Following our Oscar-winning work on Dune: Part One, Denis Villeneuve came back to us once again to help bring his ambitious vision to life for the most hotly-anticipated sequel of 2024!We were so proud to return to Arrakis once again as lead VFX partner on Dune: Part Two, helping to bring to life the films most breathtaking moments. Our work spanned the entire film, including large FX sequences with complex sand and pyro sims, large-scale CG environments, massive crowds, and detailed creature animation from the giant sandworms down to the tiny desert mice!Not only did we receive an Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects for our work on this visionary sequel, our talented Dune: Part Two crew also scored a BAFTA nomination for Special Visual Effects and 6 VES nominations in the following categories:Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal FeatureOutstanding Environment in a Photoreal FeatureOutstanding CG CinematographyOutstanding Model in a Photoreal or Animated ProjectOutstanding Effects Simulations in a Photoreal FeatureOutstanding Compositing & Lighting in a FeatureOur work onDune: Part Twois also nominated for both Critics Choice and Saturn Awards, and has already won the Hollywood Creative Alliance Astra Award for Best Visual Effects and has been honoured at American Cinematheques Tribute to the Crafts in the visual effects category!In a series of recent interviews, Production VFX Supervisor Paul Lambert and DNEG VFX Supervisors Stephen James and Rhys Salcombe have been sharing detailed behind-the-scenes insights into the work our incredible global crews delivered for this very special film.Read on for a closer look at our work!Sandworm RidingOne of the films most breathtaking moments is when Paul first rides a sandworm, a scene brought to life through a beautiful collaboration between practical effects and our teams VFX!The first challenge of this sequence was accurately communicating the immense scale and speed of the sandworm, which was partially done through the wakes left behind by the worm. Stephen James explained, To create these worm-wakes, we used incredibly complex sand simulations that were hundreds of metres long. The crew came up with what we called the ball pit render, which we used to conduct simulations with larger sized sand particles first, allowing us to create faster iterations to find the best look for the effect as efficiently as possible.Production VFX Supervisor Paul Lambert shared with befores & afters, DNEG came up with a great way in which they could visualize it and show myself and Denis as to what they were thinking by basically using particles the size of beach balls first as a quick and cheap render to be able to show what this is going to do, says Lambert. I then talked Denis through how the beach balls then became tennis balls and then became little grains of sand. It was a great way to have the director involved.After working out how the sandworms moved through the dunes, the next challenge was to show how Paul actually gets on the sandworm. This scene starts with the character running along the top of the dune, before it collapses with the worm going through underneath. The team used photography from the set as a base, allowing them to precisely match the crest of the real dune from the shoot. From the plates, our compositing team would paint back the footfalls and dust kick-ups, then the effects crew could precisely match these foot kickups and the collapse, extending them into the wider simulation. Stephen told befores & afters, There was a lot of really challenging work, from effects to lighting to comp, to really precisely hit those blends, because it was so important that we did keep that magic that was in those plates. There is that energy that is in a lot of these plates that we just had to keep or we would lose something that was just too important.The shots of Paul standing on the worm were built from plates filmed on-set, which were captured using motion bases and several tons of sand and dust. Stephen shared with befores & afters, I think that was probably the most challenging portion because we had a lot of dust and sand on set being blown across the surface of the worm, that we had to make sense of at a much larger scale. So if there was sand blowing on the surface on set, maybe thats sand that we would add on top of our CG worm that was from previous sections where it was under the sand and that would be cascading through down the back of the worm.The wormskin Paul stands on was mostly replaced by our CG worm, with the first films asset used as the starting point and enhanced for these closer shots. Rhys Salcombe shared, The CG sandworm was newly built to extremely high fidelity wherever riders cling to its surface. Each scab was meticulously sculpted to match practical on-set scabs, ensuring they could withstand close scrutiny from surface-level cameras.Attack at the Harkonnen HarvesterOur team also brought to life the Harkonnen Harvester attack scene, which follows Paul, Chani and a small group of Fremen as they ambush a Harkonnen spice mining operation. To represent the Harvester while shooting, dark grey screens and SFX leg tips on excavators provided real light and shadow.Speaking with AWN, Paul Lambert shared, One of the main rules I had with Denis was, To try to keep things believable I never want to change the lighting on a character. If we shoot in the daylight and I try to make Paul look as if hes in shadow, it will look wrong. Theres nothing I can do to make that look correct. Using the grey screens and an iPad with custom software provided by the DNEG team, the on-set team could visualize the spice harvester and set up the screens to cast accurate shadows, so that later, when our team added in the CG model, the lighting on the characters was natural.When the Fremen attack, a mixture of in-camera and digi-double Fremen fight the Harkonnen ground troops, while a new Ornithopter variant based on a real Blackhawk helicopter attacks from above. Eventually, Chani shoots down the Ornithopter with a rocket launcher. It took a lot of time to get that to feel right and to make sure it didnt feel comedic, Paul shared with VFX Voice. Every explosion that you see is digital. The guys and girls at DNEG did a fantastic job creating the simulation.Rhys elaborated, After Chani fires an RPG at its vulnerable point, we created a pyro simulation showing the Ornithopter exploding inside its shield before the explosion rapidly expands. The fiery remnants, including wings still beating, crash into the desert, creating a secondary impact explosion with fire, debris, and sand.The scene ends in another fiery explosion, as the 120 metre tall harvester finally succumbs to the laser-gun hits from the Fremen.Geidi PrimeThe Harkonnen homeworld of Giedi Prime is rendered in a stark monochrome palette, shot in infrared to create high contrast images in direct sunlight and an eerie ambience