The Mill has made a creative change within its New York sr. management team, promoting Jeff Lopez and Kevin Ives to serve as its two new heads of 3D.
Lopez and Ives will join forces in leading the New York studio’s award-winning CGI offering, from hand-drawn animation to photo-real creatures and characters.
Lopez has been with the creative studio for a number of years as an animation supervisor, where he has played a key role in managing and mentoring the animation team, as well as bringing The Mill’s highest quality animated characters and creatures to life. Lopez has won accolades for his work with brands such as Norfolk Southern, Electronic Arts and PlayStation.
Ives is a multi-award-winning visual effects supervisor and 3D artist who is credited for his groundbreaking photo-real creatures for PETA, Hallmark and Coca Cola. As an expert in his field, Ives is often paired with high profile directors and big-name brands, who trust him to deliver impeccable character work.
The two creative leads will continue to drive The Mill’s focus and growth in developing world-class visual effects and CGI imagery for brands, agencies and directors.
The Mill’s New York managing director Barry Parkhill commented, “VFX sits at the heart of The Mill, and in appointing Kevin and Jeff to lead our CG team, I am excited by their expansive and ambitious ideas around the rapidly evolving CG landscape. As the profile of creative projects we produce continues to diversify, there has never been a better time to challenge ourselves to set new creative benchmarks, to embrace cutting-edge toolsets, and to explore how we can continue to drive creative and technical innovation in all areas of what we do. As highly regarded artists who champion the talent around them, Jeff and Kevin have earned the respect of their teams and the industry at large and are the perfect duo to take our CG offering to the next level.”
“Heretic” and “Maria” Set As Red Carpet Premieres At AFI Fest
The American Film Institute (AFI) has announced that Heretic, the psychological thriller starring Hugh Grant, and Maria, based on the life of opera singer Maria Callas starring Angelina Jolie, will round out the Red Carpet Premieres section at this year’s AFI Fest. The Heretic Gala Screening will take place on Thursday, October 24, and the Maria Gala Screening will be held on Saturday, October 26. The complete Red Carpet Premieres section includes the world premieres of Music By John Williams, Robert Zemeckis’ Here, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl and Clint Eastwood’s Juror #2. All Red Carpet Premieres will take place at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre. The full lineup for AFI Fest 2024 will be unveiled on October 1.
“At the heart of AFI Fest is an unwavering dedication to celebrating the best in global cinema--together,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI president and CEO. “We look forward to uniting artists and audiences once again to be inspired by the art form in a powerful sense of community.”
Heretic follows two young missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) who are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (portrayed by Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse. The film is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods and produced by Stacey Sher, Beck, Woods, Julia Glausi and Jeanette Volturno. The film will be released nationwide by A24 on November 8.
Directed by Pablo Larraín, Maria presents a tumultuous and beautiful depiction of one of the world’s most renowned artists and reimagines the legendary soprano in her final days in Paris, as Callas (Jolie)... Read More