Visual effects studio KEVIN, launched in September by Tim Davies, Sue Troyan and Darcy Parsons, has expanded its talent base, hiring Mike Dalzell as head of CG, Theo Maniatis as VFX supervisor and Carl Loeffler as head of technology.
Dalzell brings years of experience as a CG supervisor and lead artist—beginning as a 3D generalist, then focusing on look development and lighting—at studios ranging from Digital Domain, MPC and Psyop, to The Mill, Sony Imageworks and Method. He was instrumental in look dev for the Emmy Award-winning Coca-Cola “Heist;” VFX Gold Clio and British Arrow winner “Seize Glory” for Call of Duty, and GE’s “Childlike Imagination,” honored with a D&AD Pencil in VFX. He has also worked on commercials for Nissan, BMW, Lexus, Visa, Cars.com, Air Force and many others. He honed his skills on music videos in Toronto, and then on feature films such as Iron Man 3 and The Matrix movies—all Academy Award and BAFTA nominated for VFX, as well as The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which won an Oscar and BAFTA for VFX. Dalzell has already led KEVIN teams for Mullen, W+K, The Martin Agency and Target.
KEVIN VFX supervisor Maniatis, both a Flame Artist and on-set VFX supervisor, has a wide range of experience in the U.S., London and his native Sydney. “Tim [Davies] and I used to work together back in Australia, so reconnecting with him and moving to L.A. has been a blast,” Maniatis said. “Personally knowing Tim’s generosity, professionalism and cheeky sense of humor and Sue’s [Troyan] leadership abilities, I knew immediately that KEVIN was a great place to work.”
Maniatis’ work has been recognized with a breadth of awards including Cannes Gold and Silver Lions, Clio and Promax honors, and an Emmy for Coca-Cola’s “Happiness Factory.” His craftsmanship emerges in atmospheric spots for Apple Watch 3 + Apple Music’s “Roll” (directed by Sam Brown), TAG Heuer’s “To Jack” (directed by and featuring Patrick Dempsey), Destiny 2’s “Rally the Troops” and Titanfall 2’s “Become One” (created by Blur Studios), and PlayStation VR “Batman Arkham” and Axe “Office Love,” both directed by Filip Engstrom. Prior to joining KEVIN, Maniatis worked with Blur Studios, Psyop, The Mill, Art Jail and Framestore.
Loeffler, KEVIN’s head of technology, is creating the studio’s flexible and efficient production model using the latest Flame systems, high-end 3D workstations and render nodes and putting new networking and storage systems into place. KEVIN’s new Culver City studio will open its doors in Q1, 2018. Loeffler will guide the current growth in both hardware and software, plan for the future and make sure KEVIN’s studio is optimized for the needs of production. He draws from over two decades experience successfully building out and expanding the technologies for some of the largest facilities in Los Angeles including MPC and Technicolor.
KEVIN currently is in a fully operational temp studio in Venice, Calif., and already doing business, turning out commercials for Jaguar, Land Rover, Target and Old Spice, and working on a series of spots for the Super Bowl.
Rom-Com Mainstay Hugh Grant Shifts To The Dark Side and He’s Never Been Happier
After some difficulties connecting to a Zoom, Hugh Grant eventually opts to just phone instead.
"Sorry about that," he apologizes. "Tech hell." Grant is no lover of technology. Smart phones, for example, he calls the "devil's tinderbox."
"I think they're killing us. I hate them," he says. "I go on long holidays from them, three or four days at at time. Marvelous."
Hell, and our proximity to it, is a not unrelated topic to Grant's new film, "Heretic." In it, two young Mormon missionaries (Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher) come knocking on a door they'll soon regret visiting. They're welcomed in by Mr. Reed (Grant), an initially charming man who tests their faith in theological debate, and then, in much worse things.
After decades in romantic comedies, Grant has spent the last few years playing narcissists, weirdos and murders, often to the greatest acclaim of his career. But in "Heretic," a horror thriller from A24, Grant's turn to the dark side reaches a new extreme. The actor who once charmingly stammered in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and who danced to the Pointer Sisters in "Love Actually" is now doing heinous things to young people in a basement.
"It was a challenge," Grant says. "I think human beings need challenges. It makes your beer taste better in the evening if you've climbed a mountain. He was just so wonderfully (expletive)-up."
"Heretic," which opens in theaters Friday, is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, co-writers of "A Quiet Place." In Grant's hands, Mr. Reed is a divinely good baddie — a scholarly creep whose wry monologues pull from a wide range of references, including, fittingly, Radiohead's "Creep."
In an interview, Grant spoke about these and other facets of his character, his journey... Read More