when overcast.Our team brought to life the large CG arena environment for Feyd-Rauthas fight scene, which tiers upward in a series of triangular terraces filled with tens of thousands of baying onlookers, adjusting shadows and exposures in post-production to maintain visual consistency with the on-set lighting. It was challenging, as materials behave unpredictably in these conditions. Skin became pearlescent, and costumes differed in appearance, Rhys explained. The crowds reactions ranging from excitement to synchronized motion during a haka were based on motion capture, efficiently rendered using a point instance system.An exciting challenge of this world was transitioning from indoors to the stark outdoor lighting. Rhys elaborated, It was as if Giedi Primes sun subtracts colour from light. To achieve this effect, two cameras one infrared and one RGB were mounted on a stereo camera rig. With one camera placed vertically, the second shot horizontally through a mirror or across the mirror, allowing them to film the exact same image, with one in infrared and the other in RGB. We then used these shots to create transitional blends from one look to the other as the characters move in and out of direct sunlight.The Battle of ArrakisAnother large sequence our team helped bring to life was the final battle, where the Fremen take on the Emperors military, called the Sardaukar. Stephen shared, Digital cinematography captured this sequence as a documentary-style event, with careful lens choices and camera movements.This historic battle kicks off with a large explosion, as Paul launches atomic missiles over the basin. Rhys told us, Villeneuve avoided a traditional mushroom cloud effect, opting for an over-scale gasoline type explosion. This required multiple intricate FX simulations from our team, including pyro, debris, layers of smoke and sand, a ground shockwave, an air burst, and a compression wave into the sandstorm behind the mountains.Multiple sandworms also make an appearance during the battle, animated to plough through structures, vehicles and armies.Harkonnen Ornithopters begin bombing the worms, and one of the Ornithopters is shot down, creating a dramatic explosion within the sandstorm. Rhys shared, For this scene, background crowds were created through point-instance mocap and close-up crowds fully simulated for more detailed actions.A large challenge of this sequence was what the team called the Chani-oner, a 30-second one-take near-full-CG action shot that follows Chani fighting through the Sardaukar ranks. Rhys shared, The choreography for this oner was performed on a massive mocap stage, mixing performances from Zendaya and stunt actors. This required extensive hand-animation to blend mocap actions, which were then adjusted with virtual camera work to create a handheld documentary feel.The action was then expanded by adding hero Sardaukar and large crowd simulations, including dust effects from flying Ornithopters. He added, This sequence became one of the most challenging VFX shots in the film.The battle lasts into the night, where we see vast areas of Arrakis aflame, Ornithopters bombing battlefields, and the city in ruins.The scene ends with Gurney Rabban on the steps of the residency. Stephen shared, The exterior courtyard was built with practical fuel bars and a full-scale ornithopter body. Ornithopter debris and FX fires were scattered across the courtyard to suggest a previous crash, and we ensured that each CG element directly supported the on-set fire and smoke.Huge congratulations again to our talented global crews for their phenomenal work on Dune: Part Two! Stay up to date with this years awards season here.

Dig out your dancing shoes for this closer look at our teams work on Venom: The Last DanceAfter working as lead VFX partner on the first two films of Sonys hit anti-hero trilogy, we were thrilled to return to the franchise this year to help bring the epic finale to life!The Last Dance gave our talented teams the chance to flex their character building, animation and FX simulation skills, delivering just under 500 shots across 11 key sequences. In a series of recent interviews, VFX Supervisor David Lee has been sharing detailed behind-the-scenes insights on the work our amazing global crews delivered on the film.Read on for a closer look at our work! Wraith VenomIn The Last Dance, Venom couldnt become his full form without attracting the Xenophages, which meant Wraith Venom, the version of the symbiote that comes out through tendrils attached to Eddie, played a much larger role.This, coupled with the scenery we find them in during The Last Dance, provided an interesting challenge for our team. Venoms lighting is driven primarily by reflections, which, in the previous films, typically consisted of dark, moody settings. In contrast, the desert environment with only the sun as a single, direct light source meant that the team had to adapt Venoms lighting so as to not lose any intricate detailing.To do this, they added a sense of iridescence to his skin to give an additional layer of complexity in the light. In an interview with Digital Media World, David said, We started adding multiple, smaller light sources, but biasing them towards the key light direction to keep to the lighting on the plates. This gave us the improved form and detailing, allowing him to keep a similar aesthetic to the previous films and not just losing him to one large, hot reflection coming in from the Image-Based Lighting. The increased specular points of interest gave us nice, tight highlights to illustrate the wet, fluid nature of Wraith, which we combined with a soft subtle bounce to help him form without flattening him out from broad, bright sky reflections.Venom HorseDeveloping the Venom Horse was another key challenge for our team to overcome. Referencing the filmed performance of a real horse on set, the team built a full CG asset, rather than use a tracking model, in order to keep the movement looking natural while incorporating Venoms additional size and muscle mass.Venom is always a much larger character than the characters he has inhabited, but Kelly [Marcel] really wanted to emphasise the size and power of the Venom Horse, so we ended up even a little bigger than our references on set, David told Digital Media World.The decision to keep Venom Horses strides longer and stronger than a normal horse emphasized the symbiotes power and speed and allowed our team to play around with other elements of his personality. Speaking with Post Magazine, David shared, We leaned into accentuating the comic nature of the horse in performance such as the tongue flopping out of the mouth and hitting Eddie as he rides!It was also important that the design of Venom Horse incorporate aspects of the original character, creating one cohesive look across the symbiotes different physical forms. For example, the mane and tail are a mass of tendrils that mesh together when they