Visual effects and animation studio DNEG has appointed Paul Riddle as executive VFX supervisor of its award-winning TV offering in London, coinciding with the release of a plethora of new productions.
Riddle was part of the original team that set up DNEG (or Double Negative as it was then known) in 1998. He has more than 20 years of experience, working on many of DNEG’s biggest productions. His film credits as VFX supervisor include Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, The Tree of Life, John Carter, Fast and Furious 6 and The Da Vinci Code, for which he received a VES Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects.
More recently, he was overall VFX supervisor on director Francis Lawrence’s Red Sparrow starring Jennifer Lawrence, and supervised the visual effects for the Harry Potter theme park rides “Gringotts Wizarding Bank” and “Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure” for Universal Orlando.
In his new role, Riddle will work closely with the new business team and with TV clients on the creative development of their projects, as well as overseeing the creative management of all London-led TV shows.
DNEG TV, which took home an Emmy last year for its work on the HBO drama Chernobyl, was formed in 2013 to enable TV producers and networks worldwide to access DNEG’s talent, technical innovation and infrastructure through a bespoke TV service.
The team has been working on many major new series releasing in the first half of 2020, including: Star Trek: Picard (CBS), Locke & Key (Netflix), Doctor Who Season 12 (BBC), Sacred Lies: The Singing Bones (Facebook Watch), Altered Carbon Season 2 (Netflix), Devs (Hulu), Westworld Season 3 (HBO), The Letter for the King (Netflix) and Defending Jacob (Apple TV+).
Managing director of DNEG TV, Matt Plummer, said: “Paul has been an integral member of DNEG since its earliest days, and we’re delighted to have him join the TV team. With the increased number of broadcast and streaming services producing high-quality television shows, the demand for first-rate VFX services has never been higher, and Paul’s experience and creative oversight will be invaluable.”
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