Type: Member News
VINE FX REVEALS THE CREATURE HORROR AND INVISIBLE WORLD BUILDING BROUGHT TO LIFE IN NETFLIX’S ‘THE WITCHER’ SEASON 4
From fear-born creature work to seamless environmental and combat enhancements, Vine FX elevates the dark fantasy of Netflix’s The Witcher Season 4
Led by Ole-Aleksander Nordby, Compositing Supervisor and Creative Lead/CG Supervisor Tim Kilgour
and VFX Supervisor, Simon Carr, the Vine FX team return to ‘The Continent’ with a multi-episode VFX
delivery spanning creature development, close-up FX, environment extensions, combat enhancements,
and established magical effects. The team worked on 7 episodes of the season, and delivered nearly 70
VFX shots across 18 sequences, combining technical innovation with seamless integration to support
some of the show’s most intense and memorable sequences, while maintaining narrative continuity and
franchise lore.
The Tentacle Creature
One of the most technically demanding sequences delivered by Vine FX for The Witcher Season 4
centred on a tentacle-like creature emerging from a character’s psychological fear. Building the creature
entirely around a pre-shot performance, the team handled the full asset lifecycle – concept development,
mood boards, sculpting, animation, Houdini-driven muscle and skin simulations, lighting, and final
macro-scale compositing.
“We were given the sequence and a few early concepts, but it needed full development. It
became a collection of ideas from both sides, mixing the Netflix show team’s references with our own.
We had tentacles from octopus and jellyfish motion to tree roots, ink drips and even some early AI
imagery.” Rapid alignment between client and studio allowed the asset to lock early, “There were a
couple of iterations on colour, but the show team approved the first looks almost immediately. From
there it just started to breathe and take on life.”Tim Kilgour, Creative Lead/CG Supervisor.
As the creature’s look became clearer, the team pushed its personality and aggression. The refinement
stage focused on behavioural nuance, particularly how the creature interacted with the actress in
extreme close-up.
Because the camera was positioned at macro distance, subtle physical cues had to be reproduced with
high accuracy.
“You’re watching it with a macro lens, so you can’t hide anything. We needed to find a way to make the interaction look real on the actress’s face. “We had to track tiny indents in her cheek to generate
accurate shadow passes and maintain contact fidelity.” To support the creature’s organic motion, Vine
FX expanded its internal pipeline, introducing new Houdini-based muscle, skin sliding and deformation
systems It was the first time we’d developed this part of our pipeline, and it gave us the realism we
needed.”Simon Carr, VFX Supervisor
Despite the technical complexity, the creature work was delivered with remarkable efficiency by an
exceptionally small team.
“One animator, one artist on effects, and one on lighting. It was incredible to see how such a small group could deliver something so complex. A very small team of talented people doing exactly what they do best.”
Tim Kilgour
Invisible Worldbuilding in The Continent
Alongside the creature work, Vine FX delivered extensive invisible VFX enhancements across the season’s environments, including city extensions, sky replacements, mountain builds, clean-up work, and Digital Matte Painting shots. One of the largest undertakings was a full chase sequence reconstructed from Lidar and practical plates into a fully integrated CG environment.
Achieving believability in these varied environments demanded precise attention to lighting,
depth-of-field and spatial logic.
“In some sequences it was super dark, so even the smallest thing had to be lit right. The comping had to be extremely precise for it to read properly or the shot would feel off. Placing everything exactly in 3D
space, knowing what should fall in or out of focus was another challenge, but the team did a great job
with this. It needed to follow the logic of the environment throughout each sequence, that’s what makes it feel real.”Ole-Aleksander Nordby, Visual Effects Supervisor
Combat Enhancements & Maintaining the Magic
The season’s combat sequences required extensive digital augmentation, including CG sword
replacements, digital arrows, blood and wound simulation – including moments of blood/black ooze
spurting from a character’s eyes – and retimed reactions to maintain stunt continuity.
“Typical of the series, there was a lot of fighting and stabbing happening. So we added CG swords, CG wounds and blood coming out of almost everywhere. It was a big mix of combat work and it gets quite gory but it’s fun to work on.”