collide, giving a liquid-like behaviour and look similar to the Wraiths tendrils that attach to Eddies back.XenophagesOur crew also developed the look of the fearsome Xenophages, drawing inspiration from a variety of animals from praying mantises and crocodiles to snakes and porcupines!Because development started from a visual point of view before being passed over to our Build and Animation crews, the Xenophages movements could only be designed once the base look was more defined one of the primary challenges that arose when developing these creatures, particularly when it came to the leg articulation.How it moved was a fun challenge for the animation team, led by Chris Lentz, which spent a lot of time playing around with different movement styles, David shared with Digital Media World. It became an important step in the development process to run the asset through animation as quickly as possible, so adjustments could be made to avoid biomechanical issues while trying to limit changes to its look.David shared with Art of VFX, We settled on a variety of insectoid type movements to give us a staccato motion, with limbs and head movements that were almost mechanical, as evident in some larger beetles and spiders. As the animation team worked through their motion tests, we fed this back into adjustments to the model itself to ensure everything worked correctly, before updating to a fully functioning rig for the final asset.Another signature physical trait of the Xenophages is the mouth full of rotating teeth, which came to life through a combined effort between our Build and Effects teams. Speaking with Animation World Network, David said, We would have our build department construct the external teeth, which were rigid. Our effects team would populate the interior of the mouth with these rotating teeth that pop out through these little gummy slits. Its almost like a conveyor belt and then they come back down again.Green SymbioteOf the new symbiotes the film introduced, our team worked on the the Green symbiote bonded to Officer Mulligan. Director Kelly Marcel wanted a distinctly different look and feel for this symbiote. Leaning into the concept of a translucent type appearance that showed aspects of the internal structure and vascular system, our team added complexity to the design with a rougher exterior surface, dialling iridescence onto the torso to produce a cyan-ish shimmer as it catches the light, and finished it off with a subtle, almost frosted quality to the exterior.To compliment the symbiotes unique look, it needed a distinct style of movement. David told Art of VFX, The addition of a tail that split into multiple lengths allowed us to lean into a more smooth, hypnotic type of motion. Similar to a snakes movements, its calm and slow, and belies the power he could unleash if he so wanted.Aeroplane FightOur work also included the aeroplane fight between Venom and the Xenophage, which consisted of extensive environment and skyscape build, creature animation for both characters, and complex FX work for the cloudscapes and plane damage.Despite some of the sequence being shot in the studio with a section of a real plane, the final scene ended up being a fully CG sequence save for Tom Hardys face and arms, which were taken from his performance in the studio, where he was shot on wires on the side of the plane.We had a lot of fans going when we were shooting, but it just didnt have the terminal velocity that is so fast. David explained to Digital Media World. Given the extremity of the environment we would be adding in post, we would require the greater control working digitally would give us over such aspects as reflections, lighting and the character interactions as they fight.Driving home the speed and drama during the battle on top of the plane, additional cloth simulations were added to Venom to enhance the sense of him being liquid at his core. His entire body, head and skin start to get this flutter like a dog hanging out a window of a fast-moving car! David told Animation World Network.Dancing QueenOur team put on their dancing shoes to create another first: the iconic Venom and Mrs. Chen dance sequence! This light-hearted scene also featured work from our DNEG 360 team, who provided mocap services on set.One of the challenges of this sequence came again from Venoms size. When filming the choreography with the stand-in, the distance between the performers had to allow for the symbiotes true stature, which was achieved with extendable forearms as a guide for his reach, and a large head piece to account for his height and provide an eyeline for Peggy Lus Mrs. Chen.Another consideration was how Venoms size would impact the way he moved as a dancer. David told Digital Media World, Initially, we thought we would have to apply a much greater sense of weight and slower speed for Venoms character compared to our dancers performance, but it became apparent looking at reference material of dancers that these big guys can be pretty light on their feet. So we kept Venom a little bit pacier than anticipated, and let the contrast between his normal style of movement compared to his dancing add to the humour of the situation. We just made little adjustments where required to prevent him from feeling too light it was a fine balance.Sharing his thoughts on the film as a whole, David told Animation World Network, It was fun for me to work on this kind of film because if youve got an idea about how something can be more exciting or might help the narrative then everyone is open to those types of ideas, which is fantastic.Want a closer look at our work on Venom: The Last Dance? Check out our VFX Breakdown!

Were pleased to share that DNEG has entered a strategic partnership with Stars Collective to bring immersive theater experiences to the Chinese market!Leveraging our decades of expertise and our DNEG IXP division, which was launched earlier this year, we will work with Stars Collective on the development and production of immersive experience content, including establishing and operating immersive experience venues in China, and designing IP-themed stories and experiences tailored for the Chinese market.Speaking on the partnership, CEO Namit Malhotra said,With the launch of DNEG IXP, our Immersive Experiences division, and our continued drive to diversify our service offering to complement our Hollywood partnerships and projects, I welcome this strategic partnership with Stars Collective. The agreement aligns with our own investment in and development of premium global content, and I am confident that this partnership will deliver exciting creative opportunities for storytellers and new avenues for content owners to maximise the value of their IP across territories.The development, production, and operation of these immersive experience projects will focus first on China, with future plans to expand into Southeast Asia and North America.Learn more from Variety.

