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.
Gene Hackman Died Of Heart Disease; Hantavirus Claimed His Wife’s Life About One Week Prior
Actor Gene Hackman died of heart disease a full week after his wife died from hantavirus in their New Mexico hillside home, likely unaware that she was dead because he was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease, authorities revealed Friday. Both deaths were ruled to be from natural causes, chief medical examiner Dr. Heather Jarrell said alongside state fire and health officials at a news conference. "Mr. Hackman showed evidence of advanced Alzheimer's disease," Jarrell said. "He was in a very poor state of health. He had significant heart disease, and I think ultimately that's what resulted in his death." Authorities didn't suspect foul play after the bodies of Hackman, 95, and Betsy Arakawa, 65, were discovered Feb 26. Immediate tests for carbon monoxide poisoning were negative. Investigators found that the last known communication and activity from Arakawa was Feb. 11 when she visited a pharmacy, pet store and grocery before returning to their gated neighborhood that afternoon, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said Friday. Hackman's pacemaker last showed signs of activity a week later and that he had an abnormal heart rhythm Feb. 18, the day he likely died, Jarrell said. Although there was no reliable way to determine the date and time when both died, all signs point to their deaths coming a week apart, Jarrell said. "It's quite possible he was not aware she was deceased," Jarrell said. Dr. Michael Baden, a former New York City medical examiner, said he believes Hackman was severely impaired due to Alzheimer's disease and unable to deal with his wife's death in the last week of his life. "You are talking about very severe Alzheimer's disease that normal people would be in a nursing home or have a nurse, but she was taking care... Read More