Ole-Aleksander Nordby
Some shots required full digital reconstruction. One of the most complex involved a warped practical
sword.
“We had to replace the jacket, rebuild the arm and the leather jacket with all the straps and buckles that one of the characters was wearing. That’s all CG but it’s blended seamlessly. Sometimes the prop swords in the plates just didn’t behave the way swords should, bending or in unrealistic positions, so we also had to fix anything that wasn’t physically possible.”
Simon Carr
Alongside combat, Vine FX continued the franchise’s signature magic effects, force-like energy bursts
that interact with characters and environments. Maintaining visual continuity with previous seasons
was essential.
“The magic in the series has rules… it’s not just a random effect. It always needs that punch, that physical push, otherwise it’s not The Witcher.”
Ole-Aleksander Nordby
Watch Vine FX’s VFX breakdown here:
All eight episodes of The Witcher Season 4 are streaming now on Netflix.
OSCARS 2026 BEST VISUAL EFFECTS NOMINEES
Nominations for Best Visual Effects at the 98th Academy Awards have been announced, showcasing the incredible work of UK Screen Alliance members
“Avatar: Fire and Ash” (20th Century Studios)
- Industrial Light and Magic
“F1” (Apple Original Films/Warner Bros.)
- Industrial Light and Magic
- Framestore
“Jurassic World: Rebirth” (Universal Pictures)
- Industrial Light and Magic
- Important Looking Pirates
“The Lost Bus” (Apple Original Films)
- Cinesite
- Industrial Light and Magic
- Belo FX
- Outpost VFX
- Rise Visual Effects
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.)
- Industrial Light and Magic
- Outpost VFX
- LIGHT
The winners will be announced at the Academy Awards, which will take place on 15 March, hosted by comedian Conan O’Brien.
ACAMAR FILMS TAKES ‘BING’ ON GLOBAL ROAD TRIP
Acamar Films announce new broadcast deals across Latin America, Africa & Europe
Award-winning independent producer and distributor Acamar Films has secured key new broadcast deals across Latin America, Africa and Europe for its global hit animated series Bing. These new partnerships build on Acamar’s strategy to establish Bing as a global evergreen character, and to continue to build on global fandom.
Bing has now found a new home in Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras on free-to-air channel Azteca 7, marking a major step in Acamar’s expansion across Latin America. With negotiations led by Iñaki Orive of Brands & Rights 360, the new LATAM Spanish-language version of the show is airing in a dedicated half-hour weekday slot alongside other iconic pre-school shows.
Bing is also expanding its broadcast footprint in Africa with the show’s first linear TV launch in South Africa and e.tv. The British English-language version of the show will air on eToonz, bringing 104 episodes to young viewers and their families across a country of over 63 million people. eToonz reaches over four million households on the OpenView free-to-air platform, and this new deal builds on our growing presence across North and sub-Saharan Africa, alongside Acamar’s successful partnerships with MBC in North Africa and the Middle East.
In Europe, Bing continues to expand its audience and will now air on Kixi, Germany’s largest independent streaming service for children’s content. In a deal brokered by Jiella Esmat at 8 Lions Entertainment, Kixi will air 52 episodes of a brand-new German-language version and a 22’ minute Christmas special by produced in partnership with localisation partner Studio Hamburg and Bing’s original German Voice Director, Marion von Stengel.
“Supporting our long-term relationships with broadcasters is at the heart of our success to date with Bing. Of course, we are working to expand our fandom, with partners, across digital, games, publishing, licensing and live experiences, but broadcasting remains crucially important for our audience. So, we are genuinely thrilled that many more children in Latin America, Africa and Europe will be able to enjoy Bing in their own language. It’s an exciting start to 2026.”
Mikael Shields, CEO of Acamar Films and Producer of Bing
These new broadcast deals add momentum to Acamar’s global success with Bing, which has now been licensed to 141 territories globally. The preschool series, created by Acamar Films, in partnership with Brown Bag Films, originally premiered, and is still a leading show on the BBC’s CBeebies, and on the BBC iPlayer. Since its debut, Bing has become a cherished part of the daily lives of young children across the world, offering a powerful tool to support the healthy early development and emotional resilience of young children, through its authentic expert-led storytelling and characters.