Were delighted to announce that Palak Patel has joined Prime Focus Studios!Prime Focus Studios was founded by our CEO Namit Malhotra to finance and produce films, TV series and other content at major studios, as well as independently. Leveraging the DNEG Groups award-winning global capabilities, including soundstages, production facilities, visual effects, feature animation, and more, Prime Focus Studios is a new home to innovative filmmakers and a partner to studios and rights-holders.Palak was previously EVP, Production and Development at Columbia Pictures where he helped to oversee the Venom trilogy, which grossed over $1.8 billion collectively, among other films. Before this, he was President of Production and Development at Roth Films and produced shows that have cumulatively grossed over $2 billion at the box office, including Oz the Great and the Powerful, Snow White and the Huntsman, Maleficent, Million Dollar Arm, In The Heart of the Sea, and The Huntsman: Winters War.Speaking about his new role as Chief Content Officer at Prime Focus Studios, Palak said: Ive known Namit for over a decade, and weve worked together on many films through DNEG, arguably the best VFX company in the world. Prime Focus Studios and DNEG joining forces as one company to offer full studio capabilities is game-changing from acquiring IP, to developing scripts, to assisting filmmakers maximize their creativity while minimizing financial risk with all the resources provided, from our state-of-the-art soundstages to utilizing DNEGs artists early in the development process to deliver across all formats and genres.Prime Focus Studios founder and DNEG Global CEO Namit Malhotra added: Prime Focus Studios brings a new and entrepreneurial approach to the development and creation of the worlds biggest movies. Partnership and collaboration with studios and filmmakers are already part of our DNA, and this new venture pushes that partnership to the next level. Im excited that Palak is joining us on this journey. His extensive production experience and understanding of the medium will help us to create a next-generation studio that will bring together the very best of cutting-edge technology, creative talent, and strategic investment, to create something truly unique.Read more about the news in The Hollywood Reporter.

Awards season has arrived, and were delighted to share the latest news about our nominated projects!BAFTA LonglistThe 2025 British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) announced their longlist today, and were thrilled to see two DNEG-led films, Dune: Part Two and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, included in the running for Special Visual Effects!Special Visual Effects:Dune: Part TwoFuriosa: A Mad Max SagaAlien: RomulusBeetlejuice, BeetlejuiceBetter ManCivil WarDeadpool & WolverineGladiator IIKingdom of the Planet of the ApesWickedAnd congratulations to our DNEG Animation crews for their work on That Christmas, which has been included in both the Animated Film and Childrens and Family Film categories!Animated Film:That ChristmasDespicable Me 4FlowInside Out 2Memoir of a SnailMoana 2Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most FowlThe Wild RobotChildrens and Family Film:That ChristmasFlowKensukes KingdomPiece By PieceSpellboundWallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most FowlThe Wild RobotYoung Woman and the SeaThe official BAFTA nominations are announced Wednesday, January 15th!Academy Awards ShortlistWere thrilled to share that Dune: Part Two has been shortlisted for the Best Visual Effects Oscar at the 2025 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards!As lead VFX partner on Denis Villeneuves visionary sequel, we couldnt be more proud of our teams incredible work. Huge congratulations to all for this honour!Best Visual Effects:Dune: Part TwoAlien: RomulusBetter ManCivil WarDeadpool & WolverineGladiator IIKingdom of the Planet of the ApesMufasa: The Lion KingTwistersWickedStay tuned the official nominees are announced on January 17th! Then97th Academy AwardsThe winners of the 97th Academy Awards will be announced at the Oscars ceremony, scheduled to take place on Sunday, March 2nd.Critics Choice Award NominationsThe Critics Choice Awards are given annually to honour the finest in cinematic and television achievement. Were so proud to see our DNEG VFX talent represented in this years nominations. Congratulations to our Dune: Part Two crew on this well-deserved nomination!Best Visual EffectsDune: Part TwoGladiator IIWickedBetter ManThe SubstanceKingdom of the Planet of the ApesThe winners of the 30th Critics Choice Awards will be announced Sunday, January 12th. To see the full list of categories and nominees, click here.The Astra AwardsThe Hollywood Creative Alliance Astra Awards were held on Sunday, December 8 in Los Angeles and DNEG brought home the award for Best Visual Effects for its work on Dune: Part Two!Congratulations to our team for this honour, and to all other nominees and winners of the evening!American Cinematheques Tribute To The CraftsDedicated to those who are at the very heart of filmmaking and have exhibited extraordinary work behind the camera over the past year, American Cinematheques Tribute to The Crafts has selected Dune: Part Two for the Visual Effects category this year!Congratulations to the honourees our very DNEG VFX Supervisors Stephen James and Rhys Salcombe, alongside Paul Lambert and Gerd Nefzer and to our entire Dune: Part Two team!The Saturn Awards NominationsThe Saturn Awards are presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film!We were thrilled to see our teams work recognized in the below category:Best Visual/Special EffectsDune: Part TwoAlien: RomulusBeetlejuice BeetlejuiceDeadpool & WolverineGodzilla Minus OneKingdom of the Planet of the ApesTwistersCongratulations to our team, and to all other nominees! The winners will be announced February 2, 2025.The Satellite Awards NominationsThe Satellite Awards are annual awards given by the International Press Academy that are commonly noted in entertainment industry journals and blogs! We were delighted to spot our teams work on Dune: Part Two recognized with a nomination in the Best Visual Effects category.Best Visual EffectsDune: Part TwoGladiator IIKingdom Of The Planet Of The ApesMufasa: The Lion KingTwilight of the Warriors: Walled InWickedStay tuned the winners will be announced on January 26th, 2025.

