and augment each shot accordingly. On some occasions the aerial footage wasn’t fast or high enough, so we had to look for ways to re-speed the plates we already had or simply replace it with a CG version of the same thing from a different perspective.”
A time jet in pursuit of the GMC Jimmy in the forest. DNEG had to replace forest, build forest extensions and blend it all with existing plate material.
Continues Seaman, “Once we had established how high and far away from the Earth they wanted to put the chase, we looked at references such as weather balloons and Felix Baumgartner’s world record freefall [in 2012]. This footage proved useful as a reference point for the curvature of the Earth and sense of serenity at that altitude. We also used the Hubble space telescope footage as a reference for how the clouds cast shadows onto the oceans and land masses. We then used some of our own proprietary tools to generate some of the atmosphere effects that you see from the Earth.”
The time jets needed to project velocity and urgency once they were leaving the Earth’s environment, at the edge of space where everything is calm and serene, Seaman explains, “We had to use a few film-making tricks, including adding a certain amount of vibration and camera shake to Adam’s jet in particular to give it a more frantic feel. We also used an element of ‘space dust’ through the air, which gave a sense of traveling through something that we could justify as water particles. Anytime that the jets got close to each other, we could justify haze or vapor from the jets washing past and over them. When the Sorian jet starts shooting at the time jet, we’ve got the tracers from the guns, which are able to convey a sense of speed and danger as well.”
The older Adam and younger Adam in the cockpit at a dramatic yet comical moment during a chase sequence with Sorian’s jet pursuing them.
Adds Seaman, “One of the features of that sequence was a huge Earth that the environment team did a really good job of creating. If we had kept Earth in the correct position throughout that sequence, you would have only seen it in a couple of shots, so we had to really cheat where the Earth was in relation to the camera in order to keep some kind of visual anchor point as to where they were going and how fast they were moving. In some cases, we even cheated the scale of the Earth to make it feel like they were traveling faster away from it.”
“Once we had established how high and far away from the Earth they wanted to put the chase, we looked at references such as weather balloons and Felix Baumgartner’s world record freefall [in 2012]. This footage proved useful as a reference point for the curvature of the Earth and sense of serenity at that altitude. We also used the Hubble space telescope footage as a reference for how the clouds cast shadows onto the oceans and land masses. We then used some of our own proprietary tools to generate some of the atmosphere effects that you see from the Earth.”
—Alexander Seaman, Visual Effects Supervisor, DNEG
DNEG also worked on the truck chase sequences that involved the Adams and Laura fleeing Sorian in a classic GMC Jimmy. They drive along and through a forest with Sorian’s jet and flying time soldiers in hot pursuit. DNEG had to replace forest and build forest extensions and blend it all with existing plate material. Explains Seaman, “There was a real forest complete with various types of vegetation and a dirt road running through the middle of it. To make the sequence more thrilling, they wanted to replace the dirt road and instead show the [truck] weaving to and fro between various bushes. We used the on-set reference for what the trees and plants looked like and then had a very talented modeling team recreate the same vegetation, as well as a very good environment team effectively fill in the forest for the pieces that were absent.”
Older Adam pilots a time jet through a CGI canyon. Much of that environment was digitally created, including a digital valley, a digital rock surface and a digital cave.
When the time soldiers flew through the forest in pursuit of the truck, cutting between trees while riding hoverboards, it is reminiscent of the Star Wars: Return of the Jedi chases in the forests of Endor. Responds Seaman, “We also felt that there were some influences by Return of the Jedi in the style of the forest and the speed at which the heroes were being chased through it. But this wasn’t something that we were asked to match or reference.”
The time soldiers often required digi-doubles. Seaman notes, “There were real-life stunt actors in time soldier outfits that they digitally scanned on set. They then sent us the data, and we recreated digital versions of the stuntmen in their costumes. We did a couple of varieties of them holding their weapons in different ways with slightly different imperfections to their armor. We then modeled and rigged the hover platforms to their feet. The team had done a really good job of filming the stunt performers through the sequence, but sometimes they were not going quite fast enough. So, in a lot of cases, we digitally re-produced them, using the footage as a reference to see how they moved and how their costumes reacted to the environment, but ultimately digitally replacing them to make them go faster.”
Digi-doubles were also used as replacements for actors in aircrafts, especially during the flying scenes. Comments Seaman, “There was also one instance where we had to digitally replace young Adam’s legs. There is a scene where they are plummeting so quickly towards Earth that they had to rig young Adam on wires to make him appear weightless, but to add to the comedy value we added [a boy’s] legs dangling behind him, which really helped to sell the gag of those couple of shots.”
“We had to use a few film-making tricks, including adding a certain amount of vibration and camera shake to Adam’s jet in particular to give it a more frantic feel. We also used an element of ‘space dust’ through the air, which gave a sense of traveling through something that we could justify as water particles. Anytime that the jets got close to each other, we could justify haze or vapor from the jets washing past and over them. When the Sorian jet starts shooting at the time jet, we’ve got the tracers from the guns, which are able to convey a sense of speed and danger as well.”
—Alexander Seaman, Visual Effects Supervisor, DNEG
Closeup of a time jet in the canyons. DNEG was tasked with adding extra detailing to the time jet exteriors and their cockpits.
DNEG has a history of creating wormholes and black holes, and was challenged to come up with something innovative for The Adam Project.
DNEG contributed more than 350 shots spread over eight sequences, out of the 1,432 total VFX shots in the movie. The other visual effects studios working on The Adam Project included Scanline VFX, Lola VFX, Supervixen Studios and Clear Angle Studios, and there was an in-house VFX team. Cameron Waldbauer was Special Effects Supervisor.
Images courtesy of Netflix and Alt.vfx, except where noted.
Benedict Cumberbatch portrays malicious rancher Phil Burbank while Kodi Smit-McPhee takes on the role of his brother’s effeminate stepson Peter Gordon in The Power of the Dog. (Image courtesy of Netflix)
With the exception of the Red Mill Inn, the town of Herndon, Montana was CG.
While movie critics praised the performances of Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons and Kodi Smit-McPhee in The Power of the Dog, nothing was ever mentioned about the visual effects work supervised by Jay Hawkins (Wolf Like Me) and produced by Alt.vfx which amounted to over 200 shots. The lack of awareness and recognition is not something that bothers Hawkins. “People ask me, ‘What did you do on The Power of the Dog? That’s not a visual effects film.’ I show them the breakdown and they’re always quite surprised, which makes me happy.” Digital doubles were made to increase the herds of cattle, set extensions were required for the ranch, a town had to be digitally constructed, CG wounds were placed on animals and actors, and the outline of a dog was etched into the rolling hills.
“People ask me, ‘What did you do on The Power of the Dog? That’s not a visual effects film.’ I show them the breakdown and they’re always quite surprised, which makes me happy.”
—Jay Hawkins, Visual Effects Supervisor
Based on the novel by Thomas Savage, the cinematic adaption by Jane Campion (Bright Star) is set in the 1920s Montana where Phil (Benedict Cumberbatch) wages brutal psychological warfare against the new bride (Kirsten Dunst) and stepson (Kobi Smit-McPhee) of his brother, George (Jesse Plemons), that unfolds on their family ranch. New Zealand doubled for Montana during principal photography, which was conducted by Ari Wenger (Lady Macbeth) who received an Oscar-nomination for her contributions. Campion had done some extensive scouting in Montana where Thomas Savage lived. “I thought it was going to be alpine trees and big logging forests, but that wasn’t the look or terrain that Jane was going for. She wanted vast and open fields which we found in New Zealand. In terms of changing New Zealand for Montana, we weren’t doing any of that.”
Part of a ranch house was built on a farm in the Hawkdun Range in Maniototo by Production Designer Grant Major (Mulan). “The house had to service all of these different story beats and lines of sight,” explains Hawkins. “On one of early recces there was a small-scale 3D printed model of the house. We walked out to the location, which wound up being used for the film, and placed and rotated the model around in the light and starting thinking about where the rest of the buildings should be placed.” Extensive previs was utilized for the interior shots as there was not a budget for big translights, and the preference was to avoid greenscreen or bluescreen. “We came up with this idea of vinyl backdrops [of which we had three],” notes Hawkins. “I did previs for what we would shoot outside of the window, what would be the set’s field of view and what would be the set’s horizon, given that we had a limited size for the backdrop that could be used outside of the window.”
Rocks were digitally constructed to integrate the railroad tracks into the landscape.
A drone captured aerial plate photography of the ranch. “We didn’t do a whole lot of drone footage on the show, and, on that day, it was the arrival of the governor for the dinner scene,” remarks Hawkins. “We had to make sure that the drone stayed at the right altitude so you could see enough of the top of the house, given the fact only half of it had been built. Some practical snow blankets were laid down while the cowboys are running to the front door. In the rough cut before seeing the shot with the full house and snow, we weren’t sure, but when we started adding snow and post rendered the house, it came alive.” Grant Major produced concept art for the fictional setting of Herndon, Montana. “While scouting, we couldn’t find something that spoke to Jane,” adds Hawkins, “so the only physically constructed building was the exterior of the Red Mill Inn, which was located a couple hundred meters from the ranch house. The rest of the town is CG.” Drone photogrammetry scans were taken of the ranch house and Red Mill Inn. “When we went to rebuild it,” he says, “we were able to take the real-world measurements of photogrammetry scan, marry those with the original concept and build from there with texture reference from the practical build.”
“[T]he only physically constructed building was the exterior of the Red Mill Inn, which was located a couple hundred meters from the ranch house. The rest of the town is CG. When we went to rebuild it, we were able to take the real-world measurements of photogrammetry scan, marry those with the original concept and build from there with texture reference from the practical build.”
—Jay Hawkins, Visual Effects Supervisor
Visual Effects Supervisor Jay Hawkins thought the terrain was going to be alpine trees and big logging forests, but director Jane Campion wanted vast and open fields.
In two different scenes, the shape of a dog was incorporated into the rolling hills. “There was a lot of time spent rotting in vans and discussing things,” recalls Hawkins. “One evening. we climbed this big hill which was being considered as a possible location for the picnic scene. We were watching the sunset on the hills behind the house, and there were these really long shadows that were winding around them. One looked like the face of a witch and another resembled a tiger. Ari and I were sitting in wonder watching the nose of the witch go from being perfect to abstract. We thought, ‘What if the dog was a shadow puppet like that on a hill?’ When I got back from that recce, I worked with my concept artist on a bunch of different versions of the dog. Maybe it would be sculptural or embedded into a rock formation in the hills. However, the shadow throw was so strong and powerful that Jane loved it. We kept refining that concept. You’re trying to sculpt a ridge line that is also a shadow receiver of the ideal shape that you want when the sun is at a certain part of the day. In the end it was a fully 2D effect.”
While the car was practical, the train was a CG asset. “The carriages were based upon the passenger carriages we were able to get for the train station platform shot when they’re arriving at the station,” states Hawkins. “That was captured by the drone unit during COVID-19. We had all of these different options of plates and found that one. Extensive relighting and reworking were required on the plate to get it to work.” Rocks were digitally constructed to integrate the railroad tracks into the landscape. “Initially,” notes Hawkins, “the shot of the people next to tracks was supposed to have nothing around them. But it felt so naked with just the tracks and the cowboys standing there. We wound up putting in the stockyards, a section of town and additional elements until that shot itself felt correct.” Having the proper number of extras was not an issue. “Our bigger crowd scenes like at the railway station were shot pre-pandemic,” he adds, “and when we were on our interiors, New Zealand was in a fortunate situation where there were zero COVID-19 cases.”
“We thought, ‘What if the dog was a shadow puppet like that on a hill?’ When I got back from that recce, I worked with my concept artist on a bunch of different versions of the dog. Maybe it would be sculptural or embedded into a rock formation in the hills. However, the shadow throw was so strong and powerful that [director] Jane [Campion] loved it. We kept refining that concept. You’re trying to sculpt a ridge line that is also a shadow receiver of the ideal shape that you want when the sun is at a certain part of the day. In the end it was a fully 2D effect.”
—Jay Hawkins, Visual Effects Supervisor
Cattle were an important part of the visual storytelling. A cow library was built in Houdini of different groupable bovine behaviors.
Cattle were an important storytelling and visual element. “Before the film had even started, Ari had a cow breakdown for the different seasons and how many would logically be at the ranch,” remarks Hawkins. “For two or three days, we had real cattle with us. I did a massive texture and behavior study with as many witness cameras as I could. Then I worked with my team to construct a bunch of different groupable behaviors so that Chris Gardner, my technical director, could build them into his Houdini cow library. He had some nice anti-collision things, so if one cow stopped another it would walk around them. It took awhile but was quite good. I’m looking forward to another cow film just so we can use it again!” Not everything could be procedural, he adds. “If they were clumped together in a mass, there was always heaps of art direction because we had to integrate it with what was happening in the plate.”
“Initially, the shot of the people next to tracks was supposed to have nothing around them. But it felt so naked with just the tracks and the cowboys standing there. We wound up putting in the stockyards, a section of town and additional elements until that shot itself felt correct.”
—Jay Hawkins, Visual Effects Supervisor
Development of the ranch house, which was practically built and extended in CG.
The shape of a dog was etched into the natural landscape.
Only two shots used greenscreen. “The backgrounds were such a high contrast that I wouldn’t be able to get a nice clean roto, and as a result the shots would suffer if I didn’t use greenscreen,” states Hawkins. “Also, the lighting conditions allowed for it.” On set the wounds were done practically. “It was when we were in the edit that we realized more was needed,” Hawkins observes. “That became a fun exercise of Googling things like anthrax and wolf attacks on bears.” The dissection of the rabbit was CG because real animal parts were not allowed on set. As for atmospherics, extensive dust had to be digitally added. “That was fun too,” reveals Hawkins, “because Murray Smallwood, our Compositing Supervisor, was into experimenting with EmberGen as a kit to use inside of Nuke, and he got some wonderful results with that. We put dust into quite a lot of scenes to add life to them.” There were times that the skies had to be altered. “Everything that we did was based on things that were shot,” Hawkins says. “If I wasn’t shooting for visual effects, then I was capturing sky domes, reference out of the windows and time-lapse of clouds to build a library. In that part of New Zealand, we were blessed with so many potentially beautiful skies.”
Images courtesy of Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Animation
A character design plate with contributions from Julien Le Rolland, Taylor Krahenbuhl, Anthony Holden, Pierre Perifel and Jorge Capote.
For Australian author Aaron Blabey, the best way to describe The Bad Guys, a series of illustrated books depicting what are viewed to be despicable creatures trying to redeem themselves, was as “Tarantino for kids.” The cinematic adaptation found a home at DreamWorks Animation, with it being overseen by producer Damon Ross and director Pierre Perifel, who was making his feature directorial debut. The vocal cast features Sam Rockwell as Mr. Wolf, Marc Maron as Mr. Snake, Craig Robinson as Mr. Shark, Anthony Ramos as Mr. Piranha and Awkwafina as Ms. Tarantula. The creative journey began for Pierre Perifel in March 2019 with the lockdown caused by the pandemic occurring halfway through preproduction.
A character experssion sheet of Mr. Wolf with the model created by Hyun Huh and designed by Jorge Capote.
“The bad guys are in the warm colors and a cooler palette when they attempt to be good guys. The police moments would be the regular color of a police car, like deep reds, white and black. When it’s more the desperate moments, it would be desaturated, almost black and white. There is strong lighting in Los Angeles, so we have white skies and warm light.”
—Pierre Perifel, Director
“There is no way you can stick for the long run with something that you don’t like or feel drawn to,” admits Perifel. “The universe of the books struck a chord with me as it could be a heist movie by Quentin Tarantino or Steven Soderbergh. I added my own influences as animator back in France. Underneath all of this is the journey of Wolf. The idea that people can change and figure out more meaning in their personal lives, was something I connected a lot with for personal reasons.” The illustrations from the books had to be altered in order to be cinematic. “The art of Aaron Blabey is simple and efficient,” observes Perifel, “but yet we had to expand upon it to make a visual experience on the big screen. There are also limitations to his characters that you want to change or rework so you can have them actually moving. A shark without legs in our world would have been difficult to do. The same for Piranha.”
Sam Rockwell voices Mr. Wolf, who attempts to pull off his biggest con job.
Perifel wanted to create a new animation style which combined influences of Hayao Miyazaki and Ernest & Celestine. “The code of anime is that the posing of the characters has a lot to do with economical animation. Over the last few years at the studio, we had tended to be video reference and realistic for our acting in animation. I didn’t want to forget that, but wanted to try something that was more stylized and illustrative.” A simple color theory was developed by production designer Luc Desmarchelier that reflected the mental state of the main characters. “The bad guys are in the warm colors and a cooler palette when they attempt to be good guys,” explains Perifel. “The police moments would be the regular color of a police car, like deep reds, white and black. When it’s more the desperate moments, it would be desaturated, almost black and white.” The location had an impact on the color palette,” Perifel adds. “There is strong lighting in Los Angeles, so we have white skies and warm light.”
Pierre Perifel wanted to create a new animation style that combined influences of Hayao Miyazaki and Ernest & Celestine.
The storyboard by director Pierre Perifel and the final frame that appeared in the movie.
Storytelling drives the technology at DreamWorks Animation. “The head of layout, Todd Jansen, wanted to give us an anamorphic lens, which is what you usually do in live-action because it has a Los Angeles film vibe to it,” states J.P. Sans, Head of Character Animation for The Bad Guys. “We wrote tools to have this lens distortion whenever we needed to. The other tool that we had was a comic-book style, so there were a lot of drawing effects. We could draw motion blur and multiple legs for when a character was spinning around, instead of using rigs and CG elements. Everything felt handmade but still had that CG aspect, so it feels like a hybrid.” Animation tests involved copying 2D films frame by frame into CG, which were then shown to Perifel. “It was a great way to find our parameters of, ‘Are we close or are we too far off?’” states Sans. “The style that we found was removing some of that motion in CG and letting the mind fill in the blanks like you do in 2D.”
“We wrote tools to have this [anamorphic] lens distortion whenever we needed to. The other tool that we had was a comic-book style, so there were a lot of drawing effects. We could draw motion blur and multiple legs for when a character was spinning around, instead of using rigs and CG elements. Everything felt handmade but still had that CG aspect, so it feels like a hybrid.”
—J.P. Sans, Head of Character Animation
A color script by Luc Desmarchelier and Pierre Perifel for a dramatic car chase.
It was important to make Ms. Tarantula appealing rather than creepy. “The fur on tarantulas looks pointy and like it could stab you,” remarks Sans. “We wanted to bring a cuteness by making the fur feel soft. Because of going anthropomorphic, we added a torso and head that separates from the body so that it gives you a humanistic feel. We wanted her to feel like a spider based on the speed and how she moves around. But we didn’t overdo the legs, because if you have every leg doing something different or you can see every leg, you’re always going to remind people that she is a spider and some people don’t like spiders! It’s about visually simplifying the characters. At times we hid legs. Sometimes when Tarantula is running around, you only see four legs and visually it’s more appealing and easier to swallow than all of these eight limbs coming out of this body.” The vocal delivery of Marc Maron was a perfect fit for Mr. Snake. “Marc brought so much personality to that character and who he was that we wanted to visually maintain that sarcastic dry humor in his expressions. The actual visual recordings give us a lot of ideas on mannerisms that we could incorporate into the character animation,” Sans notes.
Concept art by Floriane Marchix that explores the white skies and warm light of Los Angeles.
“We wanted to bring a cuteness [to Ms. Tarantula] by making the fur feel soft. Because of going anthropomorphic, we added a torso and head that separates from the body so that it gives you a humanistic feel. We wanted her to feel like a spider based on the speed and how she moves around. But we didn’t overdo the legs, because if you have every leg doing something different or you can see every leg, you’re always going to remind people that she is a spider and some people don’t like spiders! It’s about visually simplifying the characters.”
—J.P. Sans, Head of Character Animation
Central to the technical process was figuring out the workflows and tools needed to allow digital artists to solve visual problems like an illustrator. “We wanted to come up with ways that would allow us to hide detail in the rigging so you could procedurally lose some of detail on a per-shot basis depending on the angle of the light,” states Matt Baer, Visual Effects Supervisor for The Bad Guys. “We also wanted the ability to add additional linework later on to enhance the idea that the image looked handmade. If you look at Wolf, some of his linework is built into the rig. That allows the character animator to move these expression lines around. We also even painted some lines into his fur. That stuff is cooked into those renders.” Textures were strategically chosen. “Where we wanted detail to show up on each of those characters was where the highlight would transition into the mid-tones or where the mid-tones would transition into shadow,” details Baer. “Each of the characters came with their version of a base color and then a texture map. Based on where the light was sitting, we could dial in some of that texture in those transitional areas.”
A lighting key by Floriane Marchix for a scene when Ms. Tarantula hacks into a security camera system.
The Bad Guys was inspired by Australian Aaron Blabey wanting to invert archetypal evil animals and place them in a story that would be ‘Quentin Tarantino for children.’
Genders were switched when creating Ms. Tarantula, voiced by Awkwafina.
The texture of the characters was influenced by the environmental lighting.
“We wanted to come up with ways that would allow us to hide detail in the rigging so you could procedurally lose some of detail on a per-shot basis depending on the angle of the light. We also wanted the ability to add additional linework later on to enhance the idea that the image looked handmade. If you look at Wolf, some of his linework is built into the rig. That allows the character animator to move these expression lines around. We also even painted some lines into his fur. That stuff is cooked into those renders.”
—Matt Baer, Visual Effects Supervisor
A new tool called Doodle was created to help sell the illusion that the explosion was a 2D effect.
2D effects had to be created procedurally. “We built a big sprite library and created a bunch of procedural simulations techniques that could be rendered and composited in a way that you can mix and match the sprites with simulations,” remarks Baer. “The goal was to not know where one started and where one ended. The massive explosion had to avoid appearing as a fluid simulation. “We wanted to represent the cooler and hotter areas of an explosion in a much more graphic way,” Baer explains. “A new tool called Doodle was created that allowed effects artists to essentially add additional 2D animated elements on top of the base explosion, which helped to sell the illusion of the whole thing being done as 2D effect.” The same approach was adopted for environmental effects. “You’re trying to boil each of those components down to the necessary detail so that the audience can fill in the rest,” adds Baer. “For effects, we didn’t want a lot of detail inside. We needed just enough to sell the motion of what the effect was doing. We didn’t want to see every single leaf, but needed the ability to make it look that we took a dry brush and brushed it across the whole tree. When you are outside of the silhouette those textures and speckles would appear as physically geometric leaves.”
