FLITE for your consideration
Been waiting to catch FLITE? Tim Webber’s directorial debut is now available to watch on our YouTube Channel. The futuristic short is this week’s ‘Short of the Week’ pick. You can read their full review here.
Big shout out to the Framestore team working on the production many of whom stepped into new roles for the first time. Special thanks to Simon Whalley (Producer), Theo Jones (VFX Supervisor), Nestor Prado (Real-Time Supervisor), Francisco Pacheco Beltran (Visualisation Supervisor), James King (Animation Supervisor), Wouter Gilsing (Compositing Supervisor) and Jean-Clément Soret (Colourist Company 3)
Unleash the Furiosa
This week we got our first look at the new Mad Max prequel, Furiosa as Warner Brothers dropped the trailer. Check out the amazing VFX work from the team in MEL, we can’t wait to see this in cinemas starting May 22nd 2024.
The Sweetest Premiere 🍫
Five members of the LDN team were lucky enough to receive golden tickets to this week’s star-studded Wonka premiere and after party – thankfully none of them were Augustus Glooped or Verucca Salted out of either event, despite all the treats on offer.
The hype for this one is through the roof, and we can’t wait to see the incredible, toothsome work courtesy of our LDN, MTL, MUM, FPS and Art Department colleagues when the film has its full release!
The early reactions to Wonka are here, and the consensus is overwhelmingly positive. Film critics and entertainment journalists are calling it whimsical and magical, particularly praising its colourful visuals.
Wonka will be released in the UK on December 8th and globally on December 15th.
Teddy or not, here it comes
The world got its first look at the new Ted TV show this week with the release of the first trailer, beautifully showcasing our MEL studio’s brilliant work.
Fear of God x Adidas Collection is Here
For the launch of the much-anticipated Fear of God Athletics 2023/2024 collection, designed by the FoG team and engineered by Adidas, the brands released a film directed by Framestore Pictures director Ivan Bird, with VFX by our LA office.
Playstation VR2 “Feel a New Real’ is Live
The LDN IA team wrapped on the PlayStation VR2 “Feel a New Real’ ad spot this week, with the ad going live on YouTube, social media and TV. VFX Supervisors, Will Laban and Guy Lubin sent their thanks to the team for their “dedication, persistence and extra hours you put in to make this”.
LBB also shared the new ad calling the spot “epic”.
The GEICO Gecko Meets Leo the Lizard
Continuing our ongoing collaboration with The Martin Agency on the iconic GEICO Gecko, our NY VFX teams, led by Creative Director Andy Rowan-Robinson, brought to life the famous reptile, this time alongside Leo from Netflix’s ‘Leo the Lizard’ (voiced by Adam Sandler) to coincide with the film’s launch.
RITZ presents… The RITZCracker
Our NY VFX teams were tapped to bring a modern (and tasty) take on the classic Nutcracker to life for RITZ’s holiday spot this year.
Press
AWN Deep Dive into Barbie VFX
Barbie’s Production VFX Supervisor, Glen Pratt, sheds light on how VFX was used to create Greta Gerwig’s unique vision in an interview with Animation World Network. The interview sheds lights on the fantastic work done by our teams in MTL, MUM and LDN alongside FPS that made the film so very special.
The Art of VFX in Loki Season 2
Art of VFX interviewed Loki season 2’s overall VFX Supervisor, Chris Townsend this week to explore the stunning visual effects that brought the show to life. Chris talks about the differences from the first season and how Framestore provided comprehensive full-service from FPS to post-vis and visual effects.
Read the full interview to find out more.
HYPEBEAST | Fear of God Athletics
Three years after announcing a partnership, Fear of God x adidas is finally here. Dubbed Fear of God Athletics, or Athletics for short, the collaboration blends founder Jerry Lorenzo‘s penchant for basketball and tailoring, to create a collection that seeks to lift sportswear to new heights.
