Post-production finishing for the fifth season of Teen Wolf is currently underway at Chainsaw, a Sim Group company. The MTV series about an awkward high school student who is secretly a werewolf, is among cable’s most popular scripted series among young adults and was recently renewed for a sixth season.
In partnership with Boris FX, SGO has integrated the Boris Graffiti titling and motion graphics plug-in with Mamba FX V2.5 for Windows. Mac and Linux are to follow.
American Horror Story is a major hit for FX. The show has won the loyalty of fans and kudos from critics for its smart, imaginative storytelling and superb performances from its stellar ensemble cast. The show also features some of the best visual effects on television. Ranging from photo-real set extensions to CG characters to all manner of blood and gore, they are the work of Burbank-based FuseFX, whose team is currently nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Supporting Role.
FuseFX has hired veteran visual effects supervisor and executive Jason Dowdeswell to lead its facility in Vancouver. Previously Vice President of Production Operations at Sony Pictures Imageworks, Dowdeswell will supervise current production activities and oversee a planned expansion of the FuseFX operation in Vancouver. Dowdeswell’s background also includes senior posts with Digital Domain, Image Engine and Rainmaker, and credits on such films as Edge of Tomorrow, Immortals and Twilight.
O.D Welch has been named president of Oscar-winning effects house Digital Domain. In his new role, Welch will manage all aspects of the day-to-day operations at Digital Domain’s Playa Vista and Vancouver’s two locations. A 30-year industry veteran, Welch has extensive experience in visual effects and production management, and knows the entertainment business on a ground-up operational and financial basis.
Artists from FuseFX received two nominations in visual effects categories in the 67th Emmy Awards.
Universal Pictures’ record-breaking blockbuster Jurassic World features a number of practical shots that were designed, built, and filmed at 32Ten Studios in San Rafael, California. The most prominent were the gates that welcomed visitors to the prehistoric theme park Jurassic World. Those gates, which needed to appear massive on screen, were actually 19-foot set pieces built at 32Ten under the supervision of model maker Mark Anderson.
Rodeo FX completed 50 visual effects shots for the latest Brad Bird movie, Tomorrowland, including digital matte painting, blue screen compositing, scene enhancements, CG effects and simulation, and a thrilling sequence in which the central characters escape in a rocket-propelled bathtub pod moments before their farmhouse explodes.
Tokyo Sound Production, Japan, recently upgraded its capabilities with an SGO Mistika post-production system.
PipelineFX has added a subscription licensing option making the Qube render farm management software for visual effects even more cost-effective for studios and schools. This new option can be limited to a single one-month installment, and drops the price of Qube to $15 a month.