It was important to have an anamorphic lens, so tools were written to create the corresponding lens distortion.
The characters had to be modified from the books, such as giving legs to Mr. Shark, voiced by Craig Robinson.
The tight pre-production schedule was the biggest challenge. “Preparing all of the assets and characters would have been fine if it was the regular style, but I wanted something that was different from what we’re usually doing and not just relying on the PBRT rendering, which is physical lighting,” notes Perifel. “It was to be more stylized with brush textures and linework. Figuring all of this out in six months was tricky. But once the team figured it out it went smoothly; that would be the hardest part of it. Then, of course, the transition to working from home technically.” Every scene was carefully crafted narratively and emotionally. “There are two action sequences in the second half of the film that are incredibly fun to look at,” touts Perifel. “There is a lot in this movie.”
To better handle the height differences of the characters Ms. Tarantula was often placed on the shoulder of Mr. Shark.
For the greater portion of the movie Dr. Michael Morbius (Jared Leto) walks around in his human form.
“We designed Morbius’ face to have some resemblance to Jared Leto and wanted to carry through all of his idiosyncrasies into what the monster does. That was achieved through standard techniques and leaning on machine learning techniques that we employ these days. … We marked up the face to have an accurate tracking of where his head was in 3D space, knowing that we would totally own the face underneath. We kept the hair and clothes; there were times that we didn’t. It’s a performance that leans on machine learning techniques that Digital Domain has put into place over the years.”
—Matthew Butler, Visual Effects Supervisor
Highlighting the rogues’ gallery of Spider-Man villains is the Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters, which began with the malevolent symbiote Venom and has expanded to include Dr. Michael Morbius, a brilliant biochemist turned vampire. The origin story gets explored in Morbius, directed by Daniel Espinosa (Child 44), with Jared Leto playing the title character alongside Michael Keaton, Adria Arjona, Jared Harris, and Matt Smith. Hired to handled the visual effects was Matthew Butler (Ready Player One), who collaborated with Digital Domain, One of Us, Lola VFX, Storm Studios, Sony Pictures Imageworks and NVIZ to visualize and create 1,000 shots.
Dr. Michael Morbius (Jared Leto) attempts to cure his rare blood disease with experimental vampire-bat science.
Making impossible things occur in a believable manner for audience members is tricky. “In this case, you have Jared Leto and Matt Smith playing vampires, and we see them walking around as humans for the greater portion of the movie, so we know their physical inertia,” explains Butler. “We tried to masquerade within almost gratuitous visual effects that justified where physical reality needed to be bent. The face was the most impressive work in the movie, but honoring the dynamics was much harder.” The vampire faces had to appear monstrous but still resemble the actor so to retain its appeal. Comments Butler, “We designed Morbius’ face to have some resemblance to Jared Leto and wanted to carry through all of his idiosyncrasies into what the monster does. That was achieved through standard techniques and leaning on machine learning techniques that we employ these days. We let the director Daniel Espinosa run free with his actors on the day. We marked up the face to have an accurate tracking of where his head was in 3D space, knowing that we would totally own the face underneath. We kept the hair and clothes; there were times that we didn’t. It’s a performance that leans on machine learning techniques that Digital Domain has put into place over the years.”
Aftering injecting himself with his cure, Dr. Michael Morbius (Jared Leto) gains superhuman strength but also transforms into a vampire.
“In this case, you have Jared Leto and Matt Smith playing vampires, and we see them walking around as humans for the greater portion of the movie, so we know their physical inertia. We tried to masquerade within almost gratuitous visual effects that justified where physical reality needed to be bent. The face was the most impressive work in the movie, but honoring the dynamics was much harder.”
—Matthew Butler, Visual Effects Supervisor
Prosthetic makeup was strictly used for the gaunt and sickly versions of Jared Leto and Matt Smith. “There are levels of madness,” notes Butler. “Phase seven ended up being the most dramatic and extreme. Most of time, Morbius is at phase three. There was also a phase that we referred to as a balloon, where he would elastically go into this mode and comes back again. Those shots are so subtle that they’re almost subliminal.” The first transformation happens off screen. “Morbius bursts out of the glass where he is being contained and is full monster. Now that we know what he’s going to become we can balloon into that, not go as far, and see the progression,” notes Butler. It was important to avoid the transformation appearing as a morph or dissolve. “We would have different parts of the face do various behaviors,” Butler adds. “Morbius has this pale skin, so we had to pull red blood cells out of him and accompany that with a fairly grotesque vein work and a quite translucent subsurface to the skin. When he reverts back from being a monster in the container ship, the last frame of that shot is a fully digital face of Jared. It’s quite an achievement by Digital Domain because it’s a lot easier to do a monster than a human who is your lead actor – and full frame.”
The face of Morbius was designed to have some resemblance to Jared Leto.
To receive the PG-17 rating many shots had blood removed or made to look black.
“There are levels of madness. Phase seven ended up being the most dramatic and extreme. Most of time, Morbius is at phase three. There was also a phase that we referred to as a balloon, where he would elastically go into this mode and comes back again. Those shots are so subtle that they’re almost subliminal.”
—Matthew Butler, Visual Effects Supervisor
A unique ability possessed by Morbius is echolocation, where high frequency sound pulses are emitted through the nose or mouth of a bat that listens for the resulting echo. “How does one visualize something that is not visual?” asks Bulter. “We had to show that he is seeing these surfaces by bouncing soundwaves against them. It didn’t have to be sound, but a wave-like phenomena that has a particle system response. I also wanted it to be beautiful. We see Morbius sending out these pulses and an energization of the surfaces which have inherent colors.” Not everything happens on the ground. “Flying was one of my biggest fears as it can quickly become hokey. Morbius has a certain mass and telegraphs that by the way he walks around and picks up and puts down a cup. You can’t suddenly [show] that he has shed his mass and is now a helium balloon. I love any natural phenomena because it tends to be beautiful, and if someone has seen a real thing before, they are now clued into a curtained believability. The technique that we used to hide some of the sins here was a cavitation of the volumes around them.”
“We would have different parts of the face do various behaviors. Morbius has this pale skin, so we had to pull red blood cells out of him and accompany that with a fairly grotesque vein work and a quite translucent subsurface to the skin. When he reverts back from being a monster in the container ship, the last frame of that shot is a fully digital face of Jared. It’s quite an achievement by Digital Domain because it’s a lot easier to do a monster than a human who is your lead actor – and full frame.”
—Matthew Butler, Visual Effects Supervisor
Greenscreen and bluescreen were favored over LED walls. “There was a greenscreen shoot for the cave exterior for the opening sequence in Costa Rica, which was some of the hardest in the movie because that was shot indoors,” reveals Butler. “It was difficult to get that lighting to look real. The end of the movie is all bluescreen. We built a partial set with it being 90% synthetic. We knew what it was and could pull it up on the video feed there because we had already conceived it.” The third act completely changed from being situated during the day to a nighttime setting. “We shot for months in a park in England doubling for Central Park in New York City,” notes Butler, “and the action we did with Jared Leto, Matt Smith and Adria Arjona was all gone. The entire third act was reconceived digitally. We selectively re-shot little pieces of Jared, Matt and Adria, and the rest was CG.” The theatrical rating of Morbius impacted the blood and gore. “It is hard to do a PG vampire movie,” observes Butler. “There were so many shots where we went back and took blood out or made it black.” The stunt performances were impressive, in particular by Jared Leto’s stunt double, Greg Townley, who literally ran up walls sprayed with Coca-Cola for the subway scene. States Butler, “I came at this from what can we do practically first.” A major accomplishment occurs during the container ship sequence. “It is an elegant shot,” savors Butler, “where you see him go from full monster and become Jared Leto. I love that shot and am so proud of it. It looks like Jared, but that’s all synthetic.”
In the subway scene the walls were sprayed with Coca-Cola so that the stunt double for Jared Leto could actually run up the walls.
After establishing a relationship with director Matt Reeves on the prequel trilogy for The Planet of the Apes, Weta FX veteran Dan Lemmon was moved into the role of Production Visual Effects Supervisor for the next blockbuster helmed by the filmmaker. The Batman takes place during the early days of the Caped Crusader and stars Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano, Colin Farrell, Jeffrey Wright, John Turturro and Andy Serkis. Handling the signature car chase between Batman and Penguin, as well as the Batcave and the memorial service at City Hall, was Weta FX, with key members of the team being Visual Effects Supervisor Anders Langlands, Animation Supervisor Dennis Yoo and Compositing Supervisor Beck Veitch who collaborated on a total of 320 shots.
The workshop, gym equipment and Batmobile areas were practically constructed while the rest of the Batcave was a digital environment.
“[Cinematographer] Greig [Frasier] was putting globs of silicon sealant from a caulking gun onto a plate of glass in front of the lens to create these beautiful abstract lens flares, particularly in the vehicle shots and throughout the chase scenes. Initially, we were mystified as to what they were until Dan explained what Greig was actually doing there.”
—Anders Langlands, Visual Effects Supervisor
“It’s definitely exciting to be able to put your own spin on things,” notes Langlands. “This is a detective story that is a love letter to all of those old 1970s crime thrillers which I’m a huge fan of personally, like Chinatown, The French Connection, Taxi Driver and the paranoia trilogy [Klute, The Parallax View, All the President’s Men]. Greig Fraser [Dune] is a fantastic cinematographer, and the photography is stunning throughout. That combination of things made it an exciting journey to be part of.”
A CG cape was created to get the billowing effect that director Matt Reeves wanted for the shot.
Greig Fraser shot with two sets of ARRI Large Format Anamorphic lenses, with one being optically pristine and the other detuned so it could not focus on anything outside the center of the frame. He also had a unique approach to the lens filtration that refracted streetlights and car headlights into a spiderweb of light. Comments Langlands, “Greig was putting globs of silicon sealant from a caulking gun onto a plate of glass in front of the lens to create these beautiful abstract lens flares, particularly in the vehicle shots and throughout the chase scenes. Initially, we were mystified as to what they were until Dan explained what Greig was actually doing there. We did talk about generating some elements with effects to create procedural 2D stuff, but in the end decided to do the same thing that Greig did and shoot some elements for ourselves. Beck’s team was able to take those elements and construct a tool that emulated what Greig had achieved in the live action. I was definitely not cursing [Greig]. It was a lot of fun.”
Weta FX referred to its element library to get the necessary explosion effects that were subsequently graded and timed to be consistent with the plate photography.
“For the compositing team, our challenge was to deconstruct all of the things that happened to the detuned lenses and be able to replicate that for the set extensions and CG shots because it’s so distinctive,” notes Veitch. “We got the chase sequence turned over quite late and had to develop whole new tools and templates for Nuke to be able to implement rain interaction and wheel spray at speed. It was a mixture of simulated effects for hero cars and Eddy templates for background traffic.”
Extensive digital rain had to be created as director Reeves wanted the car chase to feel wet and dangerous the whole time.
The torrential rain was the major creative and technical task. “Matt wanted the car chase to feel wet and dangerous the whole time,” states Langlands. “We added digital rain to all of those shots, which is fairly simple, but when you’re flying through it, that’s a lot more complex. We were modeling how they osculate and deform as they fall so you get those motion blur streaks from them. Our effects team was simulating hundreds of millions of raindrops in every shot. Then we were simulating all of the wheel spray coming off of the wheels. In some shots, we had a mix of 3D, but in most shots 2D solutions for all of the raindrops hitting the road surface. Getting the look of that right, making it feel believable, and being efficient enough that we could do it across that huge number of shots was a real challenge.”
Plates were shot on several different locations including the Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey, England for the car chase.
Dennis Yoo figured out the timing, composition and action beats for the car chase was achieved by creating the postvis. “The great part about that was Matt Reeves shot everything,” remarks Yoo. “You add a CG car beside the practical one, then you have something to play off the motion with. It makes everything easier. What people don’t understand is that it’s a chaotic sequence, but there is also artistry in there with the composition and our motion so you understand the direction that you’re going. That was quite a challenge because it’s a mix of cars crashing into each other, but if it was all chaos no one would know what is going on. It was fun to do, and trying to keep that as realistic as possible was also a challenge.”
“For the compositing team, our challenge was to deconstruct all of the things that happened to the detuned lenses and be able to replicate that for the set extensions and CG shots because it’s so distinctive. We got the chase sequence turned over quite late and had to develop whole new tools and templates for Nuke to be able to implement rain interaction and wheel spray at speed. It was a mixture of simulated effects for hero cars and Eddy templates for background traffic.”
—Beck Veitch, Compositing Supervisor
As many as of 11 plates had to be integrated together for the memorial service scene at City Hall.
“[Director] Matt [Reeves] wanted the car chase to feel wet and dangerous the whole time. We added digital rain to all of those shots, which is fairly simple, but when you’re flying through it, that’s a lot more complex. … Our effects team was simulating hundreds of millions of raindrops in every shot. Then we were simulating all of the wheel spray coming off of the wheels. In some shots, we had a mix of 3D, but in most shots 2D solutions for all of the raindrops hitting the road surface. Getting the look of that right, making it feel believable, and being efficient enough that we could do it across that huge number of shots was a real challenge.”
—Anders Langlands, Visual Effects Supervisor
The Batmobile had to be photorealistic. “I worked on a movie that was all vehicles,” continues Yoo, “so we grabbed some of that tech, [and in doing so] the ground contacts and using the actual LiDAR from set to dynamically move the wheels for us allowed for more realism to be built into the rig. We reference for everything so we could look at the actual vehicle to understand what it was doing and then mimic that even though we’re changing the motion.” Batman had to come across as skilled driver. “The Batmobile was bouncing off the trucks, and the Batmobile looks like its causing all of this mayhem. We didn’t want it to look like that at all. Matt was adamant about Penguin starting that whole pile-up, and the Batmobile was [more] in there riding the wave than causing more havoc,” adds Langlands.
Distinct lens flares created by cinematographer Greig Fraser required customized tools by Weta FX to digitally recreate them.
A dramatic upside-down shot is taken from the perspective of Penguin as Batman walks towards Penguin’s overturned vehicle. “That was a funny one because I saw someone on Twitter saying, ‘It’s the most beautiful shot without any CG,’ not realizing that Batman is mostly CG in that shot,” reveals Langlands. “They had a rain machine going, but when you get a big piece of material like a cape wet, it just wants to bunch up and hang down. Matt wanted to have it billowing out in the wind as he’s walking up, so we had to do a digital cape with a cloth simulation. In the plate there is a huge fireball behind him, and because we’re putting a dark object in front of something that is causing a lens flare we had to take the CG Batman and track it to the live-action Batman in composting to patch bits of him.” Rain was not the only problematic natural element. “We raided our element library for every explosion that we had historically,” remarks Veitch. “That was a challenge to get their temperatures matching, because it was on a whole lot of different film stocks and digital formats. Then timing all of those so they came through and exploded at the right time, and patching when we needed to – that was a complex composite.”
“What people don’t understand is that [the car chase] is a chaotic sequence, but there is also artistry in there with the composition and our motion so you understand the direction that you’re going. That was quite a challenge because it’s a mix of cars crashing into each other, but if it was all chaos no one would know what is going on. It was fun to do, and trying to keep that as realistic as possible was also a challenge.”
—Anders Langlands, Visual Effects Supervisor
Situated in an abandoned neo-gothic subway situated underneath the Wayne Tower is the Batcave, which is a huge environment with the workshop, exercise equipment and Batmobile areas being practically built. “Initially there was suppose to be a bat colony which was suppose to be assimilated, but it kept building up more and more,” states Yoo. “It didn’t help that the environment was so big, so we had to cheat because they wanted bats in the foreground, but that foreground didn’t make any sense compared to the environment. We were having scale issues by having the bats quite close to the camera, which didn’t make sense for the bats that were further back.” Darkness prevails in the setting. “We’re adding little kicks and pings off of the superstructure in order to get texture in the background, which is fun because you’re placing little light sources around the place out of focus,” notes Langlands. “That ends up becoming like putting splashes of paint on the canvas.” The shots were simple to composite. “I enjoyed them,” states Veitch, “because we were playing around with a lot of proprietary defocus tools, and being able to compose the focus in those shots and try to make them look authentic. Those lenses are quite incredible and they gave us a lot of reference shots.”
Director Matt Reeves discusses a shot with Robert Pattinson while on the set of The Batman, which was inspired by the crime thrillers of the 1970s.
Crashing the memorial service for the mayor at City Hall is a SUV, at the behest of the Riddler, portrayed by Paul Dano. “We were combining anywhere between four to 11 plates,” remarks Veitch. “We had small crowds because of COVID, and then there was the careening car which was a safety issue. There were about eight plates for the top-down shots. The shots of the car coming towards the camera involved compositing takes of who they wanted – the Riddler at the top in the mezzanine area, the car coming forward, smoke and dust coming off it, and trying to retain all of that. Very tricky shot.” Careful research went into matching the different plates with each other. “We had to figure out what section of the plate we had to use within those shots,” adds Veitch. “There was a massive amount of paint and roto to do before our compositing team even touched it. Then it’s making sure that we can retain as much of the plate as possible, and then adding atmospherics where we needed to help us cover up edges or replace atmospherics that we had to lose. It is quite incredible how much smearing and lensing artifacts you get with the detuned lensing that we had to match up. It was a lot of work on those shots even without the CG.”
Netflix distributed Girls from Ipanema, a Brazil-produced series about four Brazilian female friends in Rio de Janeiro’s bossa nova scene in the late 1950s. Sao Paulo-based Quanta Post contributed to the VFX. (Image courtesy of Netflix)
The growth and globalization of the visual effects industry has resulted in worldwide interconnectivity and a vast workflow spanning the planet. There is more top-notch VFX in films and series than ever before, boosted by the growth in streaming content, episodic fare becoming more cinematic in terms of quality, and a continued evolution in VFX technology. Demand for VFX artists as a whole is also growing due to the surging video game industry, amusement park visual effects and the gradual ascension of VR and AR.
All of those factors have increased the work for VFX studios and the demand for skilled artists from Vancouver to London to Mumbai. Financial incentives in certain locations have helped globalize the VFX business for some time now. And the COVID-19 crisis further accelerated home entertainment demand and remote VFX work. “The pandemic has really kicked the globalization of the VFX industry into high gear, and now even more producers know what can be achieved with VFX,” says David Lebensfeld, Founding Partner and VFX Supervisor of Ingenuity Studios, which has offices in Los Angeles, New York and Vancouver.
Local productions outside North America, such as many series funded by Netflix, are spreading work across the planet in both film production and post-production. Fiona Walkinshaw, Framestore’s Global Managing Director, Film, comments, “The streamers have made no secret about their desire for regionally-focused content and how this feeds into their business strategies.
As of late 2021, the Korea-produced dystopian survival drama Squid Game was Netflix’s most watched series. Seoul-based Gulliver Studios supplied VFX. (Image courtesy of Siren Pictures and Netflix)
There’s a tremendous desire for stories that could only come from a certain city or country – shows like Squid Game or Money Heist, for example, which, like the Scandi noir boom, captivate viewers by dint of their freshness and unique cultural or geographical perspectives. This will inevitably mean our worlds become larger, as we work with storytellers, producers and below-the-line talent from all over the world. It’s an exciting prospect, and it will help us all grow and learn.” Walkinshaw adds, “In time I’m sure we’ll also see new VFX hotspots establishing themselves – you just have to look at the way the Harry Potter franchise helped turbocharge London’s VFX industry, or what the Lord of the Rings films did for New Zealand.” Framestore itself is quite globalized, with offices in London, Mumbai, Montreal, Vancouver, Melbourne, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.
Visual Effects studios have spread widely over the last two years across North America, Europe and Australia/New Zealand, and a growing number can be found also in Asia. Many facilities built initially for wire removal and rotoscoping have evolved into full-service VFX studios. BOT VFX, founded in 2008 in India, has expanded from an outsourcing facility in Chennai for rotoscoping and other detail work into a large and complete VFX business; it now has its headquarters in Atlanta and has worked on high-profile recent projects, including The Book of Boba Fett, Dune and Black Widow.
Just as Korea has grown into a movie/series global powerhouse, so too have its VFX studios expanded over the last 10 years.
Ragnarok, a Norwegian-language fantasy series from Copenhagen-based SAM Productions, is distributed by Netflix. Ghost VFX and Oslo-based Stardust Effects contributed VFX. (Image courtesy of Sam Productions and Netflix)
The Last Forest, Luiz Bolognesi’s movie about the Yanomami Indians of the Amazon rainforest, produced in Brazil, mixes documentary and staged scenes. It was distributed globally by Netflix. (Image courtesy of Netflix)
S.O.Z.: Soldiers or Zombies, an eight-episode horror-action TV series distributed by Prime Video, is a Mexican production created by Nicolas Entel and Miguel Tejada Flores. (Image courtesy of Prime Video)
Netflix globally distributed Invisible City, a Brazil-produced fantasy series about mythological creatures in the rain forest, created by Carlos Saldanha, the Brazilian director of various successful animated films, such as the Ice Age movies and Rio. (Image courtesy of Netflix)
“The pandemic has really kicked the globalization of the VFX industry into high gear, and now even more producers know what can be achieved with VFX.”
—David Lebensfeld, Founding Partner and VFX Supervisor, Ingenuity Studios
Gulliver Studios supplied VFX for the Netflix hit series Squid Game, while Dexter Studios contributed VFX work to Bong Joon- Ho’s Parasite. Dexter and five other VFX studios worked on Space Sweepers, arguably Korea’s first high-production science fiction film. Korea’s 4th Creative Party helped with the VFX for Joon-ha’s acclaimed Snowpiercer and Okja films (along with Method Studios). And Digital Idea worked on the hit zombie film Train to Busan.
VHQ Media, founded in 1987 in Singapore, has grown into a large film studio and claims to be Asia’s largest post-production house, working on both national and international productions. It also has studios in Beijing, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta. Many international VFX firms have opened offices in Asia, including DNEG (four offices in India), The Third Floor (Beijing), Scanline VFX (Seoul), Method Studios (Pune), ILM (Singapore), Digital Domain (Taiwan, Hyderabad and four locations in China) and MPC (Bangalore).
