Company:Framestore

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Short description: British animation and visual effects company


Framestore Limited(The)
Industry
Founded17 December 1985; 38 years ago (1985-12-17)
Founders
  • William Sargent
  • Sharon Reed
  • Tim Webber
HeadquartersChancery Lane, London, England
Number of locations
Chicago, Illinois
New York City, New York
Los Angeles, California
Montreal, Quebec
Vancouver, British Columbia
Mumbai, India
Beijing, China
ProductsVisual effects
Post-production
ParentCultural Investment Holdings
SubsidiariesC3M, Company 3
Websiteframestore.com

Framestore Limited(The)[1] is a British animation and visual effects studio based in Chancery Lane in London. Formed in 1986, it acquired and subsequently merged with the Computer Film Company in 1997. Framestore specialises in effects for film, television, video games, and other media. It is the largest production house within Europe, employing roughly 2500 staff — 1000 in London, and 1500 across offices in Chicago , New York City , Los Angeles , Montreal , Vancouver , Mumbai and Beijing.[2][3][4]

History

Foundation

Framestore was founded in 1986 by William Sargent and Sharon Reed, together with three friends.[5] Tim Webber joined Framestore in 1988 and led the company's push into digital film and television, developing Framestore's virtual camera and motion rig systems. In 1992, Mike Milne started the CGI department, adding computer-generated animation to the company's range of facilities.[6]

Merger with CFC

In 1997, Framestore acquired the Computer Film Company, which was one of the UK's first digital film special effects companies, developing technology for digital film scanning, compositing, and output. CFC was founded in London in 1984 by Mike Boudry, Wolfgang Lempp (now CTO at Filmlight) and Neil Harris (Lightworks). CFC's first film was The Fruit Machine, in 1988, which utilised early morphing techniques.[7]

In 2004, Framestore opened their first satellite office in New York City , to focus on advertising.[8] This was followed by another office in Iceland in 2008, which has since been closed and has reopened as a local VFX company, RVX.[9] In 2013 Framestore opened an office in Montreal , followed by another in Los Angeles the same year.[10][11][12] In 2014, it launched a production arm.[13]

Early projects for the company include the delivery of its first feature animation project The Tale of Despereaux with Universal;[14] the completion of Europe's first digital intermediate for the film Chicken Run in 2000;[15] contribution of scenes for the 2009 film Avatar,[16] and the completion as a production project of four British feature films which opened in theatres between during 2009 and 2010.[17]

Acquisition by CIH

In November 2016, Framestore agreed to let the Shanghai-based Cultural Investment Holdings Co acquire 75% of it for £112.50 million.[18] The company worked on projects such as Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Beauty and the Beast, and Paddington 2.[19] In April 2017, Framestore opened a third US location, in Chicago, Illinois.[20]

The company also worked on the 2017 film Darkest Hour directed by Joe Wright, working out of the Montreal facility of Framestore to create historically accurate backdrops for 85 shots in the film, including battle scenes.[21]

The team created around 300 shots for the 2017 film Blade Runner 2049, with Framestore winning a special visual effects award at the 2018 British Academy Film Awards.[22] They have also worked on Black Mirror, creating props such as the 60s-style spaceship in the premiere of the fourth season.[23]

Reception

Framestore has been awarded two Scientific and Technical Academy Awards, and 14 Primetime Emmys. In 2008, Framestore won their first Oscar for Best Visual Effects for the film The Golden Compass; they also won the BAFTA Award for that film the same year. Framestore was also nominated for Oscars in 2009 (The Dark Knight)[24] and again in 2010 (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1).[25]

Tim Webber was the VFX supervisor on Gravity (2013), and the techniques involved in the film realised by Webber and the Framestore team took three years to complete.[26] The team won the best visual effects awards BAFTA Award for Best Special Visual Effects at the 67th British Academy Film Awards, and the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects award at the 86th Academy Awards.[27]

The company then won both the Academy Award [28] and BAFTA [29] for Best Visual Effects in 2018 for its work on Blade Runner 2049.