A PRODUCTIONS APPOINTS NEW CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Leading animation production studio, A Productions, has promoted Joanna Hepworth to the role of creative director
Joanna is responsible for overseeing and strengthening the creative vision of A Productions’ award-winning children’s content, ensuring each show has its own unique and authentic voice.
She has 18 years of experience in animation production and has been a director at the creative-led studio since 2019.
Joanna has worked on many notable shows including Sesame Street animated specials for Sesame Workshop, namely Furry Friends Forever: Elmo Gets a Puppy, and Sesame Street The Nutcracker starring Elmo and Tango, as well as several series for the iconic show.
She also worked on Pip and Posy Let’s Learn, produced by Magic Light Pictures for Sky Kids with animation services provided by A Productions, among many other productions.
Independently-owned A Productions, which recently marked 40 years in business, makes children’s content for TV and film for audiences in the UK and around the world, working with leading broadcasters and streamers including Disney, Netflix, Max, CBeebies and CBBC, and Sky.
Joanna will have creative oversight across all project development, encompassing A Productions’ service work and its own original content.
“We will continue to take pride in creating authentic, imaginative content that our audiences will love, and we look forward to sharing some very special projects with them in the year ahead.”
Joanna Hepworth, Creative Director of A Productions
“With her extensive industry experience and creative talent, Joanna is a huge asset to A Productions, helping to ensure the future success of the studio.”
Katherine McQueen, Managing Director of A Productions
The A Productions team is currently working on My Friend Maisy, which is being co-produced by BBC Studios Kids & Family Productions and Trustbridge Entertainment for Sky Kids, with animation created by A Productions and Karrot.
HOHO RIGHTS PARTNERS WITH DIGITOONZ SPAIN FOR EXCLUSIVE LATAM DISTRIBUTION OF TOP PRESCHOOL SERIES
Beloved preschool favourites Cloudbabies, Shane the Chef and Toad & Friends reach Latin American audiences
Digitoonz Spain, the European subsidiary of Digitoonz Media & Entertainment – a leading international animation studio headquartered in India with operations in the United States and Europe – and Hoho Rights, the commercial arm of London based producer, Hoho Entertainment, have announced their exclusive free-to-air distribution agreement for three preschool animated series — Cloudbabies, Shane The Chef and Toad & Friends — across Latin American territories.
This strategic partnership strengthens Digitoonz’s global distribution offering and brings three highly successful IPs with strong international performance and growing visibility in Latin America to broadcasters and partners in the region.
Cloudbabies (52×10’): originally commissioned by the BBC, follows four childlike characters who look after the sky and their Sky Friends. The series has aired on multiple broadcasters and platforms globally while also attracting new audiences through its official channels on YouTube.
Shane The Chef (52×11’): commissioned by Channel 5’s Milkshake!, celebrates food, community and healthy habits through the adventures of an enthusiastic chef, Shane, and his daughter Izzy. Created with the support of the British Dietetic Association, the series encourages young viewers to develop healthy eating habits and a love of cooking.
Toad & Friends (52×11’): reimagines Kenneth Grahame’s classic The Wind in the Willows for today’s young viewers, bringing Toad, Ratty, Mole and new character Hedge to life in warm, nature-filled adventures that spotlight friendship, courage and belonging.
Across YouTube, the three preschool brands show strong and growing engagement worldwide. The Cloudbabies Official Channel – with its multi-lingual audio feature – has exceeded 550K subscribers and 531M views. This is supported by the standalone Spanish-language channel Cielitos, where Latin America represents 80% of total views. Shane The Chef has surpassed 12M views and continues to expand its fanbase, while Toad & Friends is steadily developing its official channel with shorts, compilations, and mindfulness content designed for young audiences.
“We are thrilled to partner with Hoho and strengthen our catalog with these high-quality preschool titles. These series resonate deeply with Latin American audiences—children immediately fall in love with the characters—and we are proud to represent such engaging, beautifully crafted content.”
Maria Bonaria Fois, President of Digitoonz Spain.