Learn more about our teams work on Here!Robert Zemeckis Here is based on a unique concept a film told from a single perspective with a locked-off camera, telling the stories that happen on that same patch of land as it changes across the ages!As the main VFX partner, our VFX, Technology, and Virtual Production teams all worked together to help realise the award-winning directors ambitious vision for this one-of-a-kind film. In a series of recent interviews, our very own Alexander Seaman, one of the talented DNEG VFX Supervisors on the film alongside Johnny Gibson and Daniel Elophe, has been sharing details on the work our amazing global teams delivered on the film.Speaking with Creative Bloq, Alexander said, What seemed to be a very straightforward project became extremely difficult and creatively challenging. The story is the paramount driver of the movie. Its not a car chase film where youre trying to wow the audience; instead, youre really trying to emote and give visual effects a creative platform to sell the emotion of the story.Read on for a closer look at our work!Era-Spanning CG EnvironmentsTasked with creating photorealistic CG environments that evolve and change through history, our VFX team captured everything from the construction of buildings to the changing of seasons. This also included a four-minute, continuous, fully CG shot that takes the viewer back in time to the age of the dinosaurs, covering the meteor extinction, Ice Age, thaw, and passing of time up to the modern era! To bring this shot to life, the team crafted complex CG environment builds, creature animation and multiple FX sims.Alexander told Creative Bloq, In terms of each individual component, the dinosaur shot wasnt anything that we hadnt done before at DNEG, so there wasnt any aspect that seemed particularly complex on paper. But, trying to tell a story, that spans over 100,000 years, in one 6,000 frame shot and telling different stories from the same view without being able to move the camera so its almost like the world moves through the camera rather than the camera moves through the world the logistics of that made it very difficult from a design perspective to come up with a narrative that had the beats and pace that were required.Innovative New SolutionsThroughout Here, eight different storylines are taking place, happening not chronologically but constantly and often transitioning between each other within the same frame!When our crew was presented with the challenge of bringing Robert Zemeckis vision to life for these transitions, our Technology team developed an exciting, first of its kind AI morphing tool to seamlessly blend and morph the house interior set for transitions from one time period to another!Speaking with Creative Bloq, Martine Bertrand (Senior Researcher, AI), shared, Visual Effects Supervisor Johnny Gibson reached out to me and said, We have these transitions and theyll allow you to move from one era to another and lots of those transitions happen inside the living room. We want to do something new.With this prompt in mind, Martine and our Technology team started investigating solutions. Looking into Latent Diffusion Models (LDMs), Martine had the idea to take pre-trained LDMs, trained on millions of images, and teach them to understand the semantics of Heres world. Pulling apart the model, she exploited that latent space that acts as an abstract representation of the image, and used a GAN to generate intermediate shapes that stay semantically relevant to the current transition.Then, using Google films, she experimented with interpolating between the two rooms which resulted in this twirly, melty, weird kind of in-betweenness. She continued, I thought OK, thats not semantically meaningful, but it is melting and maybe I can now apply a clean-up pass with the generative approach on top of that and maybe that will make it melty and semantically meaningful. And it did!The final challenge was to get this new, script-like tool into Nuke for our artists to use. Commending the efforts of our Technology team to Creative Bloq, she said, They worked together for weeks to build that tool and make it so that it would do what the artists wanted it to do. We found that in a day you could generate hundreds of different transitions, and that was something that was impossible to do before, and you could select the ones that you are most interested in and then use this alongside other, more traditional approaches (like dissolves) and combine this all together to create a very novel and interesting transition thats just a few seconds in the movie!Virtual ProductionOn the Virtual Production side, our DNEG 360 team, alongside our friends at Dimension Studio, set up a flat LED volume that allowed the exterior environments to be seen through the on-set window. Creating the content for the volume in Unreal Engine, the assets included 85 RealTime environments, a dynamic weather system and a library of foliage and classic cars!Discussing the use of the wall in one particularly beneficial moment a scene where the front door is opened and snow blows inside the films overall VFX Supervisor Kevin Baillie, shared with Animation Magazine: One of the reasons that the special effects team was able to nail it is because we could see on the LED wall through the window how fierce the storm was. We could match that by dialing the amount of snow that was coming in through the door to support that in a way that everything visually made sense. That is very difficult to do if you just have a blue screen instead of the window, which leads to a lot of guesswork.Sharing his thoughts on bringing the film to life as a whole, Alexander told Creative Bloq, I think that one of our key abilities at DNEG is that we are able to take a brief and complement it with additional ideas and additional designs. Its not so much about whose idea made it into the movie, but its more about collaborating with everyone to get the best out of each other and getting the best and most attractive ideas onto the screen.Want a closer look at our work? Watch our VFX Breakdown!Here is available to buy or rent now!

Hot off the press! Our last newsletter of the year is here.This special edition provides a trip down memory lane as we reminisce on all the incredible things our amazing DNEG and ReDefine crews have accomplished over the last 12 months.Heres a sneak peek:INSPIRING COLLABORATIONS Reminisce on our biggest releases of the year, including Dune: Part Two, The Garfield Movie and moreAWARDS AND INDUSTRY RECOGNITION Catch up on the recognition our amazing crews received in 2024 (so far!), from our Emmy award for The Last of Us to our AEAF wins for both Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and Godzilla x Kong: The New EmpireEXCITING DEVELOPMENTS Uncover the ways we went above and beyond this year to deliver the best version of everything that we doClick to read:Thank you to our teams for another great year of movie magic! Enjoy this supercut of some of the extraordinary films and shows we were honoured to help bring to life this year:Want to stay up to date in 2025? Subscribe here! See you next year!

