Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1496872
ARIS — Outside the United States, cities such as Montreal and London, and even those as a far away as Australia, are often thought of as hot spots for leading visual effects work. But France is see- ing growth thanks to tax incentives, along with the recent opening of several new studios. One of Us (The Witcher, The Sandman, Luther: The Fallen Sun) have found that Paris to be a hive of VFX excellence. And with new tax in- centives, the studio believes the country is on its way to becoming the next key center for the industry. With their newest studio in Paris, One of Us (https://www. weacceptyou.com) is already working on a range of international productions with a team of talented artists. France has a long and rich history of cinema, but tax incentives are specifi- cally helping its VFX industry is flourish. According to the French National Centre for Cinema and the Moving Image, the number of visual effects companies in France has grown since 2011, and the country has seen a 39 percent growth in the number of full-time employees in the sector over that same period. Based in London, One of Us is re- alizing the potential of its European neighbor. The company opened its Paris studio in 2021, which is currently home to a team of more than 100. There, artists have contributed to a range of international projects, including John Wick: Chapter 4, Luther: The Fallen Sun and Tim Van Patten's Franklin series with Michael Douglas. Leading the One of Us team in Paris is Emmanuel (Manu) Pichereau, whose credits include Under the Skin, Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children and The Matrix 4. "We have a great team now, and we're working on great quality features, with more and more international projects," says Pichereau. "Our plan right now is to build a natural flow, focusing all our energy on working on the shows, making great features and really developing the right culture here." France is already home to many experi- enced artists, as well as emerging talent. "We have a lot of artists who have worked around the world in VFX work- ing here in Paris and across France, so there's plenty of experience to build from," says Pichereau. "We've seen a real variety, from senior artists to those just out of school, creating a real diver- sity of talent." Connectivity between One of Us' London and Paris studios allows artists to seamlessly collaborate on projects, ex- tending the company's hub of VFX talent. "It's the perfect opportunity to try something new — enjoy living in a new city with a new culture, perspective and language, whilst working on the same caliber of projects as the teams in London," Pichereau adds. London VFX house Milk (www.milk-vfx. com) also recognized the opportunities that France has to offer, having opened a new studio in Bordeaux back in January. VFX supervisor Andy Morley leads the team, acting as head of studio and work- ing with his extensive network of VFX talent in France and across Europe, in addition to developing relationships with key schools and universities to access emerging talent. Morley joined Milk over a year ago, and is a highly-experienced, award-winning visual effects supervisor with credits that include Avengers: Infinity War, Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them and Batman Begins, as well as recent Milk projects that include The Swimmers (Netflix) and The Woman King (Sony). Milk's Bordeaux studio operