Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1436481
BITS & PIECES ILM TO ADD NEW VIRTUAL PRODUCTION STAGE IN VANCOUVER SAN FRANCISCO — Visual effects/virtual production studio Industrial Light & Magic (www.ilm.com) has announced plans to expand its StageCraft LED virtual production services to Vancouver, British Columbia. The 20,000-square-foot stage will house one of the largest StageCraft LED volumes in North America. The new space will be ILM's fifth permanent volume, as the company already runs three stages in Los Angeles, as well as one at Pinewood Studios in London. "Vancouver is a fantastic production hub where we've received a lot of interest from our clients who want a StageCraft volume in British Columbia," explains Janet Lewin, SVP, and general manager of ILM. "It was a natural next step for our expansion. Our existing Vancouver visual effects studio is perfectly positioned to support virtual production and the new stage." "Our Canadian artists have contributed to digital set construction, as well as virtual art department work, on a number of StageCraft projects, so it's really exciting that we will soon have a volume in our own backyard," adds Spencer Kent, executive in charge of ILM's Vancouver stu- dio. "I'm also proud that we are actively recruiting with an eye towards hiring people from underrep- resented communities, who we can train in the field of virtual production, strengthening our com- mitment to diversifying our industry. This effort will be bolstered when we launch our upcoming Jedi Training Academy in January." ILM won two Emmy Awards for their innovative realtime visual effects work for the first two seasons of Lucasfilm's hit Disney+ series, The Mandalorian. They are currently in production on three episodic series and a feature film on their existing StageCraft volumes, in addition to daily bookings for smaller productions, including commercials, music videos and product-marketing pieces. ILM also builds StageCraft volumes for proj- ects with specific requirements, such as George Clooney's The Midnight Sky and Taika Waititi's upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder, which were built on stages in London and Sydney respective- ly. In addition, Disney Television Studios and ILM announced recently the opening of an addition- al StageCraft LED volume on the Disney lot in Burbank, which will be used for episodic televi- sion production. ILM intends for the Vancouver StageCraft volume to be operational in the spring of 2022. www.postmagazine.com 6 POST NOV/DEC 2021 BELOFX OPENS FOR BUSINESS QUEBEC, CANADA - BeloFX (www.belofx.com) is a new visual effects com- pany that has opened for business in British Columbia and Quebec, Canada, as well as in the UK. Built on a core belief in creative talent empowered by technology, the company will harness the potential of distributed working from its inception. BeloFX was founded by Matt Holben, Alex Hope, Ellen Walder and Graham Jack, and is backed by creative industry entrepreneur, Elisabeth Murdoch. The team has extensive experience in high-end visual effects and intends the company to be at the forefront of an era of dramatic change in moving image technology and process. "BeloFX's dynamism positions them perfectly to seize the exciting oppor- tunities the global VFX industry offers," says Murdoch. "From personal experi- ence, Matt, Alex, Ellen and Graham have a deeply-held commitment to creativ- ity and innovation, which are critical to delivering exceptional partnerships with the world's greatest film and television talent. I couldn't be more privileged to be at the start of this revolutionary new company with them all." Director of operations, Hannah Cook, and managing director for VFX, Matt Plummer, lead the VFX team, alongside VFX supervisors Joel Green and Mike Brazelton - the latter set to join the company in early 2022. BeloFX welcomes individuals from diverse backgrounds with interesting ideas to join them as they actively build their artistic teams in Quebec, British Columbia, and the UK. Artists can work from home and shape a career contrib- uting to ground-breaking projects while benefiting from the flexibility needed in modern life. Jack, Walder, Holben and Hope