‘’This collaboration brings outstanding preschool storytelling to new audiences. Hoho’s commitment to quality aligns perfectly with what Digitoonz looks for, and we are delighted to represent these titles and support their expansion into the region”.
Vikas Kumar, CEO and Founder of Digitoonz Media & Entertainment
“We pride ourselves on producing high quality content that appeals to children all over the world and we have met our match in Digitoonz. We’re absolutely delighted to be working with Maria, Vikas and the Digitoonz team to introduce our programmes to a whole new audience across Latin America”.
Helen Howells, Joint MD of Hoho Entertainment
CINESITE REVEAL BEHIND THE SCENES MAGIC FOR NETFLIX’S ‘THE WITCHER’ SEASON 4
Cinesite reveal their significant contribution to Netflix’s fantasy epic
Having delivered VFX for all three previous seasons, Cinesite’s teams in London and Montreal worked closely with Production VFX Supervisors Richard Reed and Sara Bennett to bring to life The Witcher‘s terrifying creatures, spectacular battles, and complex magic, and are now peeling back the curtain on their VFX magic.
Season 4 of The Witcher, directed by Sergio Mimica-Gezzan, Tricia Brock, Alex Garcia Lopez and Jeremy Webb, follows Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri as they traverse a war-ravaged world. After the continent-altering events of Season 3, the heroes are faced with new demons—and familiar ones—all while navigating their paths apart from one another.
The team was given a unique opportunity to revisit one of the series’ most memorable moments. In a clever narrative device, Season 4 opens with a retelling of Geralt’s original fight against the Kikimora, a sequence Cinesite crafted back in 2019 for the very first episode. This time, we see the battle from a new perspective, as a folk-tale being recounted to children. The familiar sequence—which introduced Henry Cavill’s Geralt to the world—is reimagined with Liam Hemsworth as the new Geralt. Cinesite’s artists gave the Kikimora a new lease of life, presenting a re-choreographed fight which is more dangerous and intense than ever. Having killed the adult, Geralt must face off against four terrifying young Kikimoras. Creating the battle required extensive planning, meticulous compositing and complex animation & choreography to bring the four creatures, and their combined 32 limbs, to life.
“It was a fantastic creative challenge to revisit a sequence so iconic to the series. The storytelling device gave us the opportunity to add new layers of complexity and action, showcasing Geralt’s powers in a fresh way while paying homage to the original action.”
Zave Jackson, VFX Supervisor in London
The Cinesite London team also revisited a key battle from Season 3 between Geralt and powerful sorcerer, Vilgefortz. This reimagined sword fight, which takes place on a beach near Aretuza, allowed Cinesite to add a lineup of briefly glimpsed magical beasts – the amphibious Aeschna, airborne Chernobog, and deadly Basilisk – along with other invisible and magic related battle visual effects, again raising the jeopardy stakes against Geralt.
Meanwhile, Cinesite’s Montreal team took on a spectacular magic duel between Yennefer and Vilgefortz. They designed and created a fresh aesthetic and colour scheme for Yennefer’s magic, to signal that she’s unleashing her full power in a way not seen before. Vilgefortz’ evil power manifests as a black, tar-like substance which oozes out of the storm of sorcery. The visual effects for this sequence were created as a close collaboration between the FX and compositing teams, overseen by VFX Supervisor Nathalie Girard.
“The creative liberty was a true gift. We had a fabulous opportunity to show our true colors and bring a new light to magic duals. We approached the technical challenges with our expertise and teamed up with the client to make this a memorable experience and great visual effects to admire.”
Nathalie Girard, VFX Supervisor in Montreal
Additional work by this team included another sequence set in a swamp, with Geralt fighting to free himself from vine-like Rusalka creatures, hidden beneath the water’s surface.
See Cinesite’s showreel here:
The series is now streaming on Netflix.
EE BAFTA FILM AWARDS 2026 LONGLIST REVEALED
The remarkable work of UK Screen Alliance members recognised in the 2026 BAFTA longlist
The 2026 EE BAFTA Film Awards longlists have been released, highlighting the following work from UK Screen Alliance members:
Special Visual Effects
Ten of 71 films submitted for consideration are advancing in the Special Visual Effects category:
“Avatar: Fire and Ash” (20th Century Studios)
- Industrial Light and Magic
“F1” (Apple Original Films/Warner Bros.)
