Framestore is a British visual effects and computer animation studio based on Chancery Lane in London.[1][2] The company was founded in 1986. Framestore specialises in visual effects for film and TV, advertising, rides and immersive experiences. It is the largest production house in Europe, employing roughly 3,000 staff, including 1,000 in London, and 1,500 across studios in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Montreal, Melbourne and Mumbai.[3][4][5][6]
History
Foundation
Framestore was founded in 1986 by William Sargent and Sharon Reed, together with three friends.[7] 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 imagery animation to the company's range of facilities.[8]
Merger with CFC
In 1997, Framestore acquired the Computer Film Company, which was one of the UK's first digital film visual 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.[9]
In 2004, Framestore opened its first satellite office in New York City, to focus on advertising.[10] This was followed by another office in Iceland in 2008, which has since been closed and has reopened as a local VFX company, RVX.[11] In 2013 Framestore opened an office in Montreal, followed by another in Los Angeles the same year.[12][13]
Acquisition by CIH
In November 2016, the Shanghai-based Cultural Investment Holdings Co acquired 75% of Framestore for £112.50 million.[20] The company worked on projects such as Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Beauty and the Beast and Paddington 2.[21] In April 2017, Framestore announced that it had opened a third US location, in Chicago, Illinois.[22]
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.[23]
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.[24]
Reception
Framestore has been awarded two Scientific and Technical Academy Awards and 14 Primetime Emmys. In 2008, Framestore won its first Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for the film The Golden Compass; it also won the BAFTA Award for that film the same year. Framestore was also nominated for Academy Awards in 2009 (The Dark Knight)[27] and again in 2010 (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1).[28]
Tim Webber was the VFX supervisor on Gravity (2013); the techniques involved in the film realised by Webber and the Framestore team took three years to complete.[29] 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.[30]
Advertising and trade characters
Framestore has collaborated with companies and advertising agencies to create trade characters. It also created an attempted photorealistic computer-generated Audrey Hepburn for a Galaxy chocolate advert.[36] A combination of elements including body doubles, motion-capture, FACS and the rendering software 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 utilised and the ethical implications of using a person's likeness posthumously for commercial purposes.[37][38][39]
Selected film and TV credits
- The Fruit Machine (1988)
- Walking with… (1999–2005)
- Chicken Run (2000)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
- Thunderbirds (2004)
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
- Superman Returns (2006)
- Casino Royale (2006)
- Children of Men (2006)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
- The Golden Compass (2007)
External links
References
- FRAMESTORE LIMITED(THE) overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK Companies House, 1985-12-17, retrieved 2023-08-03^
- Brynn Hinnant. VFX IN THE U.K.: MORE DEMAND THAN EVER VFX Voice Magazine, 2024-01-09, retrieved 2024-04-19^
- StartUp Grind