Awards season has arrived, and were delighted to share the latest news about our nominated projects!Academy Awards ShortlistWere thrilled to share that Dune: Part Two has been shortlisted for the Best Visual Effects Oscar at the 2025 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards!As lead VFX partner on Denis Villeneuves visionary sequel, we couldnt be more proud of our teams incredible work. Huge congratulations to all for this honour!Best Visual Effects:Dune: Part TwoAlien: RomulusBetter ManCivil WarDeadpool & WolverineGladiator IIKingdom of the Planet of the ApesMufasa: The Lion KingTwistersWickedStay tuned the official nominees are announced on January 17th! Then97th Academy AwardsThe winners of the 97th Academy Awards will be announced at the Oscars ceremony, scheduled to take place on Sunday, March 2nd.Critics Choice Award NominationsThe Critics Choice Awards are given annually to honour the finest in cinematic and television achievement. Were so proud to see our DNEG VFX talent represented in this years nominations. Congratulations to our Dune: Part Two crew on this well-deserved nomination!Best Visual EffectsDune: Part TwoGladiator IIWickedBetter ManThe SubstanceKingdom of the Planet of the ApesThe winners of the 30th Critics Choice Awards will be announced Sunday, January 12th. To see the full list of categories and nominees, click here.The Astra AwardsThe Hollywood Creative Alliance Astra Awards were held on Sunday, December 8 in Los Angeles and DNEG brought home the award for Best Visual Effects for its work on Dune: Part Two!Congratulations to our team for this honour, and to all other nominees and winners of the evening!American Cinematheques Tribute To The CraftsDedicated to those who are at the very heart of filmmaking and have exhibited extraordinary work behind the camera over the past year, American Cinematheques Tribute to The Crafts has selected Dune: Part Two for the Visual Effects category this year!Congratulations to the honourees our very DNEG VFX Supervisors Stephen James and Rhys Salcombe, alongside Paul Lambert and Gerd Nefzer and to our entire Dune: Part Two team!The Saturn Awards NominationsThe Saturn Awards are presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film!We were thrilled to see our teams work recognized in the below category:Best Visual/Special EffectsDune: Part TwoAlien: RomulusBeetlejuice BeetlejuiceDeadpool & WolverineGodzilla Minus OneKingdom of the Planet of the ApesTwistersCongratulations to our team, and to all other nominees! The winners will be announced February 2, 2025.The Satellite Awards NominationsThe Satellite Awards are annual awards given by the International Press Academy that are commonly noted in entertainment industry journals and blogs! We were delighted to spot our teams work on Dune: Part Two recognized with a nomination in the Best Visual Effects category.Best Visual EffectsDune: Part TwoGladiator IIKingdom Of The Planet Of The ApesMufasa: The Lion KingTwilight of the Warriors: Walled InWickedStay tuned the winners will be announced on January 26th, 2025.

A look back at our DNEG Animation INSPIRE series in 2024!Our DNEG Animation team was delighted to wrap up 2024 with a jam-packed line-up of events, featuring remarkable experts from all corners of the industry.Read more about these fantastic sessions below!PIECE BY PIECEBack in October, we were thrilled to welcome to our London studio the creative team behind Piece by Piece, Director Morgan Neville and Producer Caitrin Rogers!A one-of-a-kind experience about one of musics most innovative minds told through the lens of LEGO animation, Piece by Piece invites audiences on a vibrant journey through the life of cultural icon Pharrell Williams. This unique cinematic experience was released in theatres on October 11th, and also features Gwen Stefani, Kendrick Lamar, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Busta Rhymes, Jay-Z, and Snoop Dogg.The duo treated our crew to a screening of the feature, then were joined by DNEG Animation Producer Shane Mulholland for an insightful discussion about the making of the film. From the initial meetings at Lego to bringing various celebrities on board, it was a fascinating conversation about how all the pieces finally fit together!Both coming from a background in documentary features and biopics, they were fascinated to discover the challenges and rewards that arose when communicating this genre through animation:It was very hard to reconcile documentary and animation. With documentaries, youre constantly going back. So much of it happens in the post process; youre refining and youre changing. In animation, the goal is to always move forward and at each stage were trying to not go back and change! And that was, I think, very hard for us.THE ANIMATED FILMS OF JOS PRATSIn November, we were fortunate to host Jos Prats! An award-winning Director, Jos worked at the British animation studio Aardman Animations between 2016-2021, where he created the colour script of the Oscar-nominated Robin Robin and the Netflix production Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget. Joining us via Zoom, Jos shared a screening of two of his most recent shorts, Adis and Umbrellas.Adis is an 8-minute long stop-motion short about family and growing up, centred on a father who is struggling to accept that his adult son is moving abroad. Part of the 2024 Graduation Short Film program of the National Film and Television School, Adis was selected for the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and San Sebastian International Film Festival.Umbrellas, a 2D animated short, tells the story of a young girl in a remote village where the rain never stops. Protected under her fathers umbrella beard, she typically never has to face the rain, which is her greatest fear until one night, when her beloved dog Nana disappears. Umbrellas was selected for the Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival and nominated for Best Animated Short Film at the Spanish Academy GOYA Awards!Following the screenings, Jos spoke with our crew about the making of each film, sharing inspirations and techniques, and also hosted a Q&A.PIXAR SHORT SELF WITH DIRECTOR SEARIT HULUFNext up in November, Searit Huluf joined us in our London studio to share a screening of her short film Self, the latest short from Pixars acclaimed SparkShorts program! The talented Director and Producer, whose credits also include Incredibles 2 and Turning Red, was so successful with her work on the short that it landed her on the 2024 Varietys Top 10 Animators to Watch List and won the Gold short film from the