Events
Celebrating VFX in Australia
Head of Studio in MEL, Lara Hopkins visited the University of South Australia this week as they launched their new Bachelor of Visual Effects degree. Lara presented to students the history of Framestore, the memorable scenes created by the MEL Studio, and the ways students can begin a career in the VFX industry.
Content London
CEO, Film & Episodic, Fiona Walkinshaw joined a panel of industry leaders at this week’s Content London event. Speaking about the increasingly prominent role of VFX in prestige TV and the impact of technologies like AI, LED and game engine tech, the panel addressed a high-level audience of industry execs, producers and creatives.
Dell Technology Forum
Chief Technology Officer, Michael Stein presented at the Dell Technologies Forum this week where he took the audience behind the lens, sharing why it is crucial for any team to embrace emerging technologies to inspire creativity, ideas and innovation.
Broadcast Tech Fest
Earlier this week, our Global Director of Recruitment and Outreach, Amy Smith visited the Broadcast Tech Fest in LDN. Alongside other experts including the UK Screen Alliance and the Clear Cut Group, Amy explored how best practices from other industries can be introduced and questioned how partnerships and collaborations can play a supporting role in training the next generation.
VFX Summit
Present at this year’s VFX Summit in MUM was our MD, India, Akhauri P. Sinha – who along with some other prominent industry figures shared some interesting insights at a panel discussion on “The VFX & Animation Industry in a Globalized World: Trends, Strategies, and Implications”.
[FRAMED]
Meet VAN Lighting Lead, Sarah Johnson, a How to Train Your Dragon fan who would like a personal dimension portal and cannot praise the invention of the toilet enough. Sarah Johnson, you’ve been [FRAMED]
Read the full interview here.
In other news
Framestore Podcast – Episode 33
The Framestore Podcast released another episode this week, our usual host Simon Devereux is taking a look back at some of the best bits of 2023. Part 1 of the Best Bits episodes features clips from every episode this year and insights from the following: Russell Dodgson, Tim Webber, Patricia Llaguno, Ellen Boss, Matt Hughes, Abdou Sako, Jack Grealish, Gabbi Segall, Engy Jarrouj, Suzanne Jandu, Em Hackley, Vicky Osborn, Michelle Waxman, Martin Macrae, Lorna Dumba, Jimi Vaughn, and Raphaelle Weiss!
Listen to all episodes now on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Celebrating Ted
The team in MEL came together to celebrate the completion of Ted – our biggest show ever by shot count! It was the perfect opportunity to unwind, share stories, and bask in the success achieved together.
Comp Supe MUM Visit
Compositing Supervisor, Mauricio Valderrama from VAN visited us at the MUM studio this week. While he was here, he got to spend some quality time with our Compositing team who will be working under his lead for an upcoming show.
World VFX Day
Next Friday is World VFX Day, a new event seeking to shine a light on the brilliant work of VFX artists, animators, producers and technologists all around the world.
The event will see a day-long YouTube stream featuring insights, case studies and info-sharing sessions from a wide range of experts and creatives, and we’re pleased to say that Chief Creative Officer Tim Webber and Director of Global Talent Development Simon Devereux will be taking part in the inaugural event, talking about the use of Unreal for FLITE and ACCESS VFX respectively.
Be sure to tune in, and in the meantime find out more here.
MTL Holiday Laser Tag
After being challenged, MTL’s Layout and Groom have decided to settle their differences on the laser tag battlefield with the addition of a new challenger, the crowd team! Special mention to the MVP of the night and best sniper, Crowd Technical Director, Vladimir Generalov from the crowd team!
LDN Football Frenzy
Another friendly match to warm up for the league. Sadly our LDN team were beaten by Milk VFX 5 – 2 Framestore. But it was only the second game. Hopefully we’ll learn from our mistakes in the rematch in the near future.
MTL Dressed up for the Holidays
The MTL studio has been beautifully decorated for the holidays now with paper snowflakes to complement the winter weather and Christmas trees in the cafe.
That’s all folks!