- Industrial Light and Magic
- Framestore
“Frankenstein” (Netflix)
- Industrial Light and Magic
“How to Train Your Dragon” (Universal Pictures)
- Framestore
“Jurassic World: Rebirth” (Universal Pictures)
- Industrial Light and Magic
- Important Looking Pirates
“The Lost Bus” (Apple Original Films)
- Cinesite
- Industrial Light and Magic
- Belo FX
- Outpost VFX
“Superman” (DC Studios)
- Industrial Light and Magic
“Tron: Ares” (Walt Disney Pictures)
- Industrial Light and Magic
“Wicked: For Good” (Universal Pictures)
- Industrial Light and Magic
- Outpost VFX
- Framestore
The EE BAFTA Film Awards nominations will be announced on Tuesday, 27 January 2026, and the ceremony will take place on Sunday, 22 February 2026.
Cloth Cat’s New Festive Short Film to be Broadcast on Christmas Day
Cloth Cat reveal the trailer for ‘The Ghost of Midwinter’
The Ghost of Midwinter (Ysbryd yr Oerfel) is the award-winning independent animation studio Cloth Cat’s first commissioned festive short film, which will be broadcast live in Welsh on S4C at 17:35 on Christmas Day. The haunting, 24 minute-long winter special is set in medieval Wales and tells the chilling story of a brave little girl determined to save her father against all odds.
When Nia becomes lost in the forest in the middle of a snowstorm, she has no choice but to make a deadly bargain with a spirit. The Ghost saves her, but at a cost beyond comprehension. Nia must travel deep into the heart of the dark forest of eternal winter to face the evil creature and save her father.
The film was commissioned by S4C for their 2025 Christmas schedule and is also supported by the Welsh Government via the Creative Wales Skills Fund, a key part of the mission to grow a stronger, more inclusive creative workforce in Wales.
The fairy tale story of The Ghost of Midwinter was originally conceived of and directed by the Managing Director of Cloth Cat, Jon Rennie. The script was written by the award winning Welsh novelist and scriptwriter Manon Steffan Ros (The Blue Book of Nebo). The cast includes BAFTA Award Winner Nia Roberts (Hinterland, The Crown) as the Ghost, her daughter Agnes Evans (Annibendod, His Dark Materials) as Nia, BAFTA Nominee Matthew Gravelle (Broadchurch) as the father. BAFTA Award Winner Eiry Thomas (The Bench, Y Swn) stars as Mam-gu and Rhys Llywelyn Evans voices Idris, Nia’s brother. The original soundtrack was composed and produced by Emmy winning composer Brollyman (Nature, Lemur Street).
“Among the gifts under the S4C Christmas tree this year, is a journey to the mythical world of The Ghost of Midwinter. The Christmas schedule is one of the highlights of the calendar at S4C and we look forward to bringing this film to the screen this Christmas.”
Sioned Geraint, S4C’s Children and Learners Content Commissioner
“We’re delighted that S4C and Creative Wales have been so supportive of Cloth Cat’s first broadcast film, and I’m so excited to bring to the screen a story I’ve been wanting to tell for many years. Providing experience for newcomers to the industry is at the heart of Cloth Cat’s mission and it’s a fantastic way of bringing new Welsh stories to the world.”
Jon Rennie, Director
Watch the Official Trailer here
FROM SKETCH TO SCREEN: SALAMANDRA UK DESIGN BOLT INSIGHT’S BRAND MASCOT
Salamandra UK creates personality-filled 3D icon for Bolt Insight
Award-winning animation and design agency Salamandra UK has created a bold new visual mascot identity for Bolt Insight Limited, combining cutting-edge 3D character design and renders, animation and merchandise artwork to create a cohesive and personality-filled mascot experience to be used across multiple platforms and events.
Brand mascots are increasingly recognised as powerful visual anchors, building emotional connection and boosting recall whilst giving audiences a relatable character to engage with and remember.