Collision Awards!Self is a touching story about a wooden doll who desperately wants to fit in. After making an ill-fated wish upon a star to blend in with her peers, she embarks on a journey of self discovery, challenging her perspective of both who she is and where she belongs.Following a screening of the short, Searit spoke about her inspirations behind the film, how her own life experiences shaped the story, and the process behind designing the character to honour her Ethiopian roots. She also shared several behind the scenes test footage, spoke about blending stop motion and computer animation to achieve the short films unique look, and brought in the stop motion doll for our crews to look at!LAYOUT ON INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE: VISUAL STORYTELLING WITH JAMES WILLIAMSFor the final INSPIRE session of the year, James Williams, Head of Layout for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, shared details about the films unique visual language and his fascinating journey in feature animation!Joining us in our London studio, James, whose credits over the years also include Prince of Egypt, Spirit, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, Hotel Transylvania and The Super Mario Bros. Movie, discussed the character development and storytelling techniques used in the movie, emphasizing the use of camera movements, composition and visual elements to convey emotions and relationships between characters. In a conversation moderated by DNEG Animations own Head of Layout Hailey White, he also discussed the creative process behind the film and the challenges faced in adapting to the comic book style!When speaking on the importance of teamwork and clear communication and collaboration, James said:As a Layout Supervisor, your job mainly is not to dictate to your artists. Its to inspire your artists and then be an advocate for your artists ideas.Were so honoured to have been joined by so many esteemed and inspiring guests for this important series!Wed like to extend our sincere thanks to Morgan Neville, Caitrin Rogers, Jos Prats, Searit Huluf and James Williams for joining us for these special INSPIRE events.DNEG Animations INSPIRE Series invites inspiring speakers to share their knowledge and experience with our global animation crews. Launched in 2021, the series was created to encourage our teams passion for animation through exciting learning opportunities and celebrations of innovative new work within the industry. Learn more about INSPIRE from the creators here!

Its officially time to deck the hallsThat Christmas has arrived on Netflix!In the cozy seaside town of Wellington-on-Sea, the holiday spirit takes an unexpected turn when the worst snowstorm in history throws everyones carefully laid plans, including Santas, into delightful chaos. Featuring heartwarming tales of love, friendship, and a dash of festive mischief, this holiday adventure is sure to leave audiences feeling merry and bright.Catch a glimpse of the trailer here:At DNEG Animation, were thrilled to have brought the magic of That Christmas to life. From the snow-covered streets to Santa and Dashers incredible flights through the sky, every scene was crafted with care and creativity to capture the essence of the holiday season.So grab your favorite blanket, some hot cocoa, and your loved ones, and dive into this unforgettable Christmas storynow streaming on Netflix!

From 2D Supervisor on 2018s Venom to VFX Supervisor on The Last Dance, learn more about David Lees creative journey working on Sonys hit anti-hero trilogy!Just over a month ago, the final instalment of the Venom trilogy hit theatres and was, appropriately, the top movie worldwide for 3 weeks following its release!As lead VFX partner on the previous two films in the trilogy, DNEG was honoured to return once again for the final instalment. Our work was led by VFX Supervisor David Lee, who previously worked as 2D Supervisor on the first film! From creative challenges to new tools, we sat down with David to hear more about his journey with the franchise. Read it here:Hi Dave and thank you for joining us! How did it feel having your role evolve as it did throughout the films?There is always a sense of trepidation when moving roles, a healthy respect of the unknown which I think is something to be embraced. Theres quite a leap between watching people make decisions in roles above you, and then being the one ultimately responsible for similar decisions when you get that opportunity. Generally, however, there is a real excitement to keep facing new challenges and learn new skills. And helpfully, Ive always been lucky to have the support of a great group of people around me at every level throughout my career!Can you share your journey in the visual effects industry, and how you transitioned from a 2D Supervisor to a VFX Supervisor?I began in visual effects back in 2005 in New Zealand. Having graduated from Film School, I began filming my own short films before learning After Effects online, and moving into animated shorts. This ultimately led to me getting a place at Weta as a Compositor, helped by good timing and good fortune. From there, I freelanced around New Zealand for a few years, then moved over to the UK and worked on commercials before the urge to move into longer forms led me to Cinesite, where John Carter was in full swing. After a few years there, I moved over to DNEG in a Lead Comp role on Man of Steel, and eventually into 2D Supervisor on the original Venom, then DFX Supervisor on Tenet, and VFX Supervisor on Meg 2: The Trench and Venom: The Last Dance.What lessons did you learn from working on the first Venom that you applied to the final instalment?I think generally it was a more iterative process from the first films. Via the wonders of hindsight, we could make adjustments to the set ups that had challenged us last time!For example, during Look Development for Venom, we created a variant of him for shots where he is small in screenspace, which we gave a different specular response, as it was previously harder to achieve the classic Venom look in these examples. And really, its many smaller scale adjustments that holistically make a difference. We would know which attributes might be more prone to client notes, so we could ensure they were particularly robust while we had the time early on to do so.Have you seen any significant changes in visual effects technology or processes between the first and final films of the trilogy?The first Venom was released in 2018, so were looking at a time span of about 6 years. In that time, the two things that jump out