In advertising the team has also won major awards including Cannes Lions, British Television Advertising Awards, Clios, D&AD and others.[30]

The company's R&D team spun off to create the technology company Filmlight, which in 2010 received four Scientific Academy Awards.[31]

Framestore won the 2020 BAFTA TV Craft Awards for Special, Visual & Graphic Effects for its extensive work on the HBO / BBC series His Dark Materials (TV series).[32]

Advertising and trade characters

Framestore has collaborated with companies and advertising agencies to create trade characters, and also created an attempted photorealistic computer-generated Audrey Hepburn for a Galaxy chocolate advert.[33] A combination of elements including body doubles, motion capture, FACS and rendering software called Arnold were used to mimic the appearance of the actress 20 years after her death. The advert drew press attention both for the cutting-edge technology utilized and the ethical implications of using a person's likeness posthumously for commercial purposes.[34][35][36]

References

  1. ↑ "FRAMESTORE LIMITED(THE) overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK" (in en). 1985-12-17. https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/01972029. 
  2. ↑ "StartUp Grind". Barclays. 27 August 2014. https://www.startupgrind.com/events/details/startup-grind-london-hosted-mike-mcgee-framestore/. 
  3. ↑ "Design Directory". Dexigner. https://www.dexigner.com/directory/cat/Animation/Companies/loc/United-Kingdom. 
  4. ↑ Thomas, Daniel (5 March 2018). "Hollywood's go-to visual effects company". BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-43211126. 
  5. ↑ Kelly, Liam. "Downton Abbey's special effect on Framestore". https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/downton-abbeys-special-effect-on-framestore-0h7fd3w98. 
  6. ↑ "Lifetime Achievement Award". 24 January 2011. https://rts.org.uk/award/rts-craft-and-design-winners-2008. 
  7. ↑ Rickitt, Richard (2000). Special Effects: The History and Technique. London: Virgin Publishing. ISBN:0-8230-7733-0
  8. ↑ Filer, Joey (28 November 2018). "Interview with Framestore President James Razzall". https://reelchicago.com/article/james-razzall/. 
  9. ↑ "Biography of Dadi Einarsson". http://barsvfx.com/rvx-dadi-einarsson/. 
  10. ↑ Kelly, Brendan. "Framestore's visual effects won an Oscar, built a Montreal home base". https://montrealgazette.com/entertainment/framestores-visual-effects-won-an-oscar-built-a-montreal-home-base. 
  11. ↑ Canadienne, Presse. "Visual-effects studio Framestore to add 150 jobs in Montreal". https://montrealgazette.com/business/local-business/visual-effects-studio-framestore-to-add-150-jobs-in-montreal. 
  12. ↑ Christiansen, Mark (30 August 2016). "Framestore Los Angeles". https://blog.frame.io/2016/08/30/crib-framestore-los-angeles/. 
  13. ↑ Dawtrey, Adam (2006-03-13). "Framestore launches prod'n arm" (in en). https://variety.com/2006/film/news/framestore-launches-prod-n-arm-1117939631/. 
  14. ↑ Desowitz, Bill. "Building a Better Mousetrap for 'Despereaux'". https://www.awn.com/animationworld/building-better-mousetrap-despereaux. 
  15. ↑ Bosley, Rachael K.. "A Model Thriller". https://theasc.com/magazine/oct05/curse/page1.html. 
  16. ↑ Frei, Vincent (4 February 2010). "AVATAR: Jonathan Fawkner,VFX Supervisor, Framestore". https://www.artofvfx.com/avatar-jonathan-fawkner-vfx-supervisor-framestore/. 
  17. ↑ McCarthy, Todd (8 September 2008). "Me and Orson Welles". https://variety.com/2008/film/markets-festivals/me-and-orson-welles-1200470866/. 
  18. ↑ Kollewe, Julia (3 November 2016). "Harry Potter special effects firm looks east with sale to China group" (in en-GB). The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/nov/03/framestore-sale-china-group-harry-potter-paddington-doctor-strange. 
