Framestore NY has launched a film division offering VFX talent and resources to the feature filmmaking community working on the East Coast. The first major project to come out of the new department is Salt, a Columbia Pictures film directed by Phillip Noyce and starring Angelina Jolie. As the lead VFX studio on Salt, Framestore NY worked on 339 shots, blending its VFX and CGI work into the movie. Also coming out of the film division has been work on Clash of the Titans, as well as the upcoming movies Morning Glory and The Smurfs.
The new studio department is benefitting from an infusion of talent from Framestore U.K. Sarah Dowland has been brought aboard as VFX executive producer to set up and develop the film division. In the U.K. she worked on some of the most high profile Framestore UK films including Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and V for Vendetta.
Also new to Framestore NY are VFX supervisor Ivan Moran and CG supervisor Theo Jones. Moran was VFX supervisor on Triangle and at Framestore UK worked as the compositing supervisor on several of the house’s larger features and was instrumental in developing many of the compositing tools used for the underwater sequence on Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as well as for the polar bear work on the Oscar-winning The Golden Compass. Jones meanwhile at Framestore UK led the development of the water pipeline for Wolfgang Petersen’s Troy and worked on Doom before moving on to the development of creature rendering on Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and the ocean simulation on Superman Returns.
“Just as we recognized an opportunity to provide premium VFX/CGI to the East Coast agencies seven years ago, we are now recognizing a demand for top level film VFX/CGI,” said Jon Collins, president of Framestore NY. “I would not have done this if I didn’t feel that I had exactly the right team to bring Framestore’s exacting standards to the New York film department–fortunately in Sarah, Ivan and Theo I have three people who have several years of film experience at Framestore.”
Stars Among Those Who Lost Their Homes In L.A. Area Fires; Jamie Lee Curtis Pledges $1M To Relief Effort
Fires burning in and around Los Angeles have claimed the homes of numerous celebrities, including Billy Crystal, Jeff Bridges, and R&B star Jhené Aiko, and led to sweeping disruptions of entertainment events. Three awards ceremonies planned for this weekend have been postponed. Next week's Oscar nominations have been delayed. And tens of thousands of Angelenos are displaced and awaiting word Thursday on whether their homes survived the flames — some of them the city's most famous denizens. Thousands of structures have been destroyed but damage assessments are just beginning. More than 180,000 people are also under evacuation orders in the metropolitan area, from the Pacific Coast inland to Pasadena, a number that continues to shift as new fires erupt. Late Wednesday, a fire in the Hollywood Hills was scorching the hills near the famed Hollywood Bowl and Dolby Theatre, which is the home of the Academy Awards. That fire had been largely contained without damage to Hollywood landmarks. Here are how the fires are impacting celebrities and the Los Angeles entertainment industry: Stars whose homes have burned in the fires Celebrities like Crystal and his wife, Janice, were sharing memories of the homes they lost. The Crystals lost the home in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood that they lived in for 45 years. "Janice and I lived in our home since 1979. We raised our children and grandchildren here. Every inch of our house was filled with love. Beautiful memories that can't be taken away. We are heartbroken of course but with the love of our children and friends we will get through this," the Crystals wrote in the statement. After her learning her Pacific Palisades home was lost in the fires, Melissa Rivers says she was... Read More