“The global growth of the VFX industry and VFX as a tool of technology is limitless and boundless, to say the least,” says Merzin Tavaria, President, Global Production and Operations at DNEG. The London-based firm is another example of a VFX studio with offices spread across the globe. It was formed in 2014 by a merger between Prime Focus (India-based) and Double Negative (U.K.-based) and has studios in Los Angeles, Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto and London along with Mumbai, Bangalore, Chandigarh, and Chennai in India.
VFX BOOM
“There are some fantastic companies doing amazing work in all corners of the globe,” says Pixomondo CEO Jonny Slow, “and at the moment, they are all working to keep up with an unprecedented level of demand. Growing demand, driven by episodic content with a higher budget and huge creative ambition, is a big factor in all the trends affecting the market [this year] and beyond.” Pixomondo has offices in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Los Angeles, Frankfurt, Stuttgart and London.
The streamers Netflix, Amazon, Hulu (majority owned by Disney) and Apple TV have added their VFX demand to that coming from traditional movie/TV companies and affiliated streaming services (HBO Max, Disney+, Peacock, Paramount+). Florian Gellinger, RISE Visual Effects Studios Co-Founder and Executive Producer, notes, “Right now, as the market is so saturated, the work is going to be globally distributed to whoever has availability and meets the required profile. So yes, clients will have to look increasingly globally for a good fit.” RISE has offices in Berlin, Cologne, Munich, Stuttgart and London.
Other VFX studios concur that the business has been activated.“We have too much work, which means we need more capacity, more artists and more supervisors. Right now, we’re ensuring that we continue to make our established clients happy while bringing in new clients,” says Tom Kendall, VFX Head of Business Development, Sales & Marketing for Ghost VFX, which has offices in Los Angeles, Copenhagen, London, Manchester, Toronto and Vancouver.
Executive Producer Måns Björklund of Stockholm-based Important Looking Pirates (ILP) notes, “There aren’t enough VFX companies in the world to do all the work. The demand for content has boomed, and the need for clients to seek new vendors around the world has increased.”
GLOBALIZED WORKFLOWS
DNEG is one of the pioneers in the globalization of VFX workflows. Tavaria comments, “With nine facilities working seamlessly together across three continents, I believe we’ve led by example, creating an ever-expanding global network that can deliver highly creative and compelling visual storytelling while introducing new norms of efficiency and flexibility.”
He adds, “The standardization of workflows, tools and capabilities across sites allows us to move work around our network to cater to the demands of our clients and to balance the load across locations to maximize utilization. We also take full advantage of time zone differences to create efficiencies in our production scheduling.”
Framestore recently opened a studio in Mumbai, which already has 130 on-site creatives. Walkinshaw comments, “Being able to set up in Mumbai and seamlessly integrate with our new colleagues there is an incredible advantage, especially given the tremendous talent pool there. Generally speaking, increased access to amazing talent is the main consequence of this worldwide connectivity.”
Another positive effect of globalization is that “exchanging work between companies has become much easier despite everyone running their own pipeline,” says Gellinger. Slow sees the globalization of VFX as a positive trend that creates stability for those companies who are prepared to evolve continuously and adapt to constant change. “It’s not the only trend in the VFX industry, but it’s a trend in response to demand for capacity and client requirements for speed and efficiency. But there is also a quality threshold. Quality output drives stability for VFX companies, wherever their artists are located.”
BEYOND BORDERS
Lebensfeld comments, “What certainly helps with this business becoming more globalized is access to talent that isn’t in your zip code, which backfills what already makes us competitive.” To open up to talent in another country, he says, “we already have the technology – the hardware, software and methodology – to work remotely. Anything else past that are just details. We look at it less like it is a global business and more as one that breaks down borders. One of the more exciting things is getting the chance to develop artists and give opportunities to people who would not have had them otherwise. They only need a computer, inherent artistic talent, and we work with them on training in a studio environment. I’m a big believer that a combination of local studio artists and international artists is the best way to go because the industry still relies on specific locations for some projects for a variety of reasons. The business still needs a large base of talent in certain production hubs.”
Teddy Roosevelt (Aidan Quinn) pulling an arrow from the arm of Brazilian explorer Cãndido Rondon (Chico Diaz) in the HBO mini-series The American Guest. The 2021 Brazilian production showcased the work of Brazilian artists, including Orbtal Studios in Sao Paulo, which supplied visual effects. (Photo courtesy of HBO Max)
The Korean zombie apocalypse and coming-of-age series All of Us Are Dead is distributed internationally by Netflix. (Image courtesy of Film Monster Co., JTBC Studios/Kimjonghak Production Co. and Netflix)
Korean sci-fi mystery series The Silent Sea, written and directed by Choi Hang-yong, is distributed by Netflix globally. (Image courtesy of Artist Company and Netflix)
“[S]ince the workforce has become so flexible in where it settles, recruiting has become a lot harder and companies have to reach out further than they used to in order to meet their talent requirements. [Globalization] has solved a couple of these problems by having access to top talent across borders, not being limited to one’s own backyard.”
—Florian Gellinger, Co-founder and Executive Producer, RISE Visual Effects Studios
Ghost VFX worked on Shadow and Bone, a fantasy series distributed by Netflix and based on books by Israeli novelist Leigh Bardugo. Shadow and Bone was shot in Budapest and Vancouver. (Image courtesy of 21 Laps Entertainment and Netflix)
How I Fell in Love with a Gangster is a Polish crime drama distributed globally by Netflix. (Image courtesy of Netflix)
Money Heist is a Spanish heist drama that had a successful run of five seasons and is one of Netflix’s biggest international hits. (Image courtesy of Atresmedia/Vancounver Media and Netflix)
Gellinger observes that it has become easier for artists to find a job in their desired ‘adventure destination’ abroad. “And since the workforce has become so flexible in where it settles, recruiting has become a lot harder and companies have to reach out further than they used to in order to meet their talent requirements.” Yet globalization also “has solved a couple of these problems by having access to top talent across borders, not being limited to one’s own backyard.”
Walkinshaw adds, “From a production perspective it means juggling more time zones, currencies and teams, so this part of the business has become more complex, and there is a need for investment in both more people and technology solutions to make it easier for production to function. The role of a producer working for a company like Framestore on a project spread globally is far more complex and demanding than it used to be.”
Producers and supervisors now must be more patient and organized because of the time differences, and they have to schedule their work around that, according to Kendall. “The projects are shot in so many diverse locations, it’s about being able to address clients’ needs in a timely manner and be flexible in terms of how we work.”
Gellinger notes that the way that business is being distributed globally is “definitely creating stability, but only as long as companies keep investing in their talent. Flying in entire teams from abroad is not a business model. Investing in education and training is more important than ever.”
Slow comments, “We have seen a lot of these consequences [of globalization] playing out for the past few years. It has allowed the formation of larger, better funded, better organized companies that are becoming attractive investment propositions. This has been very positive for the industry – for growth to happen, investment is required.”
INCENTIVES
DARK BAY Virtual Production Studio is an example of how VFX globalization has been boosted by Netflix and by government help. Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese, the creators of Netflix’s hit series Dark – a German science fiction thriller – built an LED stage in Potsdam-Babelsberg in part to shoot 1899, their next Netflix series. Odar and Friese’s production company Dark Ways holds a majority share in DARK BAY (Studio Babelsberg has a minority share). Funding from the state of Brandenburg in Germany and a long-term booking commitment from Netflix backed the venture.
Incentives continue to play a role in the globalization of VFX. Framestore’s Walkinshaw comments, “National or regional incentives have provided a huge boost for our industry and encouragedinternational collaboration.
They’ve been key to growth in the U.K. and Canada – to date our biggest sites for film and episodic work – and the willingness of studios to put work in these regions helps create a virtuous circle: it allows companies to invest in their talent, facilities and infrastructure, makes those places a magnet for established talent from elsewhere, and also helps schools and universities attract ambitious students. Take Montreal for example – Framestore was the first major studio to open a studio there [in 2013], and it’s now an established and hugely-respected hub for the global visual effects industry.”
THE PANDEMIC
“The pandemic forced studios like us to build a pipeline that works in remote environments,” says Lebensfeld. “We were able to leverage figuring out how to work remotely with talent that have previously been local to our studio locations. We have history and momentum with these artists, and we figured out processes that mirror what we have already been doing – just with remote capabilities.”
Already existing worldwide VFX interconnectivity helped DNEG to address the challenges of the pandemic, according to Tavaria. “The unprecedented speed with which our technology teams enabled global remote working was astounding, based on work that was already underway. It also, somewhat counter-intuitively, brought us closer together and enabled even more collaboration across our global teams,” he comments. “These advances have positioned us well to cater to the growth in demand for visual effects and animation work this year, driven by the increases in content production by TV and OTT companies, in addition to increased demand for our VFX and animation services from our studio clients.”
Walkinshaw comments, “The pandemic has definitely encouraged us to think outside the box, be this seeking workarounds for physical shoots, having colleagues working remotely from different countries or broadening our talent pool by making hires from different territories, because so much of the workforce has spent time outside the office. I imagine this will endure, especially as we continue to seek skills beyond the ‘traditional,’ particularly in areas such as technology and gaming.”
Slow says, “In our industry, technology and innovation are the fundamental drivers of changes like globalization. We are at a very interesting point – with technology driving once-in-a-lifetime changes in content distribution and production technique – and these trends have been accelerated by a major pandemic. The consequences are significant, and the impact will largely play out over the next five years.”
Lebensfeld concludes, “Pre-pandemic [film companies] went on location and brought on as many extras as needed. The scope of requests has expanded well beyond that. There’s a VFX solution for every aspect of a story. That’s a powerful thing.” He adds, “I think the VFX industry has transformed these past two years, with very positive changes overall. There’s no going back now. Our industry is global, and that’s here to stay.”
“We have seen a lot of these consequences [of globalization] playing out for the past few years. It has allowed the formation of larger, better funded, better organized companies that are becoming attractive investment propositions. This has been very positive for the industry – for growth to happen, investment is required.”
—Jonny Slow, CEO, Pixomondo
Amazon Studios produced the epic fantasy series The Wheel of Time, another international VFX effort involving Cinesite, MPC, Automatik VFX, Outpost VFX, Union Visual Effects and RISE Visual Effects Studios, among others. (Image courtesy of Sony Pictures Television and Amazon Studios)
HBO series Beforeigners is a science-fiction crime drama produced in Norway by Oslo-based Rubicon TV AS. (Photo courtesy of HBO Max)
A scene from A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon from Aardman Animations, which was originally founded as a stop-frame studio in 1972. (Image courtesy of Aardman Animations)
Being able to successfully manage an animation studio in 2022 and beyond requires foresight and the desire to be an industry leader. The landscape has been transformed by globalization, dominance of streaming services, growing demand for content, and the development of other media platforms such as virtual reality. Being flexible has enabled Oscar-winning Aardman Animations to remain relevant since being founded as a stop-motion studio in 1972, responsible for Creature Comforts and Wallace & Gromit, and creating CG features and AR projects. More recently there is Emmy-lauded Baobab Studios, which has specialized in interactive action animation since 2015 and is creating The Witchverse anthology series for Disney+ based on Baba Yaga. Veteran animator and lecturer Ken Fountain has found himself in the middle of all of this, having worked on Megamind for DreamWorks Animation, Pearl for Google Spotlight Stories and Baba Yaga for Baobab Studios, as well as doing tutorials on SplatFrog.com.
There is still value in using real and tactile material for characters and world-building, believes Sarah Cox, Executive Creative Director at Aardman Animations. “It’s less about creating assets digitally and more about the way that technology can enable handcrafted processes to be more efficient, beautiful and effective.” Technology is embraced by Lorna Probert, Head of Interactive Production at Aardman Animations, who last year released the Wallace & Gromit AR adventure The Big Fix Up. “There is some exciting technology, like virtual production and the way that we can use real-time engines for previs and creating more flexible and iterative processes.”
Another major trend pointed out by Cox is the push for photorealism. “The distinction between live action and animation, what isreal and what’s not real, is continually going to be blurred as we use live-action information in animation.” The filmmaking process is not entirely different. “Stop-frame is effectively like a live-action asset because it’s shot in-camera, and then you’re using those assets to mix with other bits of animation,” observes Cox. “What we did with our last Christmas special was shoot all of the effects in-camera. The snow was made out of puffs of wool, but then composited together in the most technically proficient, up-to-date way.”
Baba Yaga won the Daytime Emmy for Interactive Media and resulted in Disney+ partnering with Baobab Studios to create a Witchverse series for the streaming service. (Image courtesy of Baobab Studios)
Virtual reality has yet to become mainstream, partly hampered by being perceived strictly as a marketing tool. “You are still wearing what is not a comfortable thing on your face,” states Probert. “Until your interface with the content becomes more natural and comfortable, that suspension of reality is always going to be broken.” The communal aspect is presently missing. “A lot of our content design is for family viewing, so that whole being in your own space is quite contrary to what we do,” notes Cox. “It quadruples the production time [because various viewer narrative decisions have to be accounted for], and the other challenge is most of our work is comedy. If there is user interaction, you can’t time the gags in quite the same way.” It is important to recognize that each medium cannot be treated in the same way. “It’s creating content that plays to the strength of the format, and we’re doing lots of exploration,” remarks Probert. “The fact that you can, for the first time, be in one of our sets, be able to build and move things and explore the detail in VR is exciting. It’s exciting to be in the barn with Shaun the Sheep and see him reacting to you – that’s an interesting thing for us to play with.”
Veteran animator and lecturer Ken Fountain finds it to be exciting that the demand for animation content is allowing for experimentation such as Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. (Image courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment and Marvel)
Netflix decided to bridge the gap between Season 1 and 2 of the live-action The Witcher by releasing an anime prequel Nightmare of the Wolf. (Image courtesy of Netflix)
The Very Small Creatures is a pre-school series produced by Aardman Animations for Sky Kids. (Image courtesy of Aardman Animations and Sky Kids)
The mandate for Baobab Studios is to make viewers feel that they are an essential part of the storytelling. (Image courtesy of Baobab Studios)
Animation is no longer just for families as illustrated by the adult-oriented anthology Love, Death + Robots. (Image courtesy of Netflix)
When co-founding Baobab Studios CEO Maureen Fancombined her video game experience with the filmmaking expertise of CCO Eric Darnell and technical leadership of CTO Larry Cutler. “The reason why something is a success isn’t because it’s stop-motion versus traditional animation. It is how good the story and characters are. The style is in support of that story. For Crow: The Legend and Baba Yaga, we created both for VR and 2D. Namoo was created within the VR tool Oculus Quill, where you are literally painting 360, but the project was meant to be a 2D output. The animation is different because the director is different. We brought in Erick Oh, and it’s more like stop-motion because in Quill there is no frame interpolation and rigging. Every single project that we’ve done has had completely different methods and tools, which is fun.” The mandate driving everything is making sure that the user feels like a protagonist. “Certain parts of Baba Yaga and Bonfire were straight animation, but our animators also built in a bunch of cycles that we fed into the AI engine. We built a character-emotive AI system similar to games, so whatever the audience did, the story would change and reorder itself, and the characters would do different things.”
“There is a real-time revolution that is going to come, but not everybody has embraced it yet,” remarks Fan. “Even when the big studios adopt real-time, unless you’re having the product completely change where it’s interactive, you would still animate the same way. I don’t think that animators need to change any time soon. But if you’re interested in doing interactive animation, your skillset needs to be embracing the real-time aspect.”
The visual language for VR is still being developed. “The fun thing about VR is no one knows what they’re doing! You don’t need a lot of previous experience. It is finding the best animator and rigger, and find one who has a flexibility to try different things and not always have to do things the way they did previously.” Globalization of the industry has not only had an impact on the workforce. “You will notice that all of our projects have specifically cast minorities and women,” adds Fan. “That’s because I’m a female minority and feel like if I don’t do it, who will? Crow: The Legend was inspired by a Native American legend, and it was one of the first indigenous-themed stories in animation. Instead of a hero’s journey, they’re much more about the community. Baba Yaga is based on a character well-known in Eastern European literature. I’m excited about the different types of stories that we can tell with globalization.”
Previously an animation supervisor at Baobab Studios and currently working as Animation Supervisor for DNEG Animation, Ken Fountain points out that VR is rooted in an artform that predates cinema, which is theatre. “If you’re talking about going into the AR/VR space, the filmmaking language is totally changing because you can’t rely on an editor anymore,” observes Fountain. “The editor is the one standing with the headset and making the choices of where to look. The way that you build a story and performance, and attract the eye and create compositions, is based around theatrical approaches rather than cinematic ones. You have to be procedural and theatrical.” As much as it is exciting for a user to be able to choose their own narrative, there is also respect for boundaries.
Netflix paid over $100 million to purchase the rights to The Mitchells vs. the Machines. (Image courtesy of Netflix)
“Ultimately, it’s up to whoever is creating theexperience to decide if they’re giving the user room to do literally whatever they want. Personally, I like the engineered outcomes,” adds Fountain, as parameters have a positive impact on the creative process. “You make your best work when you have limitations, and that translates into writing stories for this open universe. Unless you give people a box, the outcome is not going to be as good.”
With the growing reliance on AI and machine learning, could there come a time where animation is literally created in real-time? “That seems so far away,” remarks Fountain. “The first wall to get over for AI is it being able to create empathy in animation.” Animators are not going to be replaced any time soon by machines, but the required skillset has changed somewhat, according to Fountain. “Because there’s so much demand for content as an artist, you have to be able to do so many more different things stylistically, which wasn’t always the case. Also, because there are so many start-up companies, your technical generalist knowledge is way more valuable now.” Streaming has provided a platform for projects that are not strictly family entertainment. “Streaming has eclipsed everything right now,” states Fountain. “The Netflix release of Arcane is another bit of proof that people are craving adult-based animation, because the production value of that series is amazing. The Disney-Pixar model has had too much of a grip for too long.”
Different animation styles and techniques are being melded together. Comments Fountain, “Even in VR, we used 2D-animated effects in our engine at Baobab Studios. It’s the same thing that Arcane is doing by combining CG animation, 2D effects and rough 2D-composited motion graphics. Something like Love, Death + Robots has so many new techniques and combinations of things that are sometimes hit and miss. I am so glad that people are shooting for those things because it’s making the artform better.”
The Big Fix Up is an augmented and mixed reality adventure starring Wallace and Gromit. (Image courtesy of Aardman Animations and Fictioneers Ltd.)
The animation style of Namoo was dictated by Korean filmmaker Erick Oh and the story he wanted to tell. (Image courtesy of Baobab Studios)
The VR rhythm game Beat Saber involves slicing through cubes to the beat of popular hits from artists like Billie Eilish, available in DLC releases. Beat Saber has sold more than 4 million copies across all VR platforms and earned more than $100 million in total revenue. (Image courtesy of Beat Games and Oculus Studios/Meta)
VR is going mainstream next year. VR is going nowhere. AR will be bigger than VR.
There is no consensus on where virtual reality and augmented reality are headed and how soon they will get there. But although the virtual reality and augmented reality platforms are still far from mass acceptance, certain positive signs indicate that they really will become large, viable businesses, growing steadily over the next several years.
Tuong H. Nguyen, Senior Principal Analyst for Gartner, Inc., comments, “AR and VR have been hyped as being ready for widespread adoption for a long time, but the technology, use cases, content and ecosystem readiness have yet to live up to the hype.” Nguyen believes that VR in particular will go mainstream when it has three Cs – content, convenience and control. He notes, “While we’ve made progress on all these fronts, we’re still far from reaching the point where each of those aspects are sufficiently mature to make VR go mainstream. It will become mainstream, but I don’t expect it to happen until five to 10 years from now.”
Others are pessimistic that VR will ever become mainstream. “The answer is never. Sorry. Here’s why. People don’t like wearing stuff on their face and getting sick doing it, and having to pay a lot of money for the privilege,” says Jon Peddie, President of Jon Peddie Research and author of the book Augmented Reality, Where We Will All Live. “The VR market has bifurcated into industrial and scientific – where it started in the 1990s – and consumer. The consumer portion is a small group of gamers and a few – very few – people who watch 360 videos.”
On the other hand, in the opinion of Maze Theory CEO Ian Hambleton, the point has passed for people to doubt VR’s future. “With over 10 million active headsets on Oculus Quest sold now, it’s an active ecosystem. The 10 million unit number is often citedas a crucial stepping point.” Maze Theory developed the VR title Dr. Who and the Edge of Time.
You may find yourself in a digital living room using a HP Reverb G2 VR headset, which boasts a resolution of 2,160 x 2,160 pixels per eye and a 114-degree field of view. (Image courtesy of Hewlett Packard)
In November, Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon announced at the company’s 2021 investor day that Meta had sold 10 million Oculus Quest 2 headsets worldwide (Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR2 chipset powers the Quest 2). A Qualcomm spokesperson later clarified that the number wasn’t meant to be official and came from market-size estimates from industry analysts. But as Qualcomm obviously knows how many Snapdragon XR2 chips it has sold to Meta, the cat seemed to be out of the bag.
Meta’s Oculus VR app marked another key milestone at the end of 2021, when it was the most popular download on Apple’s App Store on Christmas Day. The Oculus app beat out long-standing leaders like TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat and Instagram for having the most downloads.
And the category’s size is bigger than Quest 2. There are also Sony PlayStation VR, HP Reverb G2, Valve Index VR, HTC Vive Pro 2 and HTC Vive Cosmos, among other headsets. And PlayStation’s Next Generation VR (NGVR) is also joining the mix.
Research firm Statista estimates that the total cumulative installed base of VR headsets worldwide reached 16.4 million units in 2021 and that the cumulative installed base will surpass 34 million in 2024. And Statista predicts the global VR market size will grow from $5 billion in 2021 to $12 billion by 2024. Another firm, Reportlinker.com, foresees 62 million units shipped by 2026.
Hambleton thinks the launch of the next-generation Sony PlayStation VR (sometimes called NGVR) will give a major boost to VR. “[It’s] really important. NGVR will be huge. That’s our prediction. It’s got some great new features and sorted out many of the issues of the previous headset, including inside-out tracking and much better controllers. So long as they ensure there’s a strongpipeline of content for NGVR, we think it will do really well.” The latter support is likely – the current PlayStation VR has released over 500 VR games and experiences since the format’s debut in October, 2016.
