Method Studios, a subsidiary of Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Inc., has significantly expanded its New York presence in order to meet growing demand in the market for high-end visual effects work for feature films and commercials. The company is looking to further tap into the growing number of New York-based features, having already delivered graphics and VFX for such films as The Avengers, Wrath of the Titans and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.
Stuart Robinson, formerly executive producer at Smoke & Mirrors, will be at the helm of Method’s NY operation as exec producer. And Dan Seddon has been promoted to serve as creative director, relocating to the Big Apple from L.A. Also moving over from Method’s L.A. facility to the N.Y. shop are eight other artists.
Method continues to maintain its feature and commercial VFX operations in L.A., NY, Vancouver, London and Sydney.
Robinson brings to Method decades of experience developing and executing technical and creative solutions at major VFX houses in the U.K. and the U.S. He eventually combined those talents with his abilities to collaborate with clients and explain complex procedures in straightforward terms, ultimately supervising the production of many commercial and new media projects from pre-production through to delivery.
Seddon joined Method in Los Angeles as a VFX supervisor in 2009, bringing experience that included award-winning creature creation and other CGI work. Seddon’s work has landed him three Visual Effects Society (VES) Awards and two additional nominations, as well as accolades from BAFTA, Cannes Lions and many others. While at Method in Los Angeles, Seddon has worked on a great many VFX-intensive features, including Let Me In, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” and he led the CG team on Wrath of the Titans.
Director Paul Feig’s “Another Simple Favor,” With Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick, To Open SXSW
"Another Simple Favor," Paul Feig's sequel to his 2018 noir comedy starring Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively, will open the SXSW Film and TV Festival.
Organizers of the Austin, Texas, festival announced Tuesday that the long-awaited "A Simple Flavor" sequel will kick of this year's edition on March 7. The Amazon MGM release plots another twist-filled round of murder and betrayal, with Stephanie Smothers (Kendrick) and Emily Nelson (Lively) heading to an Italy wedding on Capri.
"When we saw this film last fall, we instantly knew it had to open SXSW — it gave us that electric feeling we live for as programmers," said Claudette Godfrey, festival vice president, in a statement.
SXSW has hosted Feig's films before, including a work-in-progress screening of "Bridesmaids" in 2011 and the premiere of "Spy" in 2015.
The premiere of "Another Simple Favor" will be Lively's first new movie since last year's "It Ends With Us" and the subsequent legal drama involving Lively and that film's director and co-star, Justin Baldoni.
In late December, Lively sued Baldoni, his production company and others for sexual harassment and attacks on her reputation and sought unspecified damages. Baldoni sued last month, accusing Lively and her husband, "Deadpool" actor Ryan Reynolds, of defamation and extortion and seeking at least $400 million in damages.
A trial date of March 2026 has been set.
SXSW previously announced another opening night premiere: the upcoming Seth Rogen Hollywood comedy series "The Studio." The film festival, now in its 32nd year, runs March 7-14.
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