are machine learning, and automation.Automation certainly is not a new process, but development of this within DNEG has come along dramatically in its scope and ease. Classically, this has always been done in a more manual sense. For example, in comp, a lead may create a template that can then be copied and passed around to artists to give a solid base for shot-specific work. In the last few years however, this type of workflow has been integrated much more deeply into the pipeline, with more advanced tools to allow individual artists to work on many more shots with a much higher level of consistency than has been achieved in the past. These artists can also maintain ownership of these shots for a much longer duration! Its a much more efficient and consistent workflow. It also is a boon for late-in-the-day sequence changes, as in an ideal situation, we only have to make that change once, and it will flow through a multitude of shots without derailing the schedule.Machine learning is coming along at a tremendous pace. This has moved from the realms of reading about it, to actively starting to use it. We are still at the very beginning of this technology, but even the use of the copycat tool in Nuke to bash out rough holdout mattes is something that didnt exist during the original film. We do have some way to go with these new tools to get the level of quality and flexibility we need for final feature use, but the time between iterations is drastically reducing and there will only be more of this in the coming years!What are some of the creative or technical challenges around working on a franchise like Venom, and how did you and your team overcome them?I think the main challenge of franchise films like Venom is making sure you are ready for anything. There are a number of different creative inputs in shows like these, so preparation is key to ensure that any curve balls that come down the line are able to be incorporated into the show with as little stress as possible for everyone involved. So, technology and tooling play a large part with this, and we placed additional emphasis on every department to ensure that the fundamental set ups were solid, and flexibility was built into every approach. Now obviously this isnt always possible, but it is a good rule to live by. Essentially, expect the unexpected.What advice would you give to aspiring VFX artists looking to work on big projects like this?I think anything you have passion for, you will put in time with, and naturally become more practised and skilled at. Keep referencing the world around you and use it for inspiration. It holds the answers to everything!A big thank you to David for his insights! Watch this space and follow us on social media for more Venom news.Craving more Venom? Enjoy this reel of (just some!) our favourite DNEG shots from each film!

Our November newsletter has landed!Ready for the latest on show announcements, company updates and more? Read on for a round-up of all the exciting things that happened at DNEG in November!Heres a quick sneak peek:SPOTLIGHT Those About to Die received the award for Best Virtual Production at the Broadcast Tech Innovation Awards!LATEST RELEASES Skeleton Crew is now streaming on Disney+, and That Christmas lands on Netflix on the 4th!BEHIND THE SCENES Uncover our work on The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 with our new VFX Breakdown.IN THE PRESS A closer look at the work our crews delivered on Venom: The Last Dance!Click here to read:Want to stay up to date? Subscribe here!

The wait is over! Skeleton Crew, the latest addition to the Star Wars universe, releases today on Disney+ first two episodes now streaming.The series follows the thrilling journey of four kids who stumble upon a mysterious discovery on their home planet, catapulting them into an unfamiliar galaxy filled with danger, wonder, and unexpected alliances.With stunning visuals, compelling storytelling, and a touch of intergalactic magic, Skeleton Crew promises to be an adventure like no other. A massive congratulations to our incredible crew for helping to bring this captivating intergalactic adventure to life.Talking about the show, Chris McLaughlin, VFX Supervisor, said:Working on Skeleton Crew was an incredible experience, and it was a privilege to contribute to the Star Wars universe and help bring its iconic universe to life. Its rare that the opportunity to work on a show like Skeleton Crew comes along, and the team really made a tremendous effort to make it something special!Dont miss the chance to dive into this epic talestream the first two episodes of Skeleton Crew now on Disney+!

DNEG 360 and Dimension brought home the Best Virtual Production Award at the Broadcast Tech Innovation AwardsLast night, at the annual Broadcast Tech Innovation Awards in London, Team DNEG 360 and our friends at Dimension Studio were honoured with the Best Virtual Production Award for their incredible Virtual Production work on Those About to Die.The award celebrates the seamless blend of technology and artistry that helped to bring director Roland Emmerichs vision of Ancient Rome to life for the series. Our teams pushed the boundaries of virtual production for this hit show, creating an immersive historical world that has captivated audiences worldwide.But dont take our word for it heres what the judges had to say about our work:A major break-through in innovation for the TV industry and will become the benchmark for how virtual production is used in the future.A huge round of applause to our brilliant teams for this well-deserved recognition! Curious to learn more about the innovative techniques behind the award-winning work? Find out more here.

Were delighted to welcome Arundi Asregadooo and Richard Little to DNEG!Most recently completing work as VFX Supervisor on Disneys Mufasa: The Lion King, Richard joins our London studio. His impressive filmography also includes Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (for which he oversaw 800 final shots and the build of all 23 CG characters), the Oscar-winning 1917, and Guardians of the Galaxy.Joining us in our Barcelona studio, Arundis list of credits as VFX Supervisor includes The Mummy, Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, The Revenant, and Skyfall. Most recently, he supervised Warner Bros. superhero movie Shazam!, and Shane Blacks 2018 film The Predator for Twentieth Century Fox. On Ghost in the Shell, Arundi and his team delivered more than 1,000 shots to bring director Rupert Sanders live-action adaptation of the legendary manga series to life!Welcome to the team, Arundi and Richard!