Hewlett Packard’s HP Reverb G2 VR headset, developed in collaboration with Windows and Valve. (Image courtesy of Hewlett Packard)
Peak Blinders: The King’s Ransom is a narrative-driven VR adventure developed and published by Maze Theory. (Image courtesy of Maze Theory)
Hewlett Packard’s HP Reverb G2 VR headset with handheld controllers. (Image courtesy of Hewlett Packard)
A “home environment” view inside the standalone Oculus (now Meta) Quest 2 headset. More than 10 million Quest 2s had been sold as of November, according to estimates. (Image courtesy of Oculus Studios and Facebook/Meta)
Another indication of a growing market came when Oculus announced in February 2021 that the rhythm game Beat Saber had sold over four million copies across all platforms and over 40 million songs from paid DLCs. In an October Oculus blog, it was revealed that Beat Saber had surpassed $100 million in gross lifetime revenue on the Quest platform alone.
In February 2021, Facebook announced that more than 60 VR games available for Oculus Quest and Quest 2 had garnered over $1 million since the beginning of 2020, with six topping $10 million, including Skydance Interactive’s The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners, released on Oculus in January 2020. The latter title has grossed more than $50 million across all platforms, it was announced by Skydance late last year.
“VR is definitely at an inflection point. It’s starting to look like the early PC evolution, which expanded from just hardcore enthusiasts and tinkerers and hobbyists to everyday use for a whole lot of people. That’s happening with VR now — people beyond the initial core believers are buying headsets and making it a regular part of their lives,” says Johanna Peace, Manager of Technology Communications at Meta, formerly Facebook.
She continues, “A lot of that is thanks to Quest 2. Before Quest 2, there hadn’t been a high-resolution, all-in-one form factor headset at that price point yet, so when we built it, people reallyresponded. A big part of this is because the headset is so intuitive and approachable. With a small and portable form factor, no wires or external sensors, anyone can pick it up and in seconds they’ll be immersed in a VR experience. That simplicity is incredibly powerful, and it removes big barriers to adopting VR.” She adds, “Quest 2 sales are strong and have surpassed our expectations, and we’re thrilled to see the community’s response to Quest 2.”
Peace notes that other genres growing in popularity in VR include fitness/wellness/meditation such as Supernatural and FitXR, multiplayer/social games like POPULATION: ONE and adventure games like Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge.
Vicki Dobbs Beck, ILMxLAB Vice President of Immersive Content Innovation, believes that VR has already begun its breakout and will continue to be adopted by a more mainstream audience given the headsets’ (such as Meta Quest 2) accessibility and ease of use. She comments, “In addition to a robust array of premium game titles, new content categories are further helping to drive growth.” ILMxLAB has shown its interest in the format with its production of the Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge interactive VR game titles, compatible with the Oculus Quest systems.
Beck also sees social VR sites having a positive effect on the acceptance of VR. She comments, “Against the backdrop of the pandemic and the desire to reconnect across geographies, we’ve seen a rise in engagement through social VR sites like VRChat and AltSpaceVR. Whether to experience immersive theater, remote viewing parties, engage in collaboration or just ‘be’ with friends, I expect such use will meaningfully increase in the year ahead.” Other popular social VR sites include Rec Rom, Bigscreen VR, and Meta’s Horizon Home and Horizon Worlds.
The Metaverse, a predicted global network of immersive virtual worlds, is expected to boost virtual reality, one of its key components. “VR’s greatest strengths are the power of ‘being there’ and the power of ‘connection.’ While there is neither a single definition of the Metaverse nor a universal strategy for engagement, I believe that VR will be one of the most compelling ways to explore and experience new worlds [and] emerging stories and establish relationships with characters,” says Beck.
Peace adds, “VR will be one of many entry points into the Metaverse, similar to how phones, laptops and other devices are entry points to the Internet today. The Metaverse won’t happen overnight, and it will take years to be fully realized. But VR today shows a glimpse of the immersive, social experiences that can be possible in the Metaverse, and these experiences will continue to develop as VR hardware advances and as the building blocks of the Metaverse are built.”
Augmented Reality has also not yet hit the mainstream, but it has plenty of believers, as it only requires special glasses or goggles, not headsets. Peddie comments, “AR has the biggest potential long-term. AR properly done will change our lives – for the better. When done right, it will be like wearing sunglasses or normal corrective lenses. It won’t be conspicuous or obnoxious, and it won’t take you out of the now – it expands it. AR has nothing in common with VR.”
Participating actively with the Oculus (now Meta) Quest 2 headset. The Quest 2 is credited with taking virtual reality closer to being a mainstream business. (Image courtesy of Oculus Studios and Facebook/Meta)
A Dalek from Doctor Who: The Edge of Time, a VR adventure developed by Maze Theory and published by Playstack. (Image courtesy of the BBC, Maze Theory and Playstack)
The Valve Index is a tethered high-end VR system, which comes with headset, hand controllers and base stations, and connects to your PC. (Image courtesy of Valve)
Skydance Interactive’s The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners was one of the best-selling VR game titles as of late 2021. (Image courtesy of Skydance Interactive)
“With over 10 million active headsets on Oculus Quest sold now, it’s an active ecosystem. The 10 million unit number is often cited as a crucial stepping point.”
—Ian Hambleton, CEO, Maze Theory
Nguyen comments, “AR continues to mature. Much of the maturation and adoption are driven by the enterprise frontline work of AR. Companies like Snap and Niantic, as well as use cases like virtual try-on, and Google AR dinosaurs, animals and [Google] Maps arrow [Live View], have raised the profile for consumer AR, but we’ll still far from mainstream.”
Beck notes that while there is growing interest in AR and some novel applications, the pivotal shift will come with the introduction of compelling AR glasses. She comments, “The kinds of experiences we can create when people do not have to hold a phone or tablet could be truly transformational. A key will be the seamless blend of our digital and physical realities.”
Mobile AR is already widely used with smart phones, tablets and other mobile devices. The most notable example is the Niantic game Pokémon Go, developed and published in collaboration with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company for iOS and Android devices. Pokémon Go has over 150 million worldwide active users (its peak was 232 million users in 2016) and has passed one billion downloads, according to Niantic. Pokémon Go’s in-app purchases account for a large proportion of consumer mobile AR spending, according to Statista, which predicts that the number of mobile AR users will grow from 800 million in 2021 to 1.7 billion by 2024.
Zombies go boom in Skydance Interactive’s The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners, which has grossed more than $50 million across all VR platforms, according to a Skydance announcement in October. (Image courtesy of Skydance Interactive)
Microsoft HoloLens 2, Magic Leap One, Google Glass Enterprise Edition 2, Ray-Ban Stories and Vuzix Blade are examples of ARglasses on the market. Apple is expected to launch either AR or MR (mixed reality) glasses by early 2023. Statista forecasts AR glasses sales rising from 410,000 units in 2021 to 3.9 million units in 2024. The firm predicts that enterprise spending on AR glasses will rise from $2 billion in 2021 to almost $12 billion in 2024.
Nguyen concludes, “AR and VR will continue to see forward momentum. The pace and trajectory of AR and VR haven’t changed. The difference will be the level of hype and the mismatch between that hype and the reality. Regardless, it’ll take five to 10 years.”
London
VES London is the UK branch of the global Visual Effects Society, a non-profit, professional, honourary society dedicated to the promotion and education of the art. We achieve these goals through events that showcase local talent and unite industry professionals, as well as foster communication with the wider community.
For our members, we show loads of free movies in private cinemas throughout the year, many with free drinks both before and after the screenings. We also put on other events, from excellent parties to educational opportunities. All this is to encourage more socialising and exchange of information & ideas, which is what a society is all about!
For non-members and prospective members we have a few open events, including our regular monthly pub night and our bi-annual sponsored membership drive party. If you are not yet a VES member, please join the 'friends of the VES' Pub Night mailing list to get notifications of any upcoming open events by contacting us at hello@ves.london!
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ and Marvel Studios’ DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS
MPC safety guidelines require all attendees must wear masks whilst indoors and they highly recommend that all VES members and guests test negative with a lateral flow COVID-19 test before attending.
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to RSVP and see venue information) Tuesday, May 10, 2022 at 7:00PM The Basement Screening Room at MPC
127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road)
***VES members please register your name in the “Attendee 1″ fields***
In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we ask that you or your guests do not attend VES events if you are experiencing any symptoms or if you have been exposed to the virus.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
By signing up for this on-site, in-person screening/event sponsored by VES (Visual Effects Society), you willingly accept any potential inherent risks associated with COVID-19. VES cannot be held liable from any consequences that may transpire from said risk. Therefore, signing up for this screening/event infers implied consent of yourself and your party and hereby indemnifies and holds harmless VES, its directors, its employees and any other affiliated persons from any adverse medical or financial impact that may result from our participation.
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Columbia Pictures’ MORBIUS.
MPC safety guidelines require all attendees must wear masks whilst indoors and they highly recommend that all VES members and guests test negative with a lateral flow COVID-19 test before attending.
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to RSVP and see venue information) Tuesday, April 26, 2022 at 7:00PM The Basement Screening Room at MPC
127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road)
***VES members please register your name in the “Attendee 1″ fields***
In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we ask that you or your guests do not attend VES events if you are experiencing any symptoms or if you have been exposed to the virus.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
By signing up for this on-site, in-person screening/event sponsored by VES (Visual Effects Society), you willingly accept any potential inherent risks associated with COVID-19. VES cannot be held liable from any consequences that may transpire from said risk. Therefore, signing up for this screening/event infers implied consent of yourself and your party and hereby indemnifies and holds harmless VES, its directors, its employees and any other affiliated persons from any adverse medical or financial impact that may result from our participation.
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Warner Bros. Pictures’ FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE SECRETS OF DUMBLEDORE.
MPC safety guidelines require all attendees must wear masks whilst indoors and they highly recommend that all VES members and guests test negative with a lateral flow COVID-19 test before attending.
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to RSVP and see venue information) Tuesday, April 19, 2022 at 7:00PM The Basement Screening Room at MPC
127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road)
***VES members please register your name in the “Attendee 1″ fields***
In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we ask that you or your guests do not attend VES events if you are experiencing any symptoms or if you have been exposed to the virus.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
By signing up for this on-site, in-person screening/event sponsored by VES (Visual Effects Society), you willingly accept any potential inherent risks associated with COVID-19. VES cannot be held liable from any consequences that may transpire from said risk. Therefore, signing up for this screening/event infers implied consent of yourself and your party and hereby indemnifies and holds harmless VES, its directors, its employees and any other affiliated persons from any adverse medical or financial impact that may result from our participation.
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Universal Pictures’ AMBULANCE.
MPC safety guidelines require all attendees must wear masks whilst indoors and they highly recommend that all VES members and guests test negative with a lateral flow COVID-19 test before attending.
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to RSVP and see venue information) Tuesday, April 12, 2022 at 7:00PM The Basement Screening Room at MPC
127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road)
***VES members please register your name in the “Attendee 1″ fields***
In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we ask that you or your guests do not attend VES events if you are experiencing any symptoms or if you have been exposed to the virus.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
By signing up for this on-site, in-person screening/event sponsored by VES (Visual Effects Society), you willingly accept any potential inherent risks associated with COVID-19. VES cannot be held liable from any consequences that may transpire from said risk. Therefore, signing up for this screening/event infers implied consent of yourself and your party and hereby indemnifies and holds harmless VES, its directors, its employees and any other affiliated persons from any adverse medical or financial impact that may result from our participation.
VES Members and Their Families are Invited to an Opening Weekend Screening of Universal Pictures’ and DreamWorks Animation’s THE BAD GUYS.
MPC safety guidelines require all attendees must wear masks whilst indoors and they highly recommend that all VES members and guests test negative with a lateral flow COVID-19 test before attending.
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to RSVP and see venue information) Saturday, April 2, 2022 at 2:00PM
***VES members please register your name in the “Attendee 1″ field***
In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we ask that you or your guests do not attend VES events if you are experiencing any symptoms or if you have been exposed to the virus.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
By signing up for this on-site, in-person screening/event sponsored by VES (Visual Effects Society), you willingly accept any potential inherent risks associated with COVID-19. VES cannot be held liable from any consequences that may transpire from said risk. Therefore, signing up for this screening/event infers implied consent of yourself and your party and hereby indemnifies and holds harmless VES, its directors, its employees and any other affiliated persons from any adverse medical or financial impact that may result from our participation.
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL (Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road)
VES Members and Guests are Invited to a Screening of Sony Pictures’ SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME.
MPC safety guidelines require all attendees must wear masks whilst indoors and they highly recommend that all VES members and guests test negative with a lateral flow COVID-19 test before attending.
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to RSVP and see venue information) Tuesday, January 18, 2022 at 7:00PM
***VES members please register your name in the “Attendee 1″ field***
In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we ask that you or your guests do not attend VES events if you are experiencing any symptoms or if you have been exposed to the virus.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
By signing up for this on-site, in-person screening/event sponsored by VES (Visual Effects Society), you willingly accept any potential inherent risks associated with COVID-19. VES cannot be held liable from any consequences that may transpire from said risk. Therefore, signing up for this screening/event infers implied consent of yourself and your party and hereby indemnifies and holds harmless VES, its directors, its employees and any other affiliated persons from any adverse medical or financial impact that may result from our participation.
VES Members and Guests are Invited to a Screening of Warner Bros. Pictures’ THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS.
MPC safety guidelines require all attendees must wear masks whilst indoors and they highly recommend that all VES members and guests test negative with a lateral flow COVID-19 test before attending.
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to RSVP and see venue information) Tuesday, January 11, 2022 at 7:00PM
***VES members please register your name in the “Attendee 1″ field***
In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we ask that you or your guests do not attend VES events if you are experiencing any symptoms or if you have been exposed to the virus.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
By signing up for this on-site, in-person screening/event sponsored by VES (Visual Effects Society), you willingly accept any potential inherent risks associated with COVID-19. VES cannot be held liable from any consequences that may transpire from said risk. Therefore, signing up for this screening/event infers implied consent of yourself and your party and hereby indemnifies and holds harmless VES, its directors, its employees and any other affiliated persons from any adverse medical or financial impact that may result from our participation.
We are back are more excited than ever to be hosting our first live event in a very long time and it’s at none other than the glorious Canal Museum in central London. Make sure to RSVP to this event as it’s going to be the Christmas party to end all Christmas parties. There will be DJs, dancing, drink, canapés and most importantly… canal boats, there might even be a special Whiskey bar that pop-ups near the end of the evening.
This is a ticketed event and you must RSVP to attend!
Last entry is at 11pm
(Members must be logged in to RSVP)
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of United Artists’ and Universal Pictures’ NO TIME TO DIE. MPC safety guidelines require all attendees must wear masks while moving around the building and they recommend that masks be worn whilst seated in the theater.
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to RSVP and see venue information)
Tuesday, October 19, 2021 at 7:00PM
***VES members please register your name in the “Attendee 1″ field***
In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we ask that you or your guests do not attend VES events if you are experiencing any symptoms or if you have been exposed to the virus.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
By signing up for this on-site, in-person screening/event sponsored by VES (Visual Effects Society), you willingly accept any potential inherent risks associated with COVID-19. VES cannot be held liable from any consequences that may transpire from said risk. Therefore, signing up for this screening/event infers implied consent of yourself and your party and hereby indemnifies and holds harmless VES, its directors, its employees and any other affiliated persons from any adverse medical or financial impact that may result from our participation.
CAVE Academy and VES London are very excited to have Şefki Ibrahim join us for this session, where he’ll run us through his process and workflow for creating amazing digital portraiture. From sculpting, to look development and lighting, find out how Şefki takes CG to another level.
The session will be hosted in the UK but all are welcome 😉
To sign up to the session, click on the link below:
CAVE Academy and VES London are very excited to have Şefki Ibrahim join us for this session, where he’ll run us through his process and workflow for creating amazing digital portraiture. From sculpting, to look development and lighting, find out how Şefki takes CG to another level.
The session will be hosted in the UK but all are welcome 😉
To sign up to the session, click on the link below:
This week, CAVE Academy will be holding a panel discussion on the topic of Diversity in VFX.
Our panel will first consider how diverse the VFX industry currently is. Secondly, they’ll analyse the barriers to diversity which exist, and how they can best be overcome to create a culture of acceptance and inclusion.
If you have any questions you’d like put forward to the panel, please send them to: ja@caveacademy.com
The session will be hosted in the UK but all are welcome 😉
To sign up to the session, click on the link below:
An FX artist designs and produces animated effects that recreate the real-world behaviour of elements such as fire, water and explosions, as well as magical or otherworldly flourishes. These effects add a sense of energy that helps bring the storyteller’s world to life. This session covers Unity’s VFX Graph, which handles millions of particles on the GPU. You will learn how to author configurable, reusable next-generation effects, simple or complex, without writing any code.
The webinar will be held online in the UK but all are welcome.
This trans-Atlantic ‘Speed Networking’ event is hosted by the VES LA section for an opportunity to meet people in LA, UK, France and Germany. You could make 5+ new global connections in the VES in just one hour!
Saturday 24th July 2021 10am PST / 6pm GMT / 7pm CET
Working from actor scan data is now a common task in the VFX and gaming industry. In this masterclass, Christopher Antoniou will give you a quick but complete tour on how to go from a production-quality scan that has been kindly provided by Clear Angle Studios to a clean production-ready model.
Chris will first cover prepping the model and scan alignment by wrapping a base mesh to the scan data. He’ll then continue to make model tweaks to bring the geometry to a ready state for texturing and rigging.
Creating a production-ready model from a scan may seem easy, but without a solid workflow in place, it can be tricky to get right. Join us for this ‘digi-double’ workflow fly-through where you’ll be able to see industry techniques at play, and worthy tips and tricks to help push your assets to the next level.
The webinar will be held online in the UK but all are welcome.
During this webinar, Paul will introduce you to real-time workflows using Epic GamesUnreal Engine, an overview of the UI, how to navigate, importing data, materials, lights, post-processing, and how to render content out using the Sequencer. Following on from this, we’ll have a bit of an exploration into the new features in UE5.
The webinar will be held online in the UK but all are welcome.
This Friday (21st May 2021), we have Ben Radcliffe of Unity Technologies joining us for the 5th session of our series focussing on real-time workflows for animated storytelling, where we’ll be turning out attention to Layout.
Layout artists are the cinematographers of virtual cinema, where they help tell stories through lens selection, angles, and camera movements. This session demonstrates how to animate physical cameras using the Timeline, then how to sequence, edit, and blend shots together to define the cut. You will learn about Unity’s procedural camera system, Cinemachine, and how to compose shots and move cameras using dolly tracks. Finally, you will see how you can use polybrush to perform last-minute set dressing to fill out the environment through the camera lens.
To join the session, you can follow the link below, and if you have any questions, please send them to: ja@caveacademy.com.
The session will be hosted in the UK but all are welcome 😉
Women in VFX When: Fri May 14, 2021 06:00pm to 08:00pm PDT
Guest Speakers: Debra Coleman, Harriet Edge-Partington, Marieke Franzen, May Leung, Lauren McCallum, Brenda Ximena Roldan Romero
This week, we’ll be hosting a fantastic group of women from the VFX industry to discuss their career pathways, fulfilling ambitions, company culture and how to go about changing things for the better. The session will be followed by a Q&A with questions from the audience.
To join the session, you can follow the link below, and if you have any questions you’d like put forward to the panel, please send them to: ja@caveacademy.com
The session will be hosted in the UK but all are welcome 😉
Animators use timing and movement to create the illusion of life in characters and environments. This session explores how to bring our characters and world to life by creating keyframe basic animation in the Animation window using the Dopesheet and Curve Editor. From there, you’ll learn how to use the Timeline to record and retarget animation, then blend animated clips together, as well as how to blend shapes in facial animation to transition between characters’ facial expressions. This segment finishes by taking a look at Unity’s new Animation Rigging toolset.
The session is being hosted by VES London but all are welcome 😉
Guest Speakers: Lauren McCallum, Hugo Guerra, Pat Imrie, Robert Andrews, Paul Mellender, Melinda Ozel
This week we’ll be hosting a panel talk on the important topic of Mental Health and Wellbeing. During the session, we’ll discuss issues such as working conditions, culture, and support for artists.
To join the session, you can follow the link below, and if you have any questions you’d like put forward to the panel, please send them to: ja@caveacademy.com
The session will be hosted in the UK but all are welcome 😉
This is the third of our series focussing on real-time workflows for animated storytelling in collaboration with Unity.
Look development defines the aesthetic style and feel of your world through the use of color, texture and light. This look could be photorealistic or have a stylized, cartoonish aesthetic, or anywhere in between. This session looks at how materials use texture maps to define the overall appearance of assets, then demonstrates how materials, textures, shaders and lighting all work together to create the final look
Topics covered will include: Materials, Shader Graph, Creating a Stylized Look, AOV Recorder, Furioos, AR Foundation and XR Asset Review.
To join the session, you can follow the link below:
The session will be hosted in the UK but all are welcome 😉
Guest Speaker: Debra Coleman, Hugo Guerra, Micheal Morgan, Melinda Ozel
This week, we step away from the mouse and the keyboard to discuss the important topic of ‘Finding your Voice’.
Within every industry, it is essential to be able to speak up for what you believe is right and to feel your voice is being heard. But speaking out is not always easy. The fear of making mistakes, of being rejected, of being laughed at is very real and considerably impacts creativity and personal development.
During this session, we’ll be speaking with artists from a range of different backgrounds to listen to their experiences and discover how to overcome the fear of speaking out and how to find your voice.
To join the session, you can follow the link below, and if you have any questions you’d like put forward to the panel, please send them to: ja@caveacademy.com
The session will be hosted in the UK but all are welcome 😉
The first task of any VFX production is to take the script and break it down to figure out what the requirements are for the project. Can elements be shot in-camera? Would a virtual production stage be required? Green screen? Digi-doubles? Creatures? What is the budget for the project? and so on.
This session will explore how to break down a script and discuss some of the considerations you should bear in mind when VFX is required.
To join the session, you can follow the link below, and if you have any questions, please send them to: ja@caveacademy.com
The session will be hosted in the UK but all are welcome 😉
This is the second of our series focussing on real-time workflows for animated storytelling in collaboration with Unity.
