Awards season has begun and the noms are rolling in:
Nom-news #1: BAFTA Longlist
We are incredibly proud to share the news that FOUR films have made it through to the prestigious BAFTA Longlist, they are: The Midnight Sky, Wonder Woman 1984, The Secret Garden, and Mulan. A MASSIVE well done to the swarm of talent who worked their butts off on these projects. We’ll keep you in the loop on any updates!
Nom-news #2: Golden Globes
The Crown and Lovecraft Country have been nominated for Best Television Series – Drama. Congratulations to the teams involved on these two outrageously addictive shows (not that we’re biased or anything)
Nom-news #3: Critics Choice
Hats off to academy award-winning VFX Supe Chris Lawrence (LDN) and Anim Supe, Matt Solomon who are on the best VFX nom for The Hollywood Critics Awards for The Midnight Sky.
Nom-news #4: NAACP Image Awards
NAACP are keeping Christmas alive with Netflix’s Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey receiving 10 nominations, closely followed by Lovecraft Country which gained 8 noms. The awards recognise people of colour in TV, music, literature, film and those who promote social justice through creativity. As ever, we’ll keep you updated on any winners!
Super Bowl Sunday
The Super Bowl Sunday hype is most definitely here and with The Buccaneers playing on their home ground it’s bigger than ever – so get your feasts and viewing parties organised for GAMEDAY.
Framestore worked their magic on a number of spots that will air during the game for Toyota, General Motors, Cadillac, State Farm, Rocket Mortgage & Sam Adams, several of which were graded by CO3.
LET THE GAMES BEGIN.
General Motors: No Way, Norway!
YOU WANNA GO? Will Ferrel’s picking a fight with Norway in this super bowl commercial. The team in LA developed VFX methodologies to bring the stars to Scandinavia through extensive environment augmentation, CG container ships, green screen comps, split screens, morphs, 2D elements and effects, animation, lighting, and flame finishing.
Toyota: Upstream
Toyota joins the lineup with an inspiring film that captures the real life struggles of Paralympic swimmer Jessica Long who overcome major obstacles to achieve her dreams.
The LA team was responsible for the entire VFX process, from creative and technical consultation during pre-production, through to on-set supervision and all shot execution. Most scenes were filmed in two parts, separating the set builds from the pool, making it critical to ensure the two worlds aligned. Set and water extensions, combined with extensive relighting experimentation, honed in on the purity of the message and allowed the team to flex their creative muscles.
Wonder Woman 1984
This week we were able to share some behind the scenes images from WW84 online and across our socials.
Sky Cinema
The team delivered VFX for this new Sky Cinema spot, featuring an enthusiastic Idris.
Press
Animation Magazine chat to Tim Story, director of the most loved frenemy-duo: Tom and Jerry. The article features Michael Eames, Global Head of Animation, Film. Check out the piece here.
Black History Month
February marks Black History Month in Canada and the U.S. It not only challenges racism but also aims to break down it’s barriers and prejudice. We’ll be providing further reading, watching, listening and events each week in the round up to raise awareness of Black History so please send us any recommendations you would like to share.
Watch
How It Feels To Be Free
A documentary that tells the inspiring story of how six iconic African American women entertainers – Lena Horne, Abbey Lincoln, Nina Simone, Diahann Carroll, Cicely Tyson, and Pam Grier – challenged an entertainment industry deeply complicit in perpetuating racist stereotypes and transformed themselves and their audiences in the process.
ArtNews takes a look at new ‘Black Art’ documentary, a moving tribute to Art Historian David C. Driskell.
Books
All Blood Runs Red: The Legendary Life of Eugene Bullard-Boxer, Pilot, Soldier, Spy by Phil Keith with Tom Clavin.
The incredible story of the first African American military pilot, who went on to become a Paris nightclub impresario, a spy in the French Resistance, and an American civil rights pioneer
Podcasts
NoireHistoir
Black history and literature from a Noire perspective. Noire Histoir features Black history facts, literature, and motivational stories from across the Black diaspora. Join Natasha McEachron, to celebrate Black pride, excellence, and power all 366 days of the year.
Events
28 Days of Black History
A virtual exhibition of 28 works that celebrate Black legacy in the U.S.
Framestore Events
Darling Shear Presents: Jazz Dance
Thursday 11th February, 14:00 (CST) 20:00 (GMT)
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86778247399
A classical American art form started by the black community showcased in film from the 1920s through the early ’70s, jazz dance captures the nuances and experiences of black expression.
XVFX and Framestore Forum (Internal)
Thursday 18th February, 17:00 (GMT)
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83429649909
Social Equity Town Hall (Internal)
Monday 22nd February, 16:30 (GMT)
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85161356800
Global Wellbeing Month
After the difficulties we’ve faced, take some time to think of your own mental and physical wellbeing. The HR team have planned an impressive and diverse number of activities for us this month to encourage us to get out of our daily bubble.
“It’s February and after almost a year of social restrictions and working from home, we’re tired and growing impatient for life to get back to normal. More than ever, it’s important to be mindful of our mental wellbeing so we can get through this last leg of the winter and the pandemic. Self-care in all its forms is so important these days. Whether it’s spending time outside every day and getting a little sun, or taking a zoom class – no gesture is too small or insignificant. The HR team has planned an impressive and diverse number of activities for us this month to encourage us to get out of our daily bubble! I do hope you will take advantage of the classes or are inspired to add something new to your routine!
xoxo Chloe“
In Other News
Army of the Dead
Still to be confirmed by Netflix, but rumour has it we’ll be seeing Army of the Dead on our screens this May. Read more here.
Moonfall
Fans of Michael Peña (Starring in Tom and Jerry) will be glad to see that he’s also starring in upcoming film Moonfall
It’s all fun and games
Overwatch Tournament
Calling all Framestore gamers… A few brave souls are organising the Overwatch tournament’s 2nd Edition, which will be a sibling rivalry between employees in Canada and the U.S.
Choose to build your own team of 6 or join our adventure as an individual player and you’ll be placed in a team of merciless warriors. Sign-up here to join the action.
Key dates
Deadline for players/teams to register: 26th February
Tournament start date: 15th March
Find new members for your team or connect with other players by chatting on our Discord server. Or please fill the form here to lend a hand organising the tournament, record and/or comment on live games!
Checkmate
Take part in an epic Framestore Chess battle. Due to the long hours that separate us all, the tournament will be divided into 2 groups: Europe (UK, India) & North America (Canada & US). Once we have the last standing players on each side, we will then merge for the final games.
Fancy it? Join the battle or help organise the events by signing up here.
That’s it for this week, see you next time.
framestore.life 