Salamandra UK’s studio developed multiple 3D mascot still renders and a 3D animated logo version, designed to enhance Bolt Insight’s professional but playful tone of voice, brand recognition and expressive presence with cinematic quality. These assets provide a strong digital identity that can be integrated across a range of environments and platforms, such as digital content for web and presentations, product launches, event screens and marketing campaigns including AR/VR experiences, helping Bolt Insight engage audiences in new and memorable ways.
“Salamandra UK has breathed life into our brand with this engaging Mascot, and we couldn’t be more delighted because it will help us build a deeper engagement with our audience and make us instantly recognisable at industry events and expos! We have a few new adventures planned for ‘Boltee’ and look forward to working with the talented team of animators and designers at Salamandra UK to take us there!”
Baybars Umur, Co-Founder and Head of Commercial at Bolt Insight Limited
The project extended beyond digital content and animation into print-ready artwork and merchandise design, showcasing Salamandra UK’s diverse expertise in strategic brand animation and design. Using this brand-new 3D mascot and logo assets, the team created custom T-shirt, cap and tote bag layouts, ensuring each item reflected the brand’s tone, colour palette and creative essence while maintaining professional print quality and visual impact.
By blending animation, branding, and product design, Salamandra UK continues to help clients communicate with clarity, personality and impact.
SPOTLIGHT ON… ‘MOVERS AND SHAKERS’: BEYOND THE CAPITAL
This month, we are highlighting some of our members who have extended their reach outside of London and made their mark across the UK
Radiant Post Production, Manchester
In 2017, Rapid Pictures acquired Crow TV, and rebranded its fellow West London post-production house as Radiant Post Production with 30 offline suites, four online suites, four dubbing theatres and colour grading facilities. Radiant Post has received the Best Companies Group recognition for ‘Best Place’ to work in TV every year since 2020. Intending to extend the business outside of London from its inception, Managing Director Ben Plumb sought to find the best fit for Radiant.
“Organically, Manchester became our focus. Two of our clients had secured regional commissions in Manchester back in 2021. To support them and to gain better local knowledge we set up a pop-up facility. It became apparent very quickly that Manchester was going to be the best location for the business and that we could support a well-established media base, providing more post-production opportunities in the city”
Ben Plumb, Managing Director of Radiant Post Production Group
In 2022, Radiant North – a state-of-the-art, 8000 square feet facility – opened in Enterprise City, a media, tech, and creative cluster in the heart of Manchester, to offer a full post-production service to multiple clients.
Since the move, Radiant has grown its capacity, output, and client base with Manchester-based production companies, facilitating a widening network.
“We have been able to retain quite a few projects within our business that would have otherwise been lost if we didn’t have a regional facility. The talent base in Manchester is incredible; this does give Radiant an advantage when load balancing work between London and Manchester. We can often overflow London project to Manchester at peak times which very helpful and continues support for the region.”
Ben Plumb
Clear Cut, Birmingham
Clear Cut Group, established in 1993, comprises four companies (Clear Cut Pictures, The Edit Store, Clear Cut Nations & Regions Ltd. and ClearMotion VFX) and delivers highly creative post production and hundreds of hours of programming for a range of leading clients across the world.
From 2016, Clear Cut began offering pop up editing services in the West Midlands where both the client base and requirement for high-quality post-production services was growing. By 2023, the West Midlands had emerged as a key creative hub, and Clear Cut took the natural next step to open a full post-production house in the heart of Digbeth, in a grade 2 listed site.
“The move allowed us to widen our catchment for both talent and productions, taking full advantage of the UK’s nations and regions strategy, and establishing a hub for our regional and international projects. Putting our feet down in the West Midlands felt like a natural evolution of a strategy already in motion”
Will Bramall, Post Production Co-Ordinator at Clear Cut Pictures
Based in the creative quarter of Birmingham, Clear Cut Nations & Regions offer suites onsite, with 24/7 technical support for local productions, as well as remote offlines across the UK and beyond. Establishing a permanent presence in the West Midlands has strengthened Clear Cut’s pipeline of operational talent, giving opportunities to skilled regional creatives, and transforming relationships with production companies.
