Technicolor’s Academy Award winning VFX studio, Mill Film, will open a new facility in Montréal, Québec with operations starting in the summer of 2018. The announcement comes in the wake of the February launch of Mill Film in Adelaide, Australia, and is an indication of the global expansion of Mill Film.
Mill Film, which received an Academy Award for best visual effects for the movie Gladiator in 2001, will service clients not addressed today by existing Technicolor VFX brands–including MPC Film and Mr. X. Key areas of focus for Mill Film revolve around serving the needs of streaming and episodic content in addition to long form film.
Mill Film also announces the appointment of Lauren McCallum, as global head of Mill Film. Throughout her career, McCallum has been known for leading creative and production talent on numerous features like Blade Runner 2049 and Wonder Woman, as well as her work on the 2017 Oscar-winning The Jungle Book. A highly praised industry specialist in VFX management, McCallum will oversee all aspects of production along with driving operations and strategy.
“We want the brand Mill Film to inspire the next generation of visual effects artists through the commitment we are making to create a diverse, dynamic and driven team; using the latest technologies on ground-breaking work. We are putting talent diversity and inclusion at the heart of Mill Film–it will be in the very fabric of the studio–and we will provide our clients with world class VFX,” said Robin Shenfield, CEO of The Mill.
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