VFX/Animation News & Developments for August 2021
  • Thursday, Aug. 5, 2021
Olivia Colman in a scene from "The Crown" (photo courtesy of Netflix)

Framestore Scores Emmy Nominations

Lovecraft Country (HBO/MonkeyPaw Productions) was nominated for an Emmy in the Outstanding Special Visual Effects In A Season Or A Movie category, while The Crown (Netflix) is up for the Outstanding Special Visual Effects In A Single Episode. Framestore had a major hand in both nods.

For Lovecraft Country, Framestore worked closely with the show’s producers and showrunner Misha Green to provide a wide array of VFX work. While designing, building and animating the fearsome Shoggoths serves as the clearest indication of Framestore’s work, the show also required environment builds, digi doubles and FX work, as well as input from Framestore’s in-house art department. 

From the overt to the invisible, Framestore’s work on The Crown helped immerse millions of viewers in the show’s epic fourth season. Nominated for its work across the “Gold Stick” episode, Framestore seamlessly built out the world surrounding the royal family with a number of digital set extensions and replacements (notably the iconic Buckingham Palace exterior) as well as employing innovative “deep fake” techniques to replace an equestrian athlete’s face with that of Erin Doherty (Princess Anne) for a scene that featured a showjumping sequence. 

James Whitlam, Framestore’s managing director-episodic, said, “On the face of it The Crown and Lovecraft Country couldn’t be more different, but they’re ultimately united in their need for seamless, world-class visual effects that help support and propel their storytelling. In a way they showcase the alpha and omega of our work here at Framestore, from otherworldly creatures to impeccable ‘invisible’ VFX, and we couldn’t be prouder to be nominated for Emmys for both titles. A huge congratulations to our clients, to Grant Walker, Andrew Scrase, Oliver Bersey and Standish Millennas for their nominations, and to all the Framestore artists who worked on these shows.” 

In addition to The Crown and Lovecraft Country, Framestore also provided VFX work for Disney+ title WandaVision, which was nominated for the Outstanding Special Visual Effects In A Season Or A Movie category. 

A Time To ReDefine In North America
Global animation and visual effects company ReDefine has expanded its presence in North America with the appointment of visual effects supervisor/producer Eric J. Robertson as executive VP.

Robertson brings three decades of visual effects industry experience to this new position, having worked on-set and in studio both client-side and as a vendor. In his most recent role as executive producer at Digital Domain, Robertson was instrumental in developing the company’s episodic division leading to recent work on shows such as Loki and WandaVision for Marvel/Disney+.

Prior to his time at Digital Domain, Robertson co-founded and ran boutique studio Mr. X Gotham, developing it into a New York mainstay before it was acquired by Technicolor in 2015.

Over the course of his career, Robertson has produced and supervised visual effects for over 150 films and series.  

Robertson said, “ReDefine is on the brink of becoming a major player in the visual effects market. Rohan (Desai, managing director) and his team have done an amazing job building a robust and exciting alternative in a crowded industry, and the teams are delivering great work. With the mature VFX pipeline of DNEG behind it, and the ability to be agile with the work, I see fantastic opportunities ahead and I’m excited to start sharing what this team is capable of.”

ReDefine is currently in production on Clint Eastwood’s Cry Macho for HBO Max and Brian Andrew Mendoza’s Sweet Girl for Netflix. The company has recently delivered VFX services for shows such as The White Tiger (Netflix), The Undoing (HBO) and The 100 (The CW).


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