An environment is the world in which characters live and their stories unfold. The environment artist builds these worlds to create spaces that will immerse audiences in the story. This session covers blocking out environments’ geometry, importing props, set dressing, and how to create a sense of atmosphere through lighting.
Topics covered will include: Probuilder, FBX Round Tripping, Prefabs, Polybrush, Realtime Directional Sun Light, Volumetric Lighting and Fog.
To join the session, you can follow the link below, and if you have any questions, please send them to: ja@caveacademy.com
The session will be hosted in the UK but all are welcome 😉
To join the session, you can follow the link below, and if you have any questions you’d like put forward to the panel, please send them to: ja@caveacademy.com
The session will be hosted in the UK but all are welcome 😉
Guest Speaker: Andrew Schlussel from Framestore, Amy Backwell from Industrial Light & Magic, Mark Flanagan from Epic Games, and Ben Radcliffe of Unity Technologies
Masterclass starts on 15.01.2021, AT 17:30 GMT
CAVE Academy Masterclasses in collaboration with VES London are back on this week, where we’ll be kicking things off with a panel discussion on the State of the Industry and Future Skills for 2021.
2020 was a year like no other: WFH, the rise of virtual production, real-time workflows, the list goes on and on. How we approach and tackle VFX and animation is changing, and at a pace like we’ve never experienced before. With 2021, what can we expect from the industry and what skills would be most beneficial for artists to hone?
For this discussion, we have Andrew Schlussel from Framestore, Amy Backwell from Industrial Light & Magic, Mark Flanagan from Epic Games, and Ben Radcliffe of Unity Technologies joining me to discuss how we can best prepare for the needs of the VFX and animation industry in this changing and challenging landscape.
To join the session, you can follow the link below, and if you have any questions you’d like put forward to the panel, please do send them in this direction: info@caveacademy.com
What is XR? It’s shorthand for a related set of new technologies that are changing the way we interact with the world and with each other: Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and Mixed Reality. To understand XR, you need to understand the technologies that enable it. If you understand the available technologies, how they are used, and what their future holds, you’ll be well equipped to deal with XR as it rapidly evolves and converges. This Thursday in partnership with VES & CAVE Academy I will be giving an overview XR in unity and showing you how easy it is to get started.
Guest Speaker: Ben Radcliffe Masterclass December 10, 2020, AT 20:00
Guest Speaker: Ben Radcliffe
Masterclass starts on 12.11.2020, AT 20:00 GMT
Create real-time projects without writing a single line of code! This session covers the fundamentals of Bolt, a visual scripting solution now available in all Unity plans. Learn how to configure and leverage Bolt for your Film, Animation, and XR projects, create basic interactions, use quick-start templates, and more.
Guest Speaker: Ben Radcliffe
Masterclass starts on
14.10.2020, AT 20:00 BST
Abstract
Interested in creating realtime effects in Unity such as fire, smoke, or sci-fi holograms? You can author configurable, reusable next-generation effects, ranging from simple to complex without writing any code. VFX Graph handles millions of particles on the GPU. Here’s your chance to get hands-on with the real-time VFX topics covered in this masterclass.
Guest Speaker: Chris Musselwhite
Masterclass starts on
01.10.2020, AT 20:00 BST
Treehouse digital has created their own in-house solution to virtual production using the Unreal game engine. During this master class we are going to discuss why they went the route of virtual production, how they were able to achieve this with a minimal budget and how this changed their typical production constraints.
Chris is an award-winning, BAFTA and AMPAS qualifying Producer who secured distribution in over thirty territories for his first feature film, after it was screened at Cannes Film Festival (2007). Chris is responsible for coordinating every production, managing budgets and maintaining international relationships.
Guest Speakers: Daniel Gilligan, Jahirul Amin
Masterclass starts on
08.10.2020, AT 20:00 BST
Abstract
During this masterclass, we’ll explore what type of data is captured onset for the purposes of VFX, and how the data is then used in post-production. This will include looking at texture, look dev reference, and data wrangling tasks.
Guest Speaker: Ben Radcliffe
Masterclass starts on 17.09.2020, AT 20:00 BST
As a storyteller, you want to immerse people in a world of your own making. As an artist, you want to experiment and play, and you need the tools to execute on your vision, quickly and flexibly. In this masterclass, you’ll learn how it’s done – from previsualization to environment creation, set dressing, cinematography, lighting, and post-processing. We’ll even cover visual effects, audio, and final rendering. This masterclass is designed to empower storytellers and artists like you with all the foundational Unity skills you need to tell your own stories.
Guest Speaker: Ace Ruele
Masterclass starts on 10.09.2020, AT 20:00 BST
CAVE Academy and VES London are very happy to have motion performance expert, Ace Ruele, join us to discuss his process to bring characters to life.
During this masterclass, Ace will discuss topics such as creating the back story and the psychology of your character, the importance of understanding the anatomy and physiology of your character. He will then move on to studying reference, adding your own spin and then finally becoming and embodying the character.
Whether you are an actor, mocap performer, animator or a rigging artist, this session will dig deep to pull out your inner creature.
Technicolor PULSE is a software solution for centralised and collaborative content management, storage and delivery from anywhere in the world. It has been used on over 100 shows around the world, with over 10PB of data stored worldwide and over 3bn frames rendered in VFX and DI Pulls and returns.
Recent PULSE Credits: The Old Guard, Brave New World, Avenue 5, His Dark Materials, Midway, Greyhound
Join us on Thursday 27th August at 4:00pm (BST) for an engaging presentation, demo, panel discussion and Q&A on PULSE features and benefits for your next production.
Speakers
Jeremy Stapleton, Global Head of Software, Technicolor
Jason T. Morrow, Senior Producer, Front End Services, Technicolor
Simon Frame, VFX Producer
Cristi Stoica, VFX Editor
Agenda
An introduction to PULSE – Jason T. Morrow
PULSE Demo – Jeremy Stapleton
Panel Discussion with Simon Frame and Cristi Stoica
Face the FACS When: Thu Jul 30, 2020 08:00pm to 09:00pm BST
Guest Speaker: Melinda Ozel
Abstract
Melinda specializes in the art and science of facial expressions. Using the Facial Action Coding System (FACS) as a descriptive device, she teaches artists, engineers, and researchers how to build and break down facial movements and emotions.
She’s passionate about sharing her knowledge, mitigating false face news, and giving people the tools they need to create or track salient expressions. Her expertise applies to any level of realism and stylization as well as any type of face – from human to creature or object.
On the tech side, she’s been working on real-time face tracking since 2016 for applications such as expression tracking for avatar puppeteering and emotion detection technology.
CAVE Academy and VES London are very happy to have Hasraf ‘HaZ’ Dulull – the director of feature films The Beyond and 2036 Origin Unknown, and the Disney series – Fast Layne, join us to discuss his process to bringing to life his latest animated project, Battlesuit. HaZ will cover how he created the project with Unreal Engine and how real-time workflows are changing the landscape of filmmaking and storytelling from a Director’s point of view, and he will start the session by discussing how he made the transition from VFX to feature film & TV directing.
Working from actor scan data is now a common task in the VFX and gaming industry. In this masterclass, Jan Jinda will give you a quick but complete tour on how to go from a rough scan to a clean production-ready model.
Jan will first cover prepping the model and scan alignment by wrapping a base mesh to the scan data. He’ll then continue to make model tweaks to bring the geometry to a ready state for texturing and rigging. He’ll also cover testing the model with a series of FACS expression shapes to ensure it is fit for deformation and animation.
Creating a production-ready model from a scan may seem easy, but without a solid workflow in place, it can be tricky to get right. Join us for this ‘digi-double’ workflow fly-through where you’ll be able to see industry techniques at play, and worthy tips and tricks to help push your assets to the next level.
CAVE Academy are extremely excited to have Chun Chun Yang join us to run a masterclass on photoreal texturing. Observation, analysis and execution are pivotal to creating an asset that both captures the essence and looks the part. In this session, Chun Chun will discuss her approach to texturing and demonstrate some of the tools and techniques she employs on a regular basis to create believable assets.
For more information on Chun Chun and to see her amazing work and tutorials, make sure to check out her website.
Unity is quickly becoming one of the most valuable tools for creators who want to build short films, episodic animated series, and cut-scenes or trailers for other CG content. Whether you’re a director, animator, technical artist, cinematographer, or general Unity enthusiast looking to dig into Unity’s film workflows, this talk will provide the core fundamentals of Unity for Media & Entertainment with an overview of upcoming features, enhancements, packages, templates, and integrations.
Unity, the world’s leading real-time engine, is used to create half of the world’s games. Unity’s flexible real-time tools offer incredible possibilities for filmmakers, and creators across industries and applications in 2D, 3D, VR, and AR
Guest Speaker: Benjamin Radcliffe
Ben is a Media and Entertainment Technology Evangelist for Unity Technologies with 20 years experience in CG Feature Animation, Television Animation, and VFX working across the globe in North America, Asia, and Europe for a variety of high-end studios. Previous studios include Dreamworks Animation, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Disney Feature Animation, MPC, and Industrial Light and Magic.
Prior to joining Unity, Ben spent the past 3 years working at ILM London as a Lighting Supervisor on Transformers 5, Avengers: Infinity War, and most recently Avengers: End Game. In his role at Unity, Ben is working with technical decision makers and influencers within key VFX and Animation Studios throughout the UK and the rest of Europe to advance the art and science of visual effects and animation through the use of real-time technology.
Join us for a live discussion around remote working in the VFX and Animation industry entitled Working From Home: Past, Present and Future.
Brought to you by VES London and Cave Academy, this panel discussion will consider how the industry is continuing to operate despite the obvious setbacks during the current Covid-19 crisis, and how companies have been able to tackle remote working for small, medium and large scale projects.
VES London and CAVE Academy are very excited to have Mac Moore, CEO of Conductor Technologies join us to discuss the history of cloud in VFX and how COVID-19 is impacting the industry’s adoption. Mac will also be giving a run-down and demonstration of the Conductor toolkit, and showing how studios are leveraging this technology as we quickly migrate to a new world of remote workflows.
In conjunction with CAVE Academy, the VES is happy to announce our first in a series of master classes.
A hands-on approach to writing a basic camera shader for the Arnold renderer. In this session, Zeno Pelgrims will be showing you the fundamentals of writing a c++ Arnold plugin. He will also introduce you to lens theory, which will allow you to start writing your own camera shaders. The session will take place on Monday the 27th April, 20:00 GMT and will be hosted by Ross Baxter.
Framestore have been ever so kind as to include us with an invite to their deep learning talk on Covid-19. It is being hosted on Zoom this Thursday and is open to all VES members worldwide. Please find the link to the zoom invite below (you must be logged in to see it).
So much about Covid-19 is still unknown, even after months of astonishing global research. In this informal talk, I’ll describe how the open source deep learning community is trying to help answer the urgent need for fast, accurate, inexpensive Covid-19 population screening in mobile, urgent and primary care settings. I’ll discuss designs for a deep convolutional neural network (CNN) for Covid-19 detection, but also I hope to show that each move forward with the deep learning tools we’re making bumps headlong into broad, unanswered questions. Specifically, I’ll suggest the unexpected importance of the effort towards serological tests for those without symptoms, identifying individuals who have developed an immune response by overcoming a Covid-19 infection.
Kevin Cain Bio:
Aiming to cross-pollinate computer vision with traditional archaeological techniques, Kevin Cain heads the non-profit organization INSIGHT based in California. Kevin has also founded technology companies including Photon Factory, Smart Picture Technologies, and most recently plexus3D. Kevin has organized digital cultural heritage projects in collaboration with the American Research Center in Egypt Egyptian Antiquities Project (Cairo), the Egyptian Antiquities Dept. of the British Museum (London), the Metropolitan Museum’s Egyptian Art Dept. (New York), and the American Museum of Natural History (New York), the Louvre Museum in Paris and the Smithsonian Museums in Washington D.C. Kevin launched and directed the MFA Department of Computer Art at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.
RED, VES and Framestore invite you to an exceptional workshop at Framestore with very special guest Dan Duran, post-production and workflow specialist at RED Digital Cinema from Hollywood, California. This resolutely technical workshop aims to deepen the knowledge of cinematographers, but also of DITs, colorists and post-production supervisors on the internal functioning of IPP2, its colorimetry and workflows using the RED Monstro sensor. Dan will also present the latest updates and insights to from RED and answer any questions offered by attendees. The event will also include a demo and hands on experience with RED’s latest cameras.
You must RSVP to attend this event, please login to do so.
Now that the 18th Annual VES Awards season is underway, we once again invite VES members to participate in our Nomination Panels. The Nomination Event will be held worldwide on January 4, 2020.
Any active VES member who can travel to one of the cities listed below may participate.
This is your chance to determine who will ultimately walk up to the podium on January 29, 2020, to collect a coveted VES Award. A single vote may make the difference between being nominated… or not… and that vote could be yours!
Past participants know that this is the must-attend event of the awards season. Not only will you view some of the most amazing visual imagery of 2019, you’ll get to see exclusive behind-the-scenes footage while participating in the single best networking opportunity of the year. It’s a chance to see old friends, meet the best and brightest in the visual effects field, and learn new techniques that you can apply to your own craft. All of that, plus the satisfaction of knowing that you have participated in choosing what will ultimately be the Nominations announced to the press for the 18th Annual VES Awards.
Judges who register to participate will receive information about specific times and locations from their local section representatives once their applications are received. If you are ready to make a difference, please submit your Panel Judge Application BELOW. Make sure you check the box indicating which of the Nomination Event locations you are applying for.
The Nomination Event is a full-day event held on Saturday, January 4, 2020 around the globe. Nominees will be announced on Monday, January 6, 2020. We look forward to receiving your Judge Application to make this year’s Nomination Event a success!
VES Members and Their Guests in London are Invited to an Opening Weekend 3D Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ and Lucasfilm’s STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER followed by a live interactive Q&A with the Filmmakers.
Panelists will include Director J.J. Abrams as well as Visual Effects Supervisors Roger Guyett and Patrick Tubach, moderated by VES 1st Vice Chair Jeffrey A. Okun, VES. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
In addition to the broadcast Q&A from Los Angeles, we are honored to have VES, Emmy and Academy Award-nominated Special Effects Supervisor Dominic Tuohy as well as Oscar-winning Creature Effects Supervisor Neal Scanlan on hand to introduce the screening and to answer questions after the live interactive Q&A.
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to RSVP and see venue information) Saturday, December 21, 2019 at 7:00PM
Tis’ the season for the VES London Christmas Party!
VES London is very happy to be hosting a Christmas celebration at the wonderful upstairs bar at the Porterhouse in Covent Garden called the Dingle Whiskey bar. There will be music, drink, merriment, dancing, delicious christmas treats and lots of whiskey. Please remember to RSVP for the event and bring a guest or two along for the fun.
If you would like to sign up for this event, please log in.
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Warner Bros. Pictures’ DOCTOR SLEEP Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.) Tuesday, November 19, 2019 at 7:00PM (DATE CHANGE)
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to an Opening Weekend Screening of 20th Century Fox’s FORD V FERRARI followed by a live interactive Q&A with the Filmmakers
Panelists will include Visual Effects Supervisor Olivier Dumont, Visual Effects Producer Kathy Siegel and Special Effects Supervisor Mark R. Byers. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please RSVP Below (VES members must login to RSVP and see venue information) Saturday, November 16, 2019 at 7:00PM
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Paramount Pictures’ and 20th Century Fox’s TERMINATOR: DARK FATE Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.) Tuesday, November 12, 2019 at 7:00PM
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Warner Bros. Pictures’ THE GOLDFINCH
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.) Tuesday, October 1, 2019 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Warner Bros. Pictures’ IT CHAPTER TWO
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.) Tuesday, September 10, 2019 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Joining Gray on the film are Academy Award®-nominated cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema (DUNKIRK), production designer Kevin Thompson (who previously designed Gray’s films THE YARDS and LITTLE ODESSA), editors John Axelrad, ACE(THE LOST CITY OF Z, THE IMMIGRANT) and Lee Haugen (THE LOST CITY OF Z), music supervisors Randall Poster (INSURGENT) and George Drakoulias (DETROIT) and two-time Academy Award®-winning costume designer Albert Wolsky (BUGSY, ALL THAT JAZZ).
This invitation is non-transferable, and seats will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. You will receive a reply in a timely fashion.
A sci-fi thriller set in the future, AD ASTRA stars Brad Pitt as an elite astronaut who travels to the outer edges of the solar system to find his missing father and unravel a mystery that threatens the survival of our planet. His journey will uncover secrets that challenge the nature of human existence and our place in the cosmos.
Directed by James Gray (THE LOST CITY OF Z, THE IMMIGRANT), from a screenplay by Gray and Ethan Gross (“Fringe”), AD ASTRA also stars Academy Award® winner Tommy Lee Jones (JUST GETTING STARTED, JASON BOURNE), Academy Award® nominee Ruth Negga (LOVING); Liv Tyler (THE LORD OF THE RINGS, ARMAGEDDON) and Donald Sutherland (THE HUNGER GAMES).
The film was produced by Plan B Entertainment’s Academy Award®-winning principals Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner (VICE, MOONLIGHT, 12 YEARS A SLAVE, THE BIG SHORT) along with Anthony Katagas (THE LOST CITY OF Z, 12 YEARS A SLAVE), RT Features’ Rodrigo Teixeira (CALL ME BY YOUR NAME) and New Regency Pictures’ Arnon Milchan (GONE GIRL). Mark Butan, Lourenço Sant’Anna, Sophie Mas, Yu Dong, Jeffrey Chan, Anthony Mosawi, Paul Conway, Yariv Milchan and Michael Schaefer serve as executive producers.
TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX and REGENCY ENTERPRISES Present In Association With BONA FILM GROUP A NEW REGENCY / PLAN B ENTERTAINMENT / KEEP YOUR HEAD / RT FEATURES / MadRiver PICTURES Production. A JAMES GRAY Film. BRAD PITT “AD ASTRA” TOMMY LEE JONES; RUTH NEGGA; LIV TYLER; and DONALD SUTHERLAND; Costume Designer ALBERT WOLSKY; Music by MAX RICHTER; Music Supervisors RANDALL POSTER and GEORGE DRAKOULIAS; Film Editors JOHN AXELRAD, ACE, LEE HAUGEN; Production Designer KEVIN THOMPSON; Director of Photography HOYTE VAN HOYTEMA, ASC, FSF, NSC; Executive Producers MARC BUTAN, Lourenço Sant’Anna, SOPHIE MAS; YU DONG, JEFFREY CHAN, ANTHONY MOSAWI, PAUL CONWAY; Produced By BRAD PITT, DEDE GARDNER, p.g.a., JEREMY KLEINER, p.g.a., JAMES GRAY, p.g.a., ANTHONY KATAGAS, p.g.a., RODRIGO TEIXEIRA, p.g.a., ARNON MILCHAN; Written by JAMES GRAY & ETHAN GROSS; Directed by JAMES GRAY.
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Millenium Films’ ANGEL HAS FALLEN
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.) Wednesday, August 28, 2019 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Universal Pictures’ GOOD BOYS
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.) Tuesday, August 20, 2019 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
This film is GB-15 for strong crude sexual content, drug and alcohol material, and language throughout – all involving tweens.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of 20th Century Fox’s THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.) Wednesday, August 14, 2019 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Universal Pictures’ FAST & FURIOUS PRESENTS: HOBBS & SHAW
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.) Tuesday, August 13, 2019 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
We are very pleased to announce this month’s pub night is being hosted on the roof top terrace at the Carpenter’s Arms in Fitzrovia. This is all due in part to the generosity of Unity as our official pub sponsor for the rest of the 2019 season!
So come on down to enjoy some drinks and snacks all courtesy of the wonderful people at Unity and to learn more about our new sponsor or just to catch up with old colleagues and friends, hope to see you there! Everyone is welcome!
We are very pleased to announce the official screening of Criminal Audition July 30th 2019 with Q&A from the film makers. Please join us on this evening for a very special event that will include the film, Q&A and drinks reception afterwards. Criminal Audition is a truely an indepdent film with VFX and British root, it includes writer and star Luke Kaile (NVisible) and executive producer Jeff Clifford (ex Double Negative), this film truly has it’s roots in the London VFX scene.
There will be drinks and Q&A to follow with Luke Kaile (Writer and Actor), Sam Gridley (director), Richard Osborne (DOP), Jamie Wood (VFX supe) and Janis Balodis (sound).
Already the official selection of Fright Fest, it is being touted as darkly funny, claustrophobic Midnight Movie to laugh, wince and gasp at. Check out the newly released trailer for yourself, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDOY6oGso6I.
We are very pleased to announce the official screening of Criminal Audition July 30th 2019 with Q&A from the film makers. Please join us on this evening for a very special event that will include the film, Q&A and drinks reception afterwards. Criminal Audition is a truely an indepdent film with VFX and British root, it includes writer and star Luke Kaile (NVisible) and executive producer Jeff Clifford (ex Double Negative), this film truly has it’s roots in the London VFX scene.
There will be drinks and Q&A to follow with Luke Kaile (Writer and Actor), Sam Gridley (director), Richard Osborne (DOP), Jamie Wood (VFX supe) and Janis Balodis (sound).
Already the official selection of Fright Fest, it is being touted as darkly funny, claustrophobic Midnight Movie to laugh, wince and gasp at. Check out the newly released trailer for yourself, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDOY6oGso6I.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ THE LION KINGfollowed by a live interactive Q&A with the Filmmakers
Panelists will include Director Jon Favreau, Visual Effects Supervisor Rob Legato, and Cinematographer Caleb Deschanel, ASC, moderated by Michael Fink, VES. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please RSVP Below (VES members must login to sign up.)
(Drinks reception sponsored by Unity from 5:00PM to 7:00PM) Saturday, July 27, 2019
*Drinks reception from 5:00PM to 7:00PM Screening begins at 7:00PM followed by live interactive Q&A
Soho Hotel’s Theater #1
4 Richmond Mews, London W1D 3EH Click here for a map
Please tweet your questions after the screening in order to participate in the Q&A panel (which will take place in Los Angeles) immediately following the screening. (be sure to include the hashtag, #VESLIONKING, in your tweet.)