“The West Midlands offers an attractive mix of production community and creative energy. Birmingham’s excellent connectivity to London and the wider UK makes it an easy extension of our existing operations. The region’s a rapidly growing creative sector, with well-established and expanding production infrastructure, long-term commitment from all Broadcasters and the local authorities supported by incredible energy from the wider community. With significant investment in high profile projects across all genres there is plenty of opportunity for growth. This undoubted energy aligns perfectly with our ambitions, and we are at the heart of this emerging production community.”
Will Bramall
Armed with a steady and organic, demand-driven approach, Clear Cut is planning future expansions at the speed of the local production community, with a stable commissioning pipeline.
“Emerging initiatives, such as that from the Production Central WM resource, supported by the West Midland Growth Company, will further support a new wave of regional creative growth and we are excited about the opportunities this creates for us to continue building relationships with new West Midlands–based clients.”
Will Bramall
Vine FX, Cambridge
Vine FX, an artist-led studio known for award-winning visual effects that recently celebrated its 18th birthday, was launched in 2007 by Michael Illingworth, who sought to realise his vision of creative independence, work-life balance, and high-quality visual storytelling.
After leveraging the flexibility of ‘pop-ups’ around London to work in productions like Harry Potter, Atlantis, and Merlin, Michael moved the studio to a stable base in Cambridge in 2016, embracing technology like Teradici for remote work well before the pandemic.
“After having a lot of fun living and working in London through my 20’s and early 30’s, I started thinking more seriously about having a family and what kind of day-to-day life I wanted. I was looking for something more manageable and stable. Cambridge felt like the right fit for me with an abundance of culture, history and all that good stuff, just without the big-city intensity.”
Michael Illingworth, Founder and Creative Director of Vine FX
It wasn’t Soho or LA which inspired Michael, but the space and balance between work and home. The team at Vine FX have grown using local talent from Cambridge and Norwich who could pour their creative energy into a studio that didn’t require a commute into London.
“Cambridge gives us the best of both worlds, it’s a strong regional base that lets us travel easily to clients across the UK, while still being just 50 minutes from London for quick face-to-face meetings. It’s also a fantastic place to build a team locally with shorter commutes and a better work-life balance that really makes a difference day to day. Cambridge is also a brilliant city in its own right, full of history, great cafés and restaurants, museums, and excellent schools, with the added bonus of feeling close to the countryside once the workday’s done.”
Michael Illingworth
Vine FX have scaled from a team of one up to 80-strong during busy periods through recruiting locally. After the pandemic, remote working expanded the talent pool further, bringing in people from London, across Europe, and beyond, leaving recruitment challenges in the past.
Vine aren’t stopping at Cambridge. Utilising the model for regional VFX services built up in Cambridge, they will be expanding into Manchester early next year, continuing work on Manchester-based projects like The Tower, Lazarus, and After the Flood seasons 1 and 2.
The Look, Cardiff
The Look, one of the leading high-end picture post productions companies globally, signed a lease on a new office in Cardiff, Wales in 2017. This marked the first move out of their London office on Margaret Street.
The Look Cardiff hires locally, with the Welsh employees working closely with the London facility, allowing experts to maintain the post production process across Wales and London. The Cardiff office also positions The Look as a central point in conversations around regional spend projects.
“It would be a small lie to say that some of the reasons were not commercial… Other motivational factors are that the senior leadership team here have a passion for growing talent and training. We wanted to do it properly and create an actual facility with Welsh talent and that’s exactly where we have ended up.”
Dan Marbrook, Chief Commercial Officer at The Look
After seven years, The Look Cardiff is only growing as the team completes more client-facing work on projects like Channel 4’s Falling and Deadpoint, both of which are Welsh spend and staffed projects from set to delivery.
“It is a long-term project, not a pop up. There is a wealth of applicants with great ambitions and it enables us to increase our back room work with less risk attached while genuinely investing in talent there.”
Dan Marbrook
Not only has the studio in Wales been central to Welsh-originated material, but The Look Cardiff has also been integral to the wider company’s work on household titles such as Gangs of London and Sex Education.