Unlocking an epic new mystery box
1899 has finally hit streaming giant Netflix! Huge congratulations to overall VFX Supe Christian Kaestner for leading our integrated visualisation, virtual production and VFX teams, as well as our talented artists, producers and technologists in MTL, VAN, LDN and MUM for bringing innovative solutions, complex work and brilliant artistry together. The highly anticipated show follows the passengers of the Kerberos on their journey across the vast and treacherous Atlantic Ocean when they encounter the biggest mystery of their lives. If you haven’t seen the trailer yet then make sure to give it a watch below and enter the world of 1899 from the creators of DARK. Early reviews are also coming in hailing the show as an ‘Addictive, Mind-Boggling Mystery’.
Take a trip to a magical new world
Slumberland is now available on Netflix! Congrats to our talented artists in MTL, MUM, and LDN who created standout CG characters (including a *very* special stuffed pig), stunning dreamscapes and epic previs work for this wonderful new adventure.
Ben Zurawski, the artist behind The Flippist, partnered with Netflix to create a custom cartoon flipbook of the bed sequence in Slumberland and it’s stunning!
A special Christmas with The Guardians
We still have to practice patience until we can get our eyes on the work of our MTL, VAN, MUM, MEL, and LDN teams on The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. This however, doesn’t stop James Gunn from hailing the VFX magic behind Groot.
Various critics and cultural pundits have also shared their spoiler-free thoughts on the upcoming holiday special which are very positive! Congratulations to everyone involved – this one will be a Christmas hit! Find some selected reactions below.
The Gift that keeps on giving
Feel-good work for Heathrow Airport as Framestore teams up with St Luke’s and director Molly Burdett to share a story about that special feeling of being with your loved ones over the festive holidays. The campaign also received 5 stars from David Reviews. Congrats to the team behind this wonderful spot!
United States Marine Corps
Executive Creative Director Murray Butler directs an action-packed spot for the United States Marine Corps to highlight the adaptable nature of their skills and mindset in the face of unpredictable, unrelenting global threats. Our NY team worked alongside Wunderman Thompson to conceptualise many of the visual elements during the pitch phase which Butler brilliantly balanced with portraits of the Marines themselves throughout.
Chase Sapphire
Our NY and CHI studios joined forces with Droga5 to bend the rules of reality and share the sense of the magic that comes along with experiencing the Chase Sapphire Reserve card. In addition to enhancing unique practical lighting effects from Fleur Fortuné and Hoyte van Hoytema, the teams used an array of saturated colour combinations, volumetric rendering, and clever refractive techniques to show Michael B. Jordan as he weaves through heightened moments of dining, entertainment and travel, emphasising the feeling of being present.
Awards
THEA Awards
We are thrilled that Jurassic World Adventure at Universal Studios Beijing has received a THEA Award for Outstanding Achievement: Attraction. Working with Universal Creative and the film’s creators, Framestore’s Immersive team created a monumental offering of dinosaur thrills for the attraction, including delivering huge technical feats of sensational immersive sequences which pay homage to the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World universe. Congratulations to everyone involved!
Clio Entertainment Awards
The James Bond Franchise No Time To Die – Title Sequence has won a Silver statue in the Theatrical/Film: Brand & Film Identity Main Title/Credits category at the 2022 Clio Entertainment Awards. This marked the seventh Bond title sequence that Daniel Kleinman and Framestore created together, continuing a 25 year tradition for the creative studio.
BIFA
Massive congratulations are in order for VFX Supe David Simpson and our MUM and LDN teams who worked on Alex Garland’s Men (A24) – their work has won the British Independent Film Awards in the ‘Best Effects’ category!
Press
Variety
Variety reports that The Crown S5 has taken the Netflix throne in this week’s top 10 English TV charts between 7th – 13th November. The show amassed a viewing time of 107.39 million hours following its premiere on November 9th, and is also in the top 10 in 88 countries. Congrats to the whole team!
Collider
One thing EVERYONE wanted to know about His Dark Materials S3 was how the heck the Mulefas were going to be brought to life. This time it’s Collider asking the questions, and showrunners Jane Tranter and Dan McCulloch were on hand to provide the answers – along with a nice hat-tip to overall VFX Supervisor Russ Dodgson. Read the full interview here.
Little Black Book
In this ‘Behind the Work’ article with LBB, the teams that worked on Asda’s show-stopping ad, including Framestore’s Creative Director Kamen Markov, talk about the difficulty of licensing Elf for brand marketing and the technical challenges of fitting Buddy into a modern-day Asda store. Read all about it here.
The Work
Comprising of work that has been entered into Cannes Lions or Eurobest, Executive Creative Director Murray Butler’s Daily Inspiration playlist VFX: Innovation & Impact has been published on The Work, the platform at the heart of LIONS Intelligence.
FRAMED
Gaurav Jadhav, Senior Prep/Paint Artist, MUM
We’re thrilled to introduce you to our Senior Prep/Paint Artist Gaurav Jadhav whose superpower is to remain calm in difficult situations, is a big-time Potterhead and loves being adventurous and trying out new things.
Kelsey Alexopoulos, Production Coordinator, MTL
Meet Production Coordinator Kelsey Alexopoulos who speaks three languages, can knit her own clothes (and yours if you ask nicely) and couldn’t live without a good book.
In other news
Antone Magdy at ZBrush Summit
Lead Facial Modeller Antone Magdy took the main stage at the ZBrush Summit this week, delivering a detailed look at how the software is used to bring some of our fabulous creatures to life. Well done, Antone!
Lighting Social in MTL
The MTL Lighting department went out to the Fitzroy, a bar in MTL where you become a pool or table soccer pro. The team enjoyed a few rounds of drinks and nachos to help round out the year before it got cold!
Growing a Mo
Movember is the leading global organisation and charity committed to changing the face of men’s health as well as an annual event to raise awareness. To support this, many men across the world have taken part in the ‘Growing a Mo’ challenge. Here at Framestore, we also want to shine a light on the amazing tache progress pictures from our various offices (please see below)! If you would like to donate towards this cause please find the link here.
Executive Producer Pete King from our LA office has been a supporter of the Movember movement for seven years. Please take a moment to check out his campaign and donate here, if possible.
Senior Software Developer Adam Alsegard, LDN
Animator Cristian Guerreschi, MEL
Head of FX Nik Slotiuk, VAN
Please remember that our colleagues in the US will enjoy a long bank holiday weekend next week on Thursday, 24th November and Friday, 25th November to celebrate Thanksgiving. That’s it for this week!