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
*Drinks reception before the screening sponsored by:
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ THE LION KINGfollowed by a live interactive Q&A with the Filmmakers
Panelists will include Director Jon Favreau, Visual Effects Supervisor Rob Legato, and Cinematographer Caleb Deschanel, ASC, moderated by Michael Fink, VES. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please RSVP Below (VES members must login to sign up.)
(Drinks reception sponsored by Unity from 5:00PM to 7:00PM) Saturday, July 27, 2019
*Drinks reception from 5:00PM to 7:00PM Screening begins at 7:00PM followed by live interactive Q&A
Soho Hotel’s Theater #1
4 Richmond Mews, London W1D 3EH Click here for a map
Please tweet your questions after the screening in order to participate in the Q&A panel (which will take place in Los Angeles) immediately following the screening. (be sure to include the hashtag, #VESLIONKING, in your tweet.)
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
*Drinks reception before the screening sponsored by:
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of Columbia Pictures’ and Marvel Studios’ SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.) Tuesday, July 9, 2019 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Families are Invited to an Opening Weekend 3DScreening ofDisney•Pixar’s TOY STORY 4
Please RSVP below.
Saturday, June 22, 2019 at 2:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Focus Features’ THE DEAD DON’T DIE
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.) Tuesday, June 18, 2019 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to an Opening Weekend 3D Screening of Columbia Pictures’ MEN IN BLACK: INTERNATIONAL
Please RSVP below.
Saturday, June 15, 2019 at 2:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES London is proud to present the screening of the independent British film Criminal Audition and Q&A with writer and director Samuel Gridley, writer and actor Luke Kaile, director of photography Richard Osborne and Visual Effects Supervisor Jamie Woods (panel is subject to their availability).
Synopsis: An ex-lawyer and his team run an underworld service, providing fake criminals to take on other people’s crimes. But a new dangerous client turns their world upside down as they face lies, deceit and murder over the course of one night.
June 12th – doors open 7:00PM (CEST) and there will be beer and pizza!
ZOOM stream starts at 7:30PM (CEST)
Masterclass starts at 8:00PM (CEST)
<!–break–>
The VES invites you to our 3rd MEGABRAIN Masterclass where you can learn and share your knowledge with colleagues in the VFX industry. The idea is not to simply present show reels – but to teach actual techniques that help every artist to improve their skillset. This event will take place on June 12th 7:00PM at multiple locations and will also be streamed via ZOOM.
RSVP for your specific location on the appropriate event pages please:
Efficient facial rigging tools for emotionally believable digital humans
presented by Volker Helzle – Head of Research & Development at Filmakademie
Live from Munich Using Machine-learning to classify a VFXElements Library
presented by Jonas Kluger – Pipeline TD at ARRI
Live from Berlin Camera Technology: Sensors, Noise Properties, and Raw Processing
presented by Charles Poynton, PhD
We are overbooking to compensate for no-shows.
Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis.
An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES-Members and their registered guests only (except for Ludwigsburg and Cologne). No admission without registration – also at the streaming locations!
The event will also be recorded for everyone who can’t make it.
The event will be streamed live from (and to) Berlin, Munich, Stuttgart and Ludwigsburg. For the first time we also provide direct access to the ZOOM stream for ALL VES MEMBERS around the world!
VES Germany is a proud Partner of the FMX Conference in Stuttgart.
VES London is proud to present the screening of the independent British film Criminal Audition and Q&A with writer and director Samuel Gridley, writer and actor Luke Kaile, director of photography Richard Osborne and Visual Effects Supervisor Jamie Woods (panel is subject to their availability).
Synopsis: An ex-lawyer and his team run an underworld service, providing fake criminals to take on other people’s crimes. But a new dangerous client turns their world upside down as they face lies, deceit and murder over the course of one night.
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of 20th Century Fox’s and Marvel Studios’ DARK PHOENIX
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.) Tuesday, June 11, 2019 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Families are Invited to a 3D Screening of Universal Pictures’ and Illumination Entertainment’s THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS 2
Please RSVP below.
Saturday, June 8, 2019 at 2:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Entertainment’s GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.) Thursday, June 6, 2019 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Paramount Pictures’ ROCKETMAN
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.) Wednesday, June 5, 2019 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
We will be hosting an unofficial pub night at the Nellie Dean on Wednesday the 29th of May, what does unofficial mean? We haven’t officially booked the pub, that’s all, expect the great fun as usual with a bit more random people.
We’re almost half way through 2019 and our new members have just been announced so we’ve decided to celebrate the addition of 21 new members with some drinks courtesy of the VES London board. All current and new members (until supplies run out) will be eligible for a round of drinks, so please join us this last Wednesday of the month for what is sure to be great times. And remember, everyone is welcome so if you’re new to the VFX industry or a seasoned vetereran thinking about joining the VES please feel to drop by and chat with our current board.
We will be hosting an unofficial pub night at the Nellie Dean on Wednesday the 29th of May, what does unofficial mean? We haven’t officially booked the pub, that’s all, expect the great fun as usual with a bit more random people.
We’re almost half way through 2019 and our new members have just been announced so we’ve decided to celebrate the addition of 21 new members with some drinks courtesy of the VES London board. All current and new members (until supplies run out) will be eligible for a round of drinks, so please join us this last Wednesday of the month for what is sure to be great times. And remember, everyone is welcome so if you’re new to the VFX industry or a seasoned vetereran thinking about joining the VES please feel to drop by and chat with our current board.
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Entertainment’s POKEMON: DETECTIVE PIKACHU
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.) Tuesday, May 14, 2019 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ and Marvel Studios’ AVENGERS: ENDGAME
Please RSVP below.
Tuesday, April 30, 2019 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
After last month’s hiatus we are back with our monthly pub night at our usual venue and time, the last Wednesday of the month in the upstairs function room at the Ship Fitzrovia. Come one, come all to talk some vfx, enjoy some drink and have a laugh with your peers. Hopefully see you there!
After last month’s hiatus we are back with our monthly pub night at our usual venue and time, the last Wednesday of the month in the upstairs function room at the Ship Fitzrovia. Come one, come all to talk some vfx, enjoy some drink and have a laugh with your peers. Hopefully see you there!
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Annapurna Pictures’ MISSING LINK
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.) Thursday, April 18, 2019 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Paramount Pictures’ PET SEMATARY
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.) Tuesday, April 16, 2019 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ DUMBO
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.) Tuesday, April 2, 2019 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to an Opening Weekend 3D Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ and Marvel Studios’ CAPTAIN MARVEL followed by a Q&A with the Filmmakers.Panelists will include Directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck as well as Additional Visual Effects Supervisor Janelle Croshaw Ralla, moderated by Bill Taylor, VES, ASC. (Panelists will be announced as they are confirmed.)
Please RSVP below.
Sunday, March 10, 2019 at 6:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Please tweet your questions after the screening in order to participate in the Q&A panel (which will take place in Los Angeles) immediately following the screening. (be sure to include the hashtag, #VESCAPTAINMARVEL, in your tweet.)
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Join us for the second VES London Pub Night of 2019!
Once again, we invite VES members, friends and everyone interested to a fun evening at the pub. Come join the VES London Board and other visual effects professionals for some good conversation, a beverage or two, and new contacts. We have the cozy upstairs room at the Ship Fitzrovia to ourselves, complete with a private bar!
As always, this is open to everyone, no need to RSVP, so bring your friends.
Feeling peckish? The Ship allows outside food to be eaten at the pub so feel free to order in or bring some take away with you.
Join us for the second VES London Pub Night of 2019!
Once again, we invite VES members, friends and everyone interested to a fun evening at the pub. Come join the VES London Board and other visual effects professionals for some good conversation, a beverage or two, and new contacts. We have the cozy upstairs room at the Ship Fitzrovia to ourselves, complete with a private bar!
As always, this is open to everyone, no need to RSVP, so bring your friends.
Feeling peckish? The Ship allows outside food to be eaten at the pub so feel free to order in or bring some take away with you.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of DreamWorks Animation’s and Universal Pictures’ HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD followed by a live interactive Q&A with Director Dean DeBlois, Producer Brad Lewis, Visual Effects Supervisor Dave Walvood, Head of Character Animation Simon Otto and Head of Effects Li-Ming ‘Lawrence’ Lee moderated by Director Bill Kroyer. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Saturday, February 23, 2019 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Please tweet your questions after the screening in order to participate in the Q&A panel (which will take place in Los Angeles) immediately following the screening. (be sure to include the hashtag, #VESDRAGON, in your tweet.)
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of 20th Century Fox’s ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.) Wednesday, February 20, 2019 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Netflix’s ROMA
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.) Tuesday, February 19, 2019 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Netflix’s ROMA
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.) Tuesday, February 19, 2019 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of Warner Bros. Pictures’ THE LEGO MOVIE 2: THE SECOND PART
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.) Tuesday, February 12, 2019 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
We are happy to announce that the ship is happy to host us again in 2019 and our first pub night is coming up this week. Please join us for drinks and some great VFX talk with your peers. We’ll also be picking up the bar tab for anyone indulging in dry January, that means any non-alcoholic drinks are on us. It’s also a great opportunity to be introduced into your new VES London board members, so come on down anytime after 7pm to the Ship Ftizrovia.
We are happy to announce that the ship is happy to host us again in 2019 and our first pub night is coming up this week. Please join us for drinks and some great VFX talk with your peers. We’ll also be picking up the bar tab for anyone indulging in dry January, that means any non-alcoholic drinks are on us. It’s also a great opportunity to be introduced into your new VES London board members, so come on down anytime after 7pm to the Ship Ftizrovia.
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of Sony Pictures Animation’s SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.) Friday, December 21, 2018 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Pre-Release Screening of Universal Pictures’ MORTAL ENGINES followed by a Q&A with Visual Effects Supervisor Ken McGaugh, Animation Supervisor Dennis Yoo, Visual Effects Supervisor Luke Millar and Visual Effects Supervisor Kevin Smith moderated by VES Board member Jeff Kleiser. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Sunday, December 2, 2018 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Please tweet your questions after the screening in order to participate in the Q&A panel (which will take place in Los Angeles) immediately following the screening. (be sure to include the hashtag, #VESMORTALENGINES, in your tweet.)
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of Netflix’s MOWGLI followed by a Q&A with Director Andy Serkis, Animation Supervisor Max Solomon and Members of the Visual Effects Team T.B.A. moderated by VES Board member Richard Winn Taylor II, VES. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Saturday, December 1, 2018 at 7:00PM
The May Fair Hotel Screening Room Stratton St, Mayfair, London W1J 8LT
(Closest tube station, Bond Street) Click here for a map
Please tweet your questions after the screening in order to participate in the Q&A panel (which will take place in Los Angeles) immediately following the screening. (be sure to include the hashtag, #VESMOWGLI, in your tweet.)
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of Netflix’s MOWGLI followed by a Q&A with Director Andy Serkis, Animation Supervisor Max Solomon and Members of the Visual Effects Team T.B.A. moderated by VES Board member Richard Winn Taylor II, VES. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Saturday, December 1, 2018 at 7:00PM
The May Fair Hotel Screening Room Stratton St, Mayfair, London W1J 8LT
(Closest tube station, Bond Street) Click here for a map
Please tweet your questions after the screening in order to participate in the Q&A panel (which will take place in Los Angeles) immediately following the screening. (be sure to include the hashtag, #VESMOWGLI, in your tweet.)
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
It’s the final pub night of the year so come one come all and enjoy a pint or refreshment, say hi to your boardmembers and enjoy some great VFX chat. All new members will enjoy their first pint free when they present their VES Membership card to a board member. We will also be relvealing the location of our Christmas party so hopefully see you all there and remember, everyone is welcome!
It’s the final pub night of the year so come one come all and enjoy a pint or refreshment, say hi to your boardmembers and enjoy some great VFX chat. All new members will enjoy their first pint free when they present their VES Membership card to a board member. We will also be relvealing the location of our Christmas party so hopefully see you all there and remember, everyone is welcome!
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of Universal Pictures’ and Illumination Entertainment’s DR. SEUSS’ THE GRINCH
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.) Tuesday, November 27, 2018 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Paramount Pictures’ OVERLORD
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.) Tuesday, November 20, 2018 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Pre-Release Screening of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET followed by a Q&A with Visual Effects Supervisor Scott Kersavage, Character Look Development Supervisor Michelle Robinson and Head of Effects Animation Cesar Velazquezmoderated by VES Board member Charlie Iturriaga. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Saturday, November 17, 2018 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Please tweet your questions after the screening in order to participate in the Q&A panel (which will take place in San Francisco) immediately following the screening. (be sure to include the hashtag, #VESRALPH, in your tweet.)
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Columbia Pictures’ THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER’S WEB
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.) Tuesday, November 13, 2018 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Families are Invited to a 3D Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Saturday, November 10, 2018 at 2:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of 20th Century Fox’s BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.) Tuesday, November 6, 2018 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
It’s the last pub night of the year and it’s definitely going to be a spooky one! Come one, come all to the Ship on Wednesday October 24th for what sure to be a ghoulish affair. All the regulars will be there including the Mummy, the Werewolf and of course Dracula! No need to RSVP and remember that everyone is welcome to join!
It’s the last pub night of the year and it’s definitely going to be a spooky one! Come one, come all to the Ship on Wednesday October 24th for what sure to be a ghoulish affair. All the regulars will be there including the Mummy, the Werewolf and of course Dracula! No need to RSVP and remember that everyone is welcome to join!
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Universal Pictures’ HALLOWEEN
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.) Tuesday, October 23, 2018 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ and Marvel Studios’ BLACK PANTHER followed by a live interactive Q&A with Writer/Director Ryan Coogler, Visual Effects Supervisor Geoffrey Baumann, ILM Visual Effects Supervisor Craig Hammack, Additional Visual Effects Supervisor Jesse James Chisholm and Special Effects Supervisor Dan Sudick moderated by VES Board member David Tanaka. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Saturday, October 20, 2018 at 8:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Please tweet your questions after the screening in order to participate in the Q&A panel (which will take place in San Francisco) immediately following the screening. (be sure to include the hashtag, #VESWAKANDA4EVER, in your tweet.)
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of 20th Century Fox’s BAD TIMES AT THE EL ROYALE
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.) Tuesday, October 16, 2018 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of Columbia Pictures’ VENOM
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.) Tuesday, October 9, 2018 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
The VES sections from Germany, London and Paris present
VES MEGABRAIN Masterclass Vol.2
September 27th – 6:30PM at
DNEG
160 Great Portland Street, London
<!–break–>
The VES invites you to our 2nd MEGABRAIN Masterclass where you can learn and share your knowledge with colleagues in the VFX industry. The idea is not to simply present show breakdowns and reels – but to teach actual techniques that help every artist to improve their skillset. This event will take place on September 27th 6:30PM at DNEG, 160 Great Portland Street, London (and be simulcast to & from RISE Visual Effects Studios in Germany, and Paris).
This event is kindly supported by
and
Topics will be:
From the VES Germany
Extend Nuke’s Interface and functionality using PySide
presented by Falk Hofmann – Head of 2D at Pixomondo
From the VES Paris Photogrammetry and PBR Surface scanning
presented by Paul Parneix – CEO at scanbox.xyz
From the VES London
A Managed Approach to AOV Manipulation
presented by Greg Keech – Lead R&D Developer at DNEG
A JIT Expression Language for Fast Manipulation of VDB Points and Volumes
presented by Nick Avramoussis – DNEG
We are overbooking to compensate for no-shows.
Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis.
An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES-Members and their registered guests first, everyone else second. No admission without registration – also at the streaming locations!
The event will also be recorded for everyone who can’t make it.
The event will be streamed live from (and to) London, Paris, Berlin, Munich, Cologne and Stuttgart.
RSVP for your specific location on the appropriate event pages please:
Fall is in the air, membership drive has successfully completed and we’re nearing the end of the month which can only mean one thing! It’s time for the monthly installment of the Visual Effects Society London’s pub night. Please feel free to drop by anytime between 7pm and closing time, so hopefully see you there!
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Universal Pictures’ THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.) Tuesday, September 25, 2018 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Sony Pictures’ WHITE BOY RICK
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.) Tuesday, September 18, 2018 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Come on down to the London VES Pub Night and Membership Drive.
This is a great chance to catch up with colleagues, old friends or come make some new ones!
If you are a VES member or have been thinking about becoming a VES member, come along! We’ll have board members available on the night to help anyone apply on the spot or just answer your questions. Come for a drink and say Hi!
All members and their guest or those who apply that night will get their first drink free*, so come on down!
The next membership application cutoff date is September 15th. – Apply HERE
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of STX Entertainment’s THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS
This film is GB-15, and is not intended for children. Click here to watch the trailer.
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.) Tuesday, August 28, 2018 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Focus Features’ BLACKkKLANSMAN
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.) Wednesday, August 15, 2018 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Paramount Pictures’ MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.) Tuesday, July 31, 2018 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Universal Pictures’ SKYSCRAPER
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Tuesday, July 24, 2018 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ and Marvel Studios’ ANT-MAN AND THE WASP
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Tuesday, July 17, 2018 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Universal Pictures’ and Blumhouse Pictures’ THE FIRST PURGE
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Tuesday, July 10, 2018 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Sony Pictures’ and Lionsgate UK’s SICARIO: DAY OF THE SOLDADO
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Tuesday, July 3, 2018 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Families are Invited to a Special Fathers’ Day 3D Screening of Universal Pictures’ and Amblin Entertainment’s JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM followed by a Q&A with Director J.A. Bayona, ILM Visual Effects Supervisor David Vickery, ILM Animation Director Jance Rubinchik and ILM Visual Effects Supervisor Alex Wuttke with moderation by VES London Section Secretary Gavin Graham (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please RSVP below Sunday, June 17, 2018 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating
London VES Members and Their Families are Invited to an Opening Weekend Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ and Pixar Animation Studios’ INCREDIBLES 2
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Saturday, June 16, 2018 at 2:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
With the final days in May rapidly approaching, this can mean only one thing, VES London pub night is here! This is sure to be special evening indeed and there are many reasons to celebrate as the gracious folk from RISE VFX have kindly agreed to sponsor our night and pick up the bar tab! This means drinks will be gratis for all VES members. But do not worry if you aren’t, as signing up for the pub night e-mail list will also entitle you to some freebies. So come one, come all to what is sure to be a very boisterous and fun event. No RSVP required, just join us in the function room upstairs with all your VFX peers.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ and Lucasfilm Ltd’s SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Tuesday, May 29, 2018 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Focus Features’ TULLY
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Tuesday, May 8, 2018 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ and Marvel Studios’ AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR followed by a Live Interactive Q&A with Visual Effects Producers Jen Underdahl and Lisa Marra, Weta Digital Visual Effects Supervisor Matt Aitken, Industrial Light + Magic Visual Effects Supervisor Russell Earl and Digital Domain Visual Effects Supervisor Kelly Port with moderation by VES Board member Jeff Kleiser. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Sunday, May 6, 2018 at 8:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Please tweet your questions after the screening in order to participate in the Q&A panel (which will take place in Los Angeles) immediately following the screening. (be sure to include the hashtag, #VESINFINITYWAR, in your tweet.)
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
And as we start to near the end of the Month it can only mean one thing, VES Pub Night is upon us. The Ship Fitzrovia has been gracious enough to host us again in their incredible upstairs function room (http://www.theshipfitzrovia.com/function-room.html). Each pub night keeps getting busier so we’re hoping for an even larger turnout then last month. Come enjoy a glass of wine, beer or other beverage of your choosing with your fellow VES members and industry peers. Remember, you’re also welcome to bring or order your own food to the pub as well and everyone is welcome so please feel free to drop by and say hello.
Your London VES Board
Location: The Ship Fitzrovia – 134 New Cavendish Street, Fitzrovia, London, W1W 6YB Time: 7:00pm – late Date: 25/04/18
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Paramount Pictures’ A QUIET PLACE
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Tuesday, April 10, 2018 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Amblin Entertainment’s READY PLAYER ONE followed by a Q&A with Co-Producer and Visual Effects Producer Jennifer Meislohn, ILM Visual Effects Supervisor Grady Cofer, Digital Domain Visual Effects Supervisor Matthew Butler and Digital Domain Previsualization Supervisor Scott Meadows as well as Digital Domain Virtual Production Supervisor Gary Roberts, moderated by VES Board member Charlie Iturriaga. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Saturday, April 7, 2018 at 8:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Please tweet your questions after the screening in order to participate in the Q&A panel (which will take place in Los Angeles) immediately following the screening. (be sure to include the hashtag, #VESRPO, in your tweet.)
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of Universal Pictures’ PACIFIC RIM UPRISING
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Thursday, March 29, 2018 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Come one, come all to another fantastical Pub night hosted in the amazing upstairs function room at the Ship Fitzrovia! We’re expecting better weather this time around so will hopefully see some more friendly faces. We has a blast last time so want to keep the good times rolling and for those of you not in the know, please be aware that The Ship allows outside food, so if you’re hungry, you’re more then welcome to bring food or order it there.
London VES Members and Their Families are Invited to a 3D Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ A WRINKLE IN TIME followed by a Live Interactive Q&A with Visual Effects Supervisor Rich McBride and Previs Supervisor Chris Batty with moderation by VES Board member Lisa Cooke.
Please RSVP below Saturday, March 17, 2018 at 7:00PM Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures UK
3 Queen Caroline Street, London, W6 9PE Click here for a map
Please tweet your questions after the screening in order to participate in the Q&A panel (which will take place in San Francisco) immediately following the screening. (be sure to include the hashtag, #VESWRINKLE, in your tweet.)
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Paramount Pictures’ and Netflix’s ANNHILATION
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Tuesday, March 13, 2018 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
You are cordially invited to the first pub night of the year and spring membership drive for the London section.
With it being early into the new year we’ve decided to start things off with a new pub. The Ship Fitzrovia has graciously accepted to host us in their magnificent upstairs function room that even has it’s own bar!!! (http://www.theshipfitzrovia.com/function-room.html)
Please come one, come all to meet up with your members of the London VES board to have any questions or quandaries about the VES answered. Please bring along all eligible artists interested in joining the VES or anyone who just enjoys a fun night out.
We look forward to seeing you next Wednesday at our first monthly pub night event of 2018.
