Blumhouse Productions called on VFX Legion to create the visual effects for ‘The Black Phone,’ director Scott Derrickson’s newest horror genre film. Co-written by Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill (‘Sinister,’ ‘Dr. Strange’) and starring Ethan Hawke as the maniacal villain, the chilling tale is an adaptation of Joe Hill’s short story of the same name. Legion, also the primary visual effects vendor for ‘Sinister 2,’ (2015), re-teamed with Derrickson, Cargill, and Blumhouse, delivering over 200 shots for their new psychological thriller, which opened in theatres on June 24th.
Set in suburban Denver, Colorado in 1978, ‘The Black Phone’ is the story of Finney Shaw (Mason Thames), the latest victim of a sadistic serial killer dubbed ‘The Grabber’ (Ethan Hawke). The boy is held captive in a basement where help comes in supernatural form through calls from his kidnappers’ previous victims on a disconnected phone.
SPW Credits
TITLE: ‘The Black Phone’ | GENRE: Horror-Thriller Film | THEATRICAL RELEASE: June 24, 2022
PRODUCTION COMPANIES: Blumhouse Productions, Crooked Highway, Universal Pictures
PRODUCERS: Jason Blum, Scott Derrickson, C. Robert Cargill
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Joe Hill, Ryan Turek, Christopher H. Warner
CO-PRODUCER: Jennifer Scudder
DIRECTOR: Scott Derrickson
CO-WRITERS: Scott Derrickson, C. Robert Cargill
BASED ON SHORT STORY by Joe Hill
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Brett Jutkiewicz
EDITOR: Frédéric Thoraval
VISUAL EFFECTS by VFX Legion LA/BC
SENIOR VISUAL EFFECTS SUPERVISOR / CREATIVE DIRECTOR: James David Hattin
VISUAL EFFECTS PRODUCERS: Nate Smalley, Antonio Gallardo
VISUAL EFECTS PROJECT MANAGER: Dylan Yastremski
VISUAL EFFECTS EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Reid Burns
CG SUPERVISOR: Rommel S. Calderon
ON-SET VFX SUPERVISOR: Kent Johnson
VISUAL EFFECTS COORDINATORS: Joseph Soloway, Mace Al-Hendi
DIGITALCOMPOSITORS: Nick Guth, Adam Kelway, Kate T.C. Lin, Matthias Lowry, John R. McConnell, Lauren Morimoto, Brad Moylan, Eugen Olsen, Rafael Perez, Daniel Keith Raffel
SENIOR ANIMATOR: Sebastian Weber
MATTE PAINTER: Dave Tipper
TRACKING ARTISTS: Ruy Delgado, Michael G. Jackson
CG ARTISTS: Eric Ebling, Bryan Shepperd, Shantel Short, Erik Van Horn, Jonathan D. Feldman, Patricio Harris
Creative Growth, the first organization dedicated to supporting artists with developmental disabilities, has teamed up with creative marketing company, John McNeil Studio to unveil its new brand. Representing 50 years of elevating the work of artists with disabilities within the arts community, Creative Growth’s new brand campaign includes a new identity and logo, new positioning, brand film and a redefined strategy centering on the ‘undeniable voice of art.’
Creative Growth’s evolved brand is at the forefront of a shift towards art that stands for the inherent reveal — the power of artistic expression to bring understanding and connection to us all. The brand’s new expression includes unobtrusive color and design choices that purposely don’t compete with the voice of the artist and instead, serve as a container for the art to have a voice of its own.
Executive Creative Director, Gerald Lewis of John McNeil Studio explains “We needed to create a powerful, distinctive voice for the brand. But, it couldn’t compete with the voice of the artists because in the end, the art has to speak. It had to be simple, honest and genuine, in line with the mission of Creative Growth. Artists will spend 30 years making work, honing their craft and following their voice inside this space. We wanted to celebrate that. So, while the mark, the brand, is simple and honest, it’s also expansive and energetic.”
Kicking off the new brand campaign is a short film capturing the voice of artist William Scott as he walks through downtown Oakland and enters... Read More