  19. ↑ Failes, Ian (3 November 2016). "'Gravity,' 'Dr. Strange' VFX Studio Framestore Bought by Chinese Firm". CartoonBrew. https://www.cartoonbrew.com/vfx/gravity-dr-strange-vfx-studio-framestore-bought-chinese-firm-144472.html. 
  20. ↑ O'Brien, Kyle (27 April 2017). "Framestore opening third US location in Chicago". TheDrum. http://www.thedrum.com/news/2017/04/27/framestore-opening-third-us-location-chicago. 
  21. ↑ Williams, Eliza (2 February 2018). "Film Week: How Framestore Recreated History in Darkest Hour". Creative Review. https://www.creativereview.co.uk/how-framestore-recreated-history-in-darkest-hour/. 
  22. ↑ McLean, Tom (20 February 2018). "Framestore Celebrates BAFTA VFX win for 'Blade Runner 2049'". AWN. https://www.awn.com/news/framestore-celebrates-bafta-vfx-win-blade-runner-2049. 
  23. ↑ Harris, Miriam (4 January 2018). "How Framestore created the 60s-style spaceship in Black Mirror Season 4, Episode 1". Digital Arts Online. https://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/news/motion-graphics/how-framestore-created-60s-style-spaceship-in-black-mirror-season-4-episode-1/. 
  24. ↑ "Dark Knight Visuals In Oscar Spotlight - UK Broadcast News | 26/01/2009". www.4rfv.co.uk. https://www.4rfv.co.uk/industrynews/88303/dark_knight_visuals_in_oscar_spotlight. 
  25. ↑ "Harry Potter: A History of Magic". 16 August 2017. https://www.framestore.com/work/harry-potter-history-magic?language=en. 
  26. ↑ "Tim Webber: the man who put Sandra Bullock in space" . Evening Standard. Retrieved 17 January 2014
  27. ↑ Jackson, Alex. "Gravity's Oscar-Winning Visual Effects Mastermind Talks about Computer Graphics and "Weightlessness"". Nature SoapBox Science. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/gravitys-oscar-winning-visual-effects-mastermind-talks-about-computer-graphics-and-weightlessness/. 
  28. ↑ "Framestore Wins Oscar in Best VFX for Blade Runner 2049 | LBBOnline". https://www.lbbonline.com/news/framestore-wins-oscar-in-best-vfx-for-blade-runner-2049. 
  29. ↑ "Framestore Celebrates BAFTA VFX win for 'Blade Runner 2049' | Animation World Network". https://www.awn.com/news/framestore-celebrates-bafta-vfx-win-blade-runner-2049. 
  30. ↑ Milligan, Mercedes (28 April 2017). "Framestore Opens 3rd US Shop in Chicago". https://www.animationmagazine.net/vfx/framestore-opens-3rd-us-shop-in-chicago/. 
  31. ↑ "FilmLight Wins Four AMPAS Scientific and Technical Awards" (in en). 27 January 2010. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100127006533/en/FilmLight-Wins-AMPAS-Scientific-Technical-Awards. 
  32. ↑ Kanter, Jake (17 July 2020). "BAFTA TV Craft Awards: 'Chernobyl' The Big Winner After Scooping Seven Prizes". https://deadline.com/2020/07/bafta-tv-craft-awards-winners-watch-1202984083/. 
  33. ↑ "Audrey Hepburn Resurrected in New TV Commercial - Creepy or Cool?". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJt9narRaf4. 
  34. ↑ Walton, Mark (2016-04-28). "From Paintbox to PC: How London became the home of Hollywood VFX" (in en-us). https://arstechnica.com/features/2016/04/how-london-became-the-home-of-hollywood-vfx/. 
  35. ↑ "Performance anxiety". The Economist. 2018-07-05. ISSN 0013-0613. https://www.economist.com/the-world-if/2018/07/05/performance-anxiety. 
  36. ↑ Ellis-Petersen, Hannah (2015-04-10). "Bruce Lee, Audrey Hepburn and the ethics of digital necromancy" (in en-GB). The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2015/apr/10/bruce-lee-audrey-hepburn-ethics-digital-necromancy. 

External links

[ ⚑ ] 51°30′54.2″N 0°8′11.7″W / 51.515056°N 0.136583°W / 51.515056; -0.136583



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