Location: The Ship Fitzrovia – 134 New Cavendish Street, Fitzrovia, London, W1W 6YB Time: 7:00pm – late Date: 28/02/18
London VES Members and Their Families are Invited to a Screening of Studio Canal’s and Aardman Animation’s EARLY MAN
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Saturday, February 24, 2018 at 2:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ and Marvel Studios’ BLACK PANTHER
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Tuesday, February 20, 2018 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Columbia Pictures’ ONLY THE BRAVE
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Wednesday, January 31, 2018 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to an Opening Weekend Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ and Lucasfilm Ltd.’s STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI plus a live interactive Q&A.
Panelists will include Writer/Director Rian Johnson, ILM San Francisco Visual Effects Supervisor Eddie Pasquarello, ILM Vancouver Visual Effects Supervisor Dan Seddon, Cinematographer Steve Yedlin, ASC and Editor Bob Ducsay with moderation by VES Chair Mike Chambers. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.) Sunday, December 17, 2017 at 8:00PM
Dolby’s Soho Square Screening Room
4-6 Soho Square, London W1D 3PZ
(Closest tube station: Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Please tweet your questions after the screening in order to participate in the Q&A panel (which will take place in Los Angeles) immediately following the screening. (be sure to include the hashtag, #VESLASTJEDI, in your tweet.)
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Fox Searchlight’s THE SHAPE OF WATER
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Tuesday, December 5, 2017 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Walt Disney Studios’ and Pixar Animation Studios’ COCO
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Tuesday, November 28, 2017 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guest are Invited to a Screening of Columbia Pictures ATTRACTION followed by a Q&A session with Arman Yahin (CEO Main Road Post). Plus complimentary wine and popcorn
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guest are Invited to a Screening of Columbia Pictures ATTRACTION followed by a Q&A session with Arman Yahin (CEO Main Road Post). Plus complimentary wine and popcorn
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
MPC would like to extend an invitation to London VES Members and Their Guests to attend a Family Screening of Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment’s Sing!
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Saturday, November 18, 2017 at 11:00AM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road)
Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis (preference will be given to MPC employees). An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of 20th Century Fox’s MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Tuesday, November 14, 2017 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ and Marvel Studios’ THOR: RAGNAROK
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Tuesday, November 7, 2017 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Paramount Pictures’ SUBURBICON
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Tuesday, October 31, 2017 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
This month, we’re back to our usual last Wednesday of the month for another London VES Pub Night!
We invite VES members, friends and everyone interested to a fun evening at the pub. Come join the VES London Board and other visual effects professionals for some good conversation, a beverage or two, and new contacts. We have the cozy upstairs room at the Nellie Dean to ourselves, complete with a private bar!
As always, this is open to everyone, no need to RSVP, so bring your friends.
Don’t want to drink on an empty stomach? The Nellie Dean serves gourmet award-winning pies from Pieminister! We’ll have dining tables reserved upstairs for those who wish to partake.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Universal Pictures’ THE SNOWMAN
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Tuesday, October 24, 2017 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Warner Bros. Pictures’ BLADE RUNNER 2049
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Tuesday, October 17, 2017 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Universal Pictures’ AMERICAN MADE
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Tuesday, October 10, 2017 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of 20th Century Fox’s KINGSMEN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Tuesday, October 3, 2017 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
This month’s Pub Night will be on a THURSDAY due to a prior booking at the Nellie Dean pub. So make note of that!!
We invite VES members, friends and everyone interested to a fun evening at the pub. Come join the VES London Board and other visual effects professionals for some good conversation, a beverage or two, and new contacts. We have the cozy upstairs room at the Nellie Dean to ourselves, complete with a private bar!
As always, this is open to everyone, no need to RSVP, so bring your friends.
Don’t want to drink on an empty stomach? The Nellie Dean serves gourmet award-winning pies from Pieminister! We’ll have dining tables reserved upstairs for those who wish to partake.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Focus Features’ VICTORIA & ABDUL
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Tuesday, September 26, 2017 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Paramount Pictures’ MOTHER!
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Tuesday, September 19, 2017 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
As the last Wednesday of the month is approaching, we’re welcoming you to join us for another London VES Pub Night!
We invite VES members, friends and everyone interested to a fun evening at the pub. Come join the VES London Board and other visual effects professionals for some good conversation, a beverage or two, and new contacts. We have the cozy upstairs room at the Nellie Dean to ourselves, complete with a private bar!
As always, this is open to everyone, no need to RSVP, so bring your friends.
Don’t want to drink on an empty stomach? The Nellie Dean serves gourmet award-winning pies from Pieminister! We’ll have dining tables reserved upstairs for those who wish to partake.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of The Weinstein Company’s WIND RIVER
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Tuesday, August 8, 2017 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Focus Features’ ATOMIC BLONDE
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Tuesday, August 1, 2017 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
The last Wednesday of the month approaches and it’s time once again for the VES London PubNight!
We invite VES members, friends and everyone interested to a fun evening at the pub. Come join the VES London Board and other visual effects professionals for some good conversation, a beverage or two, and new contacts. We have the cozy upstairs room at the Nellie Dean to ourselves, complete with a private bar!
As always, this is open to everyone, no need to RSVP, so bring your friends.
Don’t want to drink on an empty stomach? The Nellie serves gourmet award-winning pies from Pieminister! We’ll have dining tables set up upstairs for those who wish to partake.
The VES London PubNight
Wednesday, 26 July 2017 7 pm ’til late
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to an Opening Weekend Screening of 20th Century Fox’s WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES, plus a live interactive Q&A with the filmmakers.
Panelists will include Senior Visual Effects Supervisor Joe Letteri and Director Matt Reeves with moderation by VES Board member Jeff Kleiser. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Saturday, July 15, 2017 at 8:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Please tweet your questions after the screening in order to participate in the Q&A panel (which will take place in Los Angeles) immediately following the screening. (be sure to include the hashtag, #VESWARFORTHEPLANET, in your tweet.)
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening Of Columbia Pictures’ and Marvel Studios’ SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Tuesday, July 11, 2017 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Families are Invited to a Screening of Universal Pictures’ and Illumination Entertainment’s DESPICABLE ME 3
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Saturday, July 1, 2017 at 2:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of Paramount Pictures’ TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Tuesday, June 27, 2017 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Families are Invited to a Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ and Pixar Animation Studios’ CARS 3
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Saturday, June 24, 2017 at 2:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of Universal Pictures’ THE MUMMY
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Tuesday, June 13, 2017 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of Warner Bros. Pictures’ WONDER WOMAN
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Tuesday, June 6, 2017 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
We invite VES members, friends and everyone interested to a fun evening at the pub. Come join the VES London Board and other visual effects professionals for some good conversation, a beverage or two, and new contacts. We have the cozy upstairs room at the Nellie Dean to ourselves, complete with a private bar!
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Tuesday, May 30, 2017 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of 20th Century Fox’s ALIEN: COVENANT
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Tuesday, May 23, 2017 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of Warner Bros. Pictures’ KING ARTHUR: LEGEND OF THE SWORD
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Tuesday, May 16, 2017 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ and Marvel Studios’ GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, VOL. 2
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Tuesday, May 9, 2017 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Universal Pictures’ THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Tuesday, April 18, 2017 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of Paramount Pictures’ GHOST IN THE SHELL
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Tuesday, April 4, 2017 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Lionsgate’s POWER RANGERS
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Thursday, March 30, 2017 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of Warner Bros. Pictures’ KONG: SKULL ISLAND
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Tuesday, March 14, 2017 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of 20th Century Fox’s LOGAN
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Tuesday, March 7, 2017 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
In the second of Double Negative’s exclusive ‘Behind The Screens’ events, Dneg’s senior crew on Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them will be giving an exclusive presentation on their work on the show to invited guests from the VFX community. Presentation will be followed by Q&A and drinks reception with the team.
The event takes place at their London studios on Great Portland St tomorrow night.
THE VFX FESTIVAL is back for 2017 and is bigger, better and bolder, than ever before. Presented by Escape Studios, part of Pearson College London, The VFX Festival 2017, is run in London from 7 th – 9 th February 2017, in association with arts and cultural venue, Rich Mix. Whether you are passionate about VFX, animation, games or motion graphics, The VFX Festival 2017 truly offers something for everyone. This year, the festival aims to explore the crossover between these specialisms and the creative industries as a whole. As the gap closes between new and old technologies, the 2017 festival will focus on how all elements intersect, whilst in keeping with new and existing trends.
At the heart of the festival will be a series of discussions and demonstrations from the leading VFX, Gaming and Animation companies, as particular attention is paid to VR, AR and other media-sharing tech, and analyse how this informs the skillset required for the next generation of VFX practitioners.
Headliners include Framestore, MPC, Double Negative, ILM, and One Of Us, presenting work from such projects as Star Wars, Star Trek: Beyond, and Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them.
This year it will run throughout the day on Saturday 7th January (exact timings to be confirmed), at Molinare – 34 Foubert’s Place, London, W1F 7PX.
We usually run two sessions, morning and afternoon, serving a hot lunch in between. Late afternoon, when we have finished the judging, we usually raise a glass and toast our fantastic sponsors – Molinare and Sohonet. Some people then stay for a chat at the bar over a drink, discussing the work seen.
Those who have been before know that it’s a great day – an opportunity to view and judge the world’s best film, television and commercials visual effects along with your peers. It’s also a great way for you to support your local section.
Join us for a special Christmas Pub Night at the Nellie Dean!
For the last time this year, we invite VES members, friends and everyone interested to a fun evening at the pub. Come join the VES London Board and other visual effects professionals for some good conversation, a beverage or two, and new contacts. We have the cozy upstairs room at the Nellie Dean to ourselves, complete with a private bar.
We will have a bar tab for VES Members, but everyone is welcome to join!
Don’t miss our popular Killer darts game. The winner goes home with a nice bottle of single malt whisky!
Feeling peckish? The Nellie serves gourmet award-winning pies from Pieminister. We’ll have dining tables set up upstairs for those who wish to partake.
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to an Opening Weekend Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ and Lucasfilm Ltd.’s ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY plus a Q&A.
Panelists will include Executive Producer and Visual Effects Supervisor John Knoll and Animation Supervisor Hal Hickel with moderation by VES 1st Vice Chair Jeffrey A. Okun, VES. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please RSVP at the link below (VES members must login to view the link.) Sunday, December 18, 2016 at 8:00PM
Dolby’s Soho Square Screening Room
4-6 Soho Square, London W1D 3PZ
(Closest tube station: Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Please tweet your questions after the screening in order to participate in the Q&A panel (which will take place in Los Angeles) immediately following the screening. (be sure to include the hashtag, #VESROGUEONE, in your tweet.)
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Pre-Release Screening of Columbia Pictures’ PASSENGERS, plus a live interactive Q&A with the filmmakers.
Panelists will include Visual Effects Supervisor Pete Dionne, Co-Producer Greg Baxter, Film Editor Maryann Brandon and Production Designer Guy Hendrix Dyas with moderation by VES Board member Jeff Kleiser. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please RSVP at the link below (VES members must login to view the link.)
Saturday, December 17, 2016 at 8:00PM
Sony Pictures Entertainment Screening Room 25 Golden Square, Soho, London W1F 9LU
(Closest tube station, Piccadilly Circus) Click here for a map
Please tweet your questions after the screening in order to participate in the Q&A panel (which will take place in Los Angeles) immediately following the screening. (be sure to include the hashtag, #VESPASSENGERS, in your tweet.)
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
The end of November is approaching, and it’s time for another VES London Pub Night!
As always, we invite VES members, friends and everyone interested to a fun evening at the pub. Come join the VES London Board and other visual effects professionals for some good conversation, a beverage or two, and new contacts. We have the cozy upstairs room at the Nellie Dean to ourselves, complete with a private bar.
Don’t miss our popular Killer darts game. The winner goes home with a nice bottle of single malt whisky!
As always, this is open to everyone, no need to RSVP, so bring your friends.
Feeling peckish? The Nellie serves gourmet award-winning pies from Pieminister. We’ll have dining tables set up upstairs for those who wish to partake.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Warner Bros. Pictures’ FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM
Please RSVP at the link below (VES members must login to view the link.)
Tuesday, November 29, 2016 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES VR Event is an evening conference and exhibition focused on Augmented and Virtual Reality and its impact in VFX and entertainment industry.
Great networking opportunities, attendees will have access to visionary speakers and case-study led content. Hear from inspirational speakers and thought-provoking panel discussions from key players redefining the boundaries for technology.
We are proud to bring inspirational speakers from across the globe.
Speakers will include Hammerhead VR’s Yush Kalia, Virtually’s Alexander Cohen, Head of Developer Services at Sony Computer Kish Hirani, Filmmaker at VISYON Ammar Haj Ahmad, AV Reality Founder & CEO Humphrey Hardwicke, and Rewind’s Solomon Rogers.
A Limited Number of VES Members in London are Invited to a “Behind the Screens” Presentation and Drinks Reception on STAR TREK BEYOND with CG Supervisor Rick Leary
Please RSVP at the link below (VES members must login to view the link.)
Thursday, November 24, 2016 at 7:00PM
(Doors open at 6:30PM, Presentation at 7:00PM, Drinks reception at 8:30PM)
DNeg London 160 Great Portland Street, London W1W 5QA
(Closest tube station, Great Portland Street) Click here for a map
Events are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of Marvel Studios’ and Walt Disney Pictures’ DOCTOR STRANGE
Please RSVP at the link below
Tuesday, November 22, 2016 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and a Guest are Invited to a Screening of Paramount Pictures’ ARRIVAL
Please call +44 20 7292 8350 to RSVP(be sure to specify the date, time and location of the screening you’d like to attend) Friday, November 18, 2016 at 7:00PM
Charlotte Street Hotel 15-17 Charlotte St, Fitzrovia, London W1T 1RJ (Closest tube station, Goodge Street) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating. Click here for more studio screenings.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Columbia Pictures’ INFERNO
Please RSVP at the link below
Tuesday, November 1, 2016 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Members and Their Guests in Ireland are Invited to a 3D Screening of 20th Century Fox’s MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN followed by a Q&A with Visual Effects Supervisor Frazer Churchill
Please RSVP at the link below
Saturday, October 22, 2016 at 6:00PM (There will be an introduction with food and drinks beginning at 5:15PM.)
Cineworld Dublin The Parnell Centre, Parnell St, Dublin 1, Ireland Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of 20th Century Fox’s MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN followed by a Q&A with the Visual Effects Team
Panelists will include Visual Effects Supervisor Frazer Churchill, Visual Effects Producer Hal Couzens and Special Effects Supervisors Neil Corbould and Hayley Williams with moderation by VES Board member and London Section Chair Brooke Lyndon-Stanford. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please RSVP at the link below
Tuesday, October 18, 2016 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of Focus Features’ and LAIKA’s KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS
Please RSVP at the link below
Friday, October 14, 2016 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Columbia Pictures’ THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN
Please RSVP at the link below
Tuesday, October 4, 2016 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
The end of September is approaching, and it’s time for another VES London Pub Night! We’ve had to play with the schedule a little, so this month only, we’re doing it on a Thursday!
As always, we invite VES members, friends and everyone interested to a fun evening at the pub. Come join the VES London Board and other visual effects professionals for some good conversation, a beverage or two, and new contacts. We have the cozy upstairs room at the Nellie Dean to ourselves, complete with a private bar.
Don’t miss our popular Killer darts game. The winner goes home with a nice bottle of single malt whisky!
As always, this is open to everyone, no need to RSVP, so bring your friends.
Feeling peckish? The Nellie serves gourmet award-winning pies from Pieminister. We’ll have dining tables set up upstairs for those who wish to partake.
VES Members and Their Guests in London are Invited to a Pre-Release Screening of Lionsgate’s and Summit Entertainment’s DEEPWATER HORIZON, plus a live interactive Q&A with the filmmakers.
Panelists will include Director Peter Berg, Special Effects Supervisors Burt Dalton and Matt Kutcher and Lead Post-Vis Artist at ILM Keith Johnson with moderation by VES Board member Dan Schrecker. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please RSVP below Saturday, September 24, 2016 at 8:00PM
Curzon Mayfair Cinema 38 Curzon St, London W1J 7TY Click here for a map
Please tweet your questions after the screening in order to participate in the Q&A panel (which will take place in New York) immediately following the screening. (be sure to include the hashtag, #VESDEEPWATERHORIZON, in your tweet.)
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Synopsis:
On April 20th, 2010, one of the world’s largest man-made disasters occurred on the Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico. Directed by Peter Berg (LONE SURVIVOR), this story honors the brave men and women whose heroism would save many on board, and change everyone’s lives forever. Click here to watch the trailer
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Sony Pictures’ SAUSAGE PARTY
Please RSVP at the link below
Tuesday, September 6, 2016 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES London members are invited to London ACM Siggraph’s Tech Talks 2016
London ACM SIGGRAPH is organising the second annual TECHTALKS in association with Double Negative, sponsored by Autodesk.
This is a two-day conference designed as a post-SIGGRAPH 2016 Conference recap for London.
The Talks will take place at the “Princess Anne Theatre” at BAFTA 195 Piccadilly Street, while the “David-Lean Room” will be hosting recruitment and exhibitor booths.
VES London members are invited to London ACM Siggraph’s Tech Talks 2016
London ACM SIGGRAPH is organising the second annual TECHTALKS in association with Double Negative, sponsored by Autodesk.
This is a two-day conference designed as a post-SIGGRAPH 2016 Conference recap for London.
The Talks will take place at the “Princess Anne Theatre” at BAFTA 195 Piccadilly Street, while the “David-Lean Room” will be hosting recruitment and exhibitor booths.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Universal Pictures’ JASON BOURNE
Please RSVP below
(RSVPs close at 5:00PM on Thursday, August 11) Monday, August 15, 2016 at 6:30PM
NBC/Universal Screening Room
(Closest tube station: Tottenham Court Road)
1 Central St. Giles, St. Giles High Street, London, WC2H 8NU Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of Warner Bros. Pictures’ SUICIDE SQUAD
Please RSVP at the link below
Tuesday, August 9, 2016 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of 20th Century Fox’s ICE AGE: COLLISION COURSE
Click here to RSVP
Monday, August 8, 2016 at 7:00PM
Framestore 19-23 Wells Street, London W1T 3PQ
(Closest tube station, Oxford Circus) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of Paramount Pictures’ STAR TREK BEYOND
Please RSVP at the link below
Monday, August 1, 2016 at 7:00PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 2D Screening of Pixar Animation Studios’ and Walt Disney Pictures’ FINDING DORY
VES members login to RSVP below Friday, July 1, 2016 at 7:00PM
Soho Hotel’s Theater #1
4 Richmond Mews, London W1D 3EH Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 2D Screening of Pixar Animation Studios’ and Walt Disney Pictures’ FINDING DORY
VES members login to RSVP below Friday, July 1, 2016 at 7:00PM
Soho Hotel’s Theater #1
4 Richmond Mews, London W1D 3EH Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
The last Wednesday of the month approaches and it’s time once more for the VES London Pub Night!
Once again, we invite VES members, friends and everyone interested to a fun evening at the pub. Come join the VES London Board and other visual effects professionals for some good conversation, a beverage or two, and new contacts. We have the cozy upstairs room at the Nellie Dean to ourselves, complete with a private bar!
As always, this is open to everyone, no need to RSVP, so bring your friends.
Feeling peckish? The Nellie serves gourmet award-winning pies from Pieminister! We’ll have dining tables set up upstairs for those who wish to partake.
The last Wednesday of the month approaches and it’s time once more for the VES London Pub Night!
Once again, we invite VES members, friends and everyone interested to a fun evening at the pub. Come join the VES London Board and other visual effects professionals for some good conversation, a beverage or two, and new contacts. We have the cozy upstairs room at the Nellie Dean to ourselves, complete with a private bar!
As always, this is open to everyone, no need to RSVP, so bring your friends.
Feeling peckish? The Nellie serves gourmet award-winning pies from Pieminister! We’ll have dining tables set up upstairs for those who wish to partake.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of 20th Century Fox’s X-MEN: APOCALYPSE
Please RSVP at the link below
Tuesday, June 7, 2016 at 7:15PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of 20th Century Fox’s X-MEN: APOCALYPSE
Please RSVP at the link below
Tuesday, June 7, 2016 at 7:15PM
The Basement Screening Room at MPC 127 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 0NL
(Closest tube station, Tottenham Court Road) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
The last Wednesday of the month approaches and it’s time once more for the VES London Pub Night!
Once again, we invite VES members, friends and everyone interested to a fun evening at the pub. Come join the VES London Board and other visual effects professionals for some good conversation, a beverage or two, and new contacts. We have the cozy upstairs room at the Nellie Dean to ourselves, complete with a private bar!
As always, this is open to everyone, no need to RSVP, so bring your friends.
Feeling peckish? The Nellie serves gourmet award-winning pies from Pieminister! We’ll have dining tables set up upstairs for those who wish to partake.
The last Wednesday of the month approaches and it’s time once more for the VES London Pub Night!
Once again, we invite VES members, friends and everyone interested to a fun evening at the pub. Come join the VES London Board and other visual effects professionals for some good conversation, a beverage or two, and new contacts. We have the cozy upstairs room at the Nellie Dean to ourselves, complete with a private bar!
As always, this is open to everyone, no need to RSVP, so bring your friends.
Feeling peckish? The Nellie serves gourmet award-winning pies from Pieminister! We’ll have dining tables set up upstairs for those who wish to partake.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ and Marvel Studios’ CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR
VES members login to RSVP below Tuesday, May 17, 2016 at 7:00PM
Soho Hotel’s Theater #1
4 Richmond Mews, London W1D 3EH Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ THE JUNGLE BOOK followed by a Q&A with MPC’s Visual Effects Supervisor Adam Valdez.
VES members login to RSVP below Tuesday, May 3, 2016 at 7:00PM
Soho Hotel’s Theater #1
4 Richmond Mews, London W1D 3EH Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ THE JUNGLE BOOK followed by a Q&A with MPC’s Visual Effects Supervisor Adam Valdez.
VES members login to RSVP below Tuesday, May 3, 2016 at 7:00PM
Soho Hotel’s Theater #1
4 Richmond Mews, London W1D 3EH Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
The last Wednesday of the month approaches and it’s time once more for the VES London Pub Night!
Once again, we invite VES members, friends and everyone interested to a fun evening at the pub. Come join the VES London Board and other visual effects professionals for some good conversation, a beverage or two, and new contacts. We have the cozy upstairs room at the Nellie Dean to ourselves, complete with a private bar!
