Entertainment company Alkemy X has continued the expansion of its visual effects division with the hiring of Sarah Grieshammer as VFX supervisor. Her nearly two decades of experience in visual effects span episodic, feature film and commercial projects. Among Grieshammer’s major credits include films like The Amazing Spider-Man, The Hunger Games and Diary of a Wimpy Kid, as well as series including Stranger Things, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Sleepy Hollow and Your Honor.
Alkemy X president and CEO Justin Wineburgh said, “Sarah’s profound positivity and enthusiasm for the innovative nature of the creative process is reflected in each and every project she works on.” At Alkemy X, Grieshammer reunites with Mark Miller, executive producer, business development.
Grieshammer shared, “To me, visual effects is a unique opportunity to step back and see how all of the puzzle pieces fit together and how the collaboration of the various disciplines come together to form one cohesive piece. I’m thrilled to be a part of the rapid momentum that the VFX department at Alkemy X has been building over the last couple of years. The team has met me with the utmost enthusiasm and optimism, and I am excited to bring the same to my work with our team and clients.”
Ohio-born Grieshammer followed a lifelong passion for the arts to Los Angeles, studying art and animation at California State University, Los Angeles. Her strong sense for motion, color and composition, alongside an inherent technical prowess, gave her a natural professional start in visual effects. Learning the industry through the lens of a compositor allowed her to gain a holistic understanding of the multitude of roles and departments within visual effects studios, using her artistic and technical skillsets to bring all of the disparate elements together to create the final vision. Already harnessing a comprehensive point of view of the strategic approach to visual effects, stepping up to the role of VFX supervisor was an organic move she embraced as an opportunity to continue pushing the boundaries of what her team could deliver for clients. Working as an on-set supervisor allowed her to further deepen her grasp on the end-to-end process, developing an understanding of how she could best serve the creative vision through visual effects.
In the interest of building a more diverse industry for the future, Grieshammer is passionate about mentoring emerging artists in the VFX industry, lending her expertise to broaden the awareness of the multitude of career path opportunities available. Currently based in New Orleans, she also periodically teaches visual effects at Loyola University New Orleans and continues to refine her love of fine art through oil painting.
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