Don’t miss our popular Killer darts game. The winner goes home with a bottle of single malt whisky!
As always, this is open to everyone, no need to RSVP, so bring your friends.
Feeling peckish? The Nellie serves gourmet award-winning pies from Pieminister! We’ll have dining tables set up upstairs for those who wish to partake.
The VES London Pub Night
Wednesday, 27 April 2016
7 pm ’til late
The Nellie Dean
in the private upstairs lounge
89 Dean Street
London W1D 3SU
The last Wednesday of the month approaches and it’s time once more for the VES London Pub Night!
Once again, we invite VES members, friends and everyone interested to a fun evening at the pub. Come join the VES London Board and other visual effects professionals for some good conversation, a beverage or two, and new contacts. We have the cozy upstairs room at the Nellie Dean to ourselves, complete with a private bar!
Don’t miss our popular Killer darts game. The winner takes home a bottle of single malt whisky!
As always, this is open to everyone, no need to RSVP, so bring your friends.
Feeling peckish? The Nellie serves gourmet award-winning pies from Pieminister! We’ll have dining tables set up upstairs for those who wish to partake.
The last Wednesday of the month approaches and it’s time once more for the VES London Pub Night!
Once again, we invite VES members, friends and everyone interested to a fun evening at the pub. Come join the VES London Board and other visual effects professionals for some good conversation, a beverage or two, and new contacts. We have the cozy upstairs room at the Nellie Dean to ourselves, complete with a private bar!
Don’t miss our popular Killer darts game. The winner goes home with a bottle of single malt whisky!
As always, this is open to everyone, no need to RSVP, so bring your friends.
Feeling peckish? The Nellie serves gourmet award-winning pies from Pieminister! We’ll have dining tables set up upstairs for those who wish to partake.
The VES London Pub Night
Wednesday, 27 April 2016
7 pm ’til late
The Nellie Dean
in the private upstairs lounge
89 Dean Street
London W1D 3SU
The last Wednesday of the month approaches and it’s time once more for the VES London Pub Night!
Once again, we invite VES members, friends and everyone interested to a fun evening at the pub. Come join the VES London Board and other visual effects professionals for some good conversation, a beverage or two, and new contacts. We have the cozy upstairs room at the Nellie Dean to ourselves, complete with a private bar!
Don’t miss our popular Killer darts game. The winner takes home a bottle of single malt whisky!
As always, this is open to everyone, no need to RSVP, so bring your friends.
Feeling peckish? The Nellie serves gourmet award-winning pies from Pieminister! We’ll have dining tables set up upstairs for those who wish to partake.
The last Wednesday of the month approaches and it’s time once more for the VES London Pub Night!
Once again, we invite VES members, friends and everyone interested to a fun evening at the pub. Come join the VES London Board and other visual effects professionals for some good conversation, a beverage or two, and new contacts. We have the cozy upstairs room at the Nellie Dean to ourselves, complete with a private bar!
Don’t miss our popular Killer darts game. Last January, winning dartist Janis killed the competition and took home a bottle of single malt whisky!
As always, this is open to everyone, no need to RSVP, so bring your friends.
Feeling peckish? The Nellie serves gourmet award-winning pies from Pieminister! We’ll have dining tables set up upstairs for those who wish to partake.
The last Wednesday of the month approaches and it’s time once more for the VES London Pub Night!
Once again, we invite VES members, friends and everyone interested to a fun evening at the pub. Come join the VES London Board and other visual effects professionals for some good conversation, a beverage or two, and new contacts. We have the cozy upstairs room at the Nellie Dean to ourselves, complete with a private bar!
Don’t miss our popular Killer darts game. Last January, winning dartist Janis killed the competition and took home a bottle of single malt whisky!
As always, this is open to everyone, no need to RSVP, so bring your friends.
Feeling peckish? The Nellie serves gourmet award-winning pies from Pieminister! We’ll have dining tables set up upstairs for those who wish to partake.
The London Section of the Visual Effects Society is delighted to invite you to the inaugural UK Visual Effects Society Awards celebration to recognise exceptional artistry in the fields of visual effects and filmed entertainment.
Acclaimed visual effects supervisor Steve Begg will receive the Vanguard Award for Leadership and the Advancement of Visual Effects in the UK. Distinguished actor Jim Broadbent will receive the Inspiration Award for promoting awareness of visual effects through his body of work. Highlights of the 14th Annual VES Awards held in Los Angeles will also be shown.
To give the event a breath of fresh air, the incredible team at Totally Top Hat are creating a magical fantasy night inspired by films like Labyrinth & The Dark Crystal. Dress is Fantasy Formal taking inspiration from the Labyrinth ballroom scene. Food will involve a uniquely-designed menu befitting our theme for the night. International sensation Inga Liljeström will be providing musical entertainment and our creative performance team will be injecting extra doses of fun, imagination and originality as guests enter and make their way up to the event space.
As you can see this event will be like no other and sure to kick off the UK VES Awards for years to come with an unforgettable and memorable inaugural evening!
Tickets are limited so please purchase ASAP to avoid disappointment!
Please purchase tickets below. (VES members must login in order to access the link.)
How do I get to the Tate Modern? What entrance should I use once I’m there? There are very specific instructions provided by Tate to access this event. Please click here to read.
What is the dress code? This is a formal event, but if you feel inspired, our theme is Fantasy Formal taking inspiration from the Labyrinth ballroom scene.
Is my ticket refundable? Please note all ticket sales are final.
Is my ticket transferable? Please contact us using the link below. We may be able to accommodate.
The London Section of the Visual Effects Society is delighted to invite you to the inaugural UK Visual Effects Society Awards celebration to recognise exceptional artistry in the fields of visual effects and filmed entertainment.
Acclaimed visual effects supervisor Steve Begg will receive the Vanguard Award for Leadership and the Advancement of Visual Effects in the UK. Distinguished actor Jim Broadbent will receive the Inspiration Award for promoting awareness of visual effects through his body of work. Highlights of the 14th Annual VES Awards held in Los Angeles will also be shown.
To give the event a breath of fresh air, the incredible team at Totally Top Hat are creating a magical fantasy night inspired by films like Labyrinth & The Dark Crystal. Dress is Fantasy Formal taking inspiration from the Labyrinth ballroom scene. Food will involve a uniquely-designed menu befitting our theme for the night. International sensation Inga Liljeström will be providing musical entertainment and our creative performance team will be injecting extra doses of fun, imagination and originality as guests enter and make their way up to the event space.
As you can see this event will be like no other and sure to kick off the UK VES Awards for years to come with an unforgettable and memorable inaugural evening!
Tickets are limited so please purchase ASAP to avoid disappointment!
Please purchase tickets below. (VES members must login in order to access the link.)
How do I get to the Tate Modern? What entrance should I use once I’m there? There are very specific instructions provided by Tate to access this event. Please click here to read.
What is the dress code? This is a formal event, but if you feel inspired, our theme is Fantasy Formal taking inspiration from the Labyrinth ballroom scene.
Is my ticket refundable? Please note all ticket sales are final.
Is my ticket transferable? Please contact us using the link below. We may be able to accommodate.
The first ever VES Pub Night in DUBLIN is on Thursday, 10/3 at the South William!
If you’re curious about the VES, or want to mingle with VFX professionals in your area, come meet Irish VES London Board Member Ed Bruce to learn about becoming a member.
The first ever VES Pub Night in DUBLIN is on Thursday, 10/3 at the South William!
If you’re curious about the VES, or want to mingle with VFX professionals in your area, come meet Irish VES London Board Member Ed Bruce to learn about becoming a member.
The Visual Effects Society London Section invites all members and a guest to a screening of award-winning Canadian-British-Irish drama Room, directed by Lenny Abrahamson and written by Emma Donoghue, based on her novel of the same name. The film stars Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Joan Allen, Sean Bridgers, and William H. Macy. Featuring visual effects by Screen Scene, Dublin.
Thursday, 10th March 2016
6:30 pm: Doors and drinks
7:00 pm: Programme starts
The Moving Picture Company
127 Wardour St
London, W1F 0NL
In addition, we’re excited to be showing two short films just before the feature to honour the careers of two actors who sadly passed away recently from cancer: David Bowie and Alan Rickman.
Both feature a compelling visual effects component.
First up is Blackstar (dir. Renck), then Dust (dirs. Ockrent & Russell). Dust will be followed by a live Q&A with the filmmakers.
London VES Members and a Guest are Invited to a Screening of Paramount Pictures’ ZOOLANDER 2
Please RSVP below
Wednesday, March 9, 2016 at 7:00PM
Molinare Screening Room
34 Fouberts Place, London, W1F 7PX Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and a Guest are Invited to a Screening of Paramount Pictures’ ZOOLANDER 2
Please RSVP below
Wednesday, March 9, 2016 at 7:00PM
Molinare Screening Room
34 Fouberts Place, London, W1F 7PX Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of 20th Century Fox’s DEADPOOL
Click here to RSVP
Monday, March 7, 2016 at 7:00PM
(Join us for drinks from 6:30PM.)
Framestore 19-23 Wells Street, London W1T 3PQ
(Closest tube station, Oxford Circus) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of 20th Century Fox’s DEADPOOL
Click here to RSVP
Monday, March 7, 2016 at 7:00PM
(Join us for drinks from 6:30PM.)
Framestore 19-23 Wells Street, London W1T 3PQ
(Closest tube station, Oxford Circus) Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
With this year’s membership application deadline fast approaching, we would like to invite all VES members and their colleagues to a membership social.
Instead of this month’s Pub Night, we’ll be at The Visual Effects Company on Warren Street. Drinks are on us!
If you have any friends or colleagues with at least five years of experience in the VFX industry, please invite them over. We’ll show what the society is all about and how they can join.
Of course, the VES is defined by you, the members. Even if you’re not bringing anyone along, please do come by and show everyone who we are. It’ll be a great chance to catch up with fellow members, and to meet new people from all areas of the industry.
With this year’s membership application deadline fast approaching, we would like to invite all VES members and their colleagues to a membership social.
Instead of this month’s Pub Night, we’ll be at The Visual Effects Company on Warren Street. Drinks are on us!
If you have any friends or colleagues with at least five years of experience in the VFX industry, please invite them over. We’ll show what the society is all about and how they can join.
Of course, the VES is defined by you, the members. Even if you’re not bringing anyone along, please do come by and show everyone who we are. It’ll be a great chance to catch up with fellow members, and to meet new people from all areas of the industry.
VES Members and a Guest are Invited to a Special Commemorative Screening of Lucasfilm’s, the Jim Henson Company’s and TriStar Pictures’ LABYRINTH followed by a Q&A with the Filmmakers.
Panelists will include Art Director Terry Ackland-Snow, Storyboard Artist Martin Asbury, Matte Photographer Martin Body, Animator Peter Chiang, Rotoscoping Artist Peter Field, Camera Operator Tim Field and Tim Walton with moderation by VES London Board-member Gavin Graham.
Sunday, January 31, 2016 at 3:25PM
Prince Charles Cinema
7 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BY London, United Kingdom Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Members and a Guest are Invited to a Special Commemorative Screening of Lucasfilm’s, the Jim Henson Company’s and TriStar Pictures’ LABYRINTH followed by a Q&A with the Filmmakers.
Panelists will include Art Director Terry Ackland-Snow, Storyboard Artist Martin Asbury, Matte Photographer Martin Body, Animator Peter Chiang, Rotoscoping Artist Peter Field, Camera Operator Tim Field and Tim Walton with moderation by VES London Board-member Gavin Graham.
Sunday, January 31, 2016 at 3:25PM
Prince Charles Cinema
7 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BY London, United Kingdom Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Once again, we invite VES members, friends and everyone interested to a fun evening at the pub. Come join the VES London Board and other visual effects professionals for some good conversation, a beverage or two, and new contacts. We have the cozy upstairs room at the Nellie Dean to ourselves, complete with a private bar!
This year, we’re excited to bring back our popular Killer darts game. A bottle of single malt whisky awaits the winner!
As always, this is open to everyone, no need to RSVP, so bring your friends.
Feeling peckish? The Nellie serves gourmet award-winning pies from Pieminister! We’ll have dining tables set up upstairs for those who wish to partake.
Once again, we invite VES members, friends and everyone interested to a fun evening at the pub. Come join the VES London Board and other visual effects professionals for some good conversation, a beverage or two, and new contacts. We have the cozy upstairs room at the Nellie Dean to ourselves, complete with a private bar!
This year, we’re excited to bring back our popular Killer darts game. A bottle of single malt whisky awaits the winner!
As always, this is open to everyone, no need to RSVP, so bring your friends.
Feeling peckish? The Nellie serves gourmet award-winning pies from Pieminister! We’ll have dining tables set up upstairs for those who wish to partake.
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS
Click here to RSVP Friday, January 22, 2016, drinks at 4:30pm, film at 7:00PM
Cineworld Dublin
The Parnell Centre, Parnell St., Dublin 1, Ireland Click here for a map
A big thank you to our sponsors Autodesk and eurotek, who are generously providing pre-screening drinks and food.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS
Click here to RSVP Friday, January 22, 2016, drinks at 4:30pm, film at 7:00PM
Cineworld Dublin
The Parnell Centre, Parnell St., Dublin 1, Ireland Click here for a map
A big thank you to our sponsors Autodesk and eurotek, who are generously providing pre-screening drinks and food.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members And Their Guests Are Invited To A 70mm IMAX Film Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS, plus a Q&A with the visual effects team.
Panelists will include Visual Effects Supervisors Roger Guyett and Pat Tubach, Special Effects Supervisor Chris Corbould and Creature Effects Supervisor Neal Scanlan with moderation by VES Chair Mike Chambers. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please tweet your questions after the screening in order to participate in the Q&A panel (which will take place in Los Angeles) immediately following the screening. (be sure to include the hashtag, #VESSTARWARS, in your tweet.)
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
London VES Members And Their Guests Are Invited To A 70mm IMAX Film Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS, plus a Q&A with the visual effects team.
Panelists will include Visual Effects Supervisors Roger Guyett and Pat Tubach, Special Effects Supervisor Chris Corbould and Creature Effects Supervisor Neal Scanlan with moderation by VES Chair Mike Chambers. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please tweet your questions after the screening in order to participate in the Q&A panel (which will take place in Los Angeles) immediately following the screening. (be sure to include the hashtag, #VESSTARWARS, in your tweet.)
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
We’ve got a magical VES holiday party planned with all the necessary ingredients: food, drinks, decorations, prizes, super surprises and special secrets. We will be returning to the fabulous and unique venue from last year, a Grade I listed Georgian mansion in a very exclusive Central London address. The only thing we’re still missing is you and your guest!
VES Members and Their Guests in London are Invited to a Pre-Release Screening of Disney’s and Pixar’s THE GOOD DINOSAUR followed by a Q&A with Director Peter Sohn and Producer Denise Ream
A Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures release of a Disney presentation of a Pixar Animation Studios production. Produced by Denise Ream. Executive producers, John Lasseter, Lee Unkrich, Andrew Stanton. Directed by Peter Sohn. Screenplay by Meg LeFauve; story by Peter Sohn, Erik Benson, Meg LeFauve, Kelsey Mann, Bob Peterson; Director of PhotographySharon Calahan, Mahyar Abousaeedi; Editor Stephen Schaffeer; Music by Mychael Danna, Jeff Danna; Character art director, Matt Nolte; Sets art directors, Noah Klocek, Huy Nguyen; Effects supervisor, Jon Reisch; Sound designer, Craig Berkey; supervising sound editor, Shannon Mills; re-recording mixers, Michael Semanick, Tom Johnson; Casting, Kevin Reher, Natalie Lyon.
Voice cast:
Jeffrey Wright, Frances McDormand, Maleah Padilla, Ryan Teeple, Jack McGraw, Marcus Scribner, Raymond Ochoa, Jack Bright, Peter Sohn, Steve Zahn, Mandy Freund, Steven Clay Hunter, A.J. Buckley, Anna Paquin, Sam Elliott, Dave Boat, Carrie Paff, Calum Mackenzie Grant, John Ratzenberger.
VES Members and Their Guests in London are Invited to a Pre-Release Screening of Disney’s and Pixar’s THE GOOD DINOSAUR followed by a Q&A with Director Peter Sohn and Producer Denise Ream
A Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures release of a Disney presentation of a Pixar Animation Studios production. Produced by Denise Ream. Executive producers, John Lasseter, Lee Unkrich, Andrew Stanton. Directed by Peter Sohn. Screenplay by Meg LeFauve; story by Peter Sohn, Erik Benson, Meg LeFauve, Kelsey Mann, Bob Peterson; Director of PhotographySharon Calahan, Mahyar Abousaeedi; Editor Stephen Schaffeer; Music by Mychael Danna, Jeff Danna; Character art director, Matt Nolte; Sets art directors, Noah Klocek, Huy Nguyen; Effects supervisor, Jon Reisch; Sound designer, Craig Berkey; supervising sound editor, Shannon Mills; re-recording mixers, Michael Semanick, Tom Johnson; Casting, Kevin Reher, Natalie Lyon.
Voice cast:
Jeffrey Wright, Frances McDormand, Maleah Padilla, Ryan Teeple, Jack McGraw, Marcus Scribner, Raymond Ochoa, Jack Bright, Peter Sohn, Steve Zahn, Mandy Freund, Steven Clay Hunter, A.J. Buckley, Anna Paquin, Sam Elliott, Dave Boat, Carrie Paff, Calum Mackenzie Grant, John Ratzenberger.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Members and a Guest are Invited to an IMAX® 3D Screening of Sony Pictures Releasing UK’s THE WALK, Followed by a Q&A with the Director.
Panelists will include Director Robert Zemeckis. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Click here to RSVP
Thursday, October 1, 2015 at 7:00PM
(Doors open at 6:30PM)
Empire Leicester Square
5-6 Leicester Square, London WC2H 7NA Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Directed by Robert Zemeckis
Screenplay by Robert Zemeckis & Christopher Browne
Based on the book “To Reach the Clouds” By Philippe Petit
Produced by Steve Starkey, p.g.a., Robert Zemeckis, p.g.a., Jack Rapke, p.g.a.
Executive Producers Cherylanne Martin, Jacqueline Levine, Ben Waisbren
Director of Photography Dariusz Wolski, ASC
Production Designer Naomi Shohan
Edited by Jeremiah O’Driscoll
Visual Effects Supervisor Kevin Baillie
Music by Alan Silvestri
Sound Designer/Re-recording Mixer Randy Thom
Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ben Kingsley, Charlotte Le Bon, James Badge Dale
Synopsis: THE WALK – Twelve people have walked on the moon. Only one has ever, or will ever, walk in the immense void between the World Trade Center towers.
Philippe Petit (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), guided by his real-life mentor, Papa Rudy (Ben Kingsley), is aided by an unlikely band of international recruits, who overcome long odds, betrayals, dissension and countless close calls to conceive and execute their mad plan. Robert Zemeckis, the master director of such marvels as FORREST GUMP, CAST AWAY, BACK TO THE FUTURE, POLAR EXPRESS and FLIGHT, again uses cutting edge technology in the service of an emotional, character-driven story. With innovative photorealistic techniques and IMAX® 3D wizardry, The Walk is genuine big-screen cinema, a chance for moviegoers to viscerally experience the feeling of reaching the clouds.
It is also one of the rare live-action films that is a PG-rated, all-audience entertainment for moviegoers 8 to 80 – and a triumphant true story to boot. It is unlike anything audiences have seen before, a love letter to Paris and New York City in the 1970s, but most of all, to the towers of the World Trade Center.
VES Members and a Guest are Invited to an IMAX® 3D Screening of Sony Pictures Releasing UK’s THE WALK, Followed by a Q&A with the Director.
Panelists will include Director Robert Zemeckis. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Click here to RSVP
Thursday, October 1, 2015 at 7:00PM
(Doors open at 6:30PM)
Empire Leicester Square
5-6 Leicester Square, London WC2H 7NA Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Directed by Robert Zemeckis
Screenplay by Robert Zemeckis & Christopher Browne
Based on the book “To Reach the Clouds” By Philippe Petit
Produced by Steve Starkey, p.g.a., Robert Zemeckis, p.g.a., Jack Rapke, p.g.a.
Executive Producers Cherylanne Martin, Jacqueline Levine, Ben Waisbren
Director of Photography Dariusz Wolski, ASC
Production Designer Naomi Shohan
Edited by Jeremiah O’Driscoll
Visual Effects Supervisor Kevin Baillie
Music by Alan Silvestri
Sound Designer/Re-recording Mixer Randy Thom
Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ben Kingsley, Charlotte Le Bon, James Badge Dale
Synopsis: THE WALK – Twelve people have walked on the moon. Only one has ever, or will ever, walk in the immense void between the World Trade Center towers.
Philippe Petit (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), guided by his real-life mentor, Papa Rudy (Ben Kingsley), is aided by an unlikely band of international recruits, who overcome long odds, betrayals, dissension and countless close calls to conceive and execute their mad plan. Robert Zemeckis, the master director of such marvels as FORREST GUMP, CAST AWAY, BACK TO THE FUTURE, POLAR EXPRESS and FLIGHT, again uses cutting edge technology in the service of an emotional, character-driven story. With innovative photorealistic techniques and IMAX® 3D wizardry, The Walk is genuine big-screen cinema, a chance for moviegoers to viscerally experience the feeling of reaching the clouds.
It is also one of the rare live-action films that is a PG-rated, all-audience entertainment for moviegoers 8 to 80 – and a triumphant true story to boot. It is unlike anything audiences have seen before, a love letter to Paris and New York City in the 1970s, but most of all, to the towers of the World Trade Center.
We’re nearing the end of September, and a perfect time for another VES London Pub Night at the Nellie Dean!
Every month, we invite VES members, friends and everyone interested to a fun evening at the pub. Come join the VES London Board and other visual effects professionals for some good conversation, a beverage or two, and new contacts. Our lovely bartender Gizela will be happy to serve you the Nellie’s entire drinks selection at our private upstairs bar.
As always, this is open to everyone, no need to RSVP, so bring your friends!
Now that the 18th Annual VES Awards season is underway, we once again invite VES members to participate in our Nomination Panels. The Nomination Event will be held worldwide on January 4, 2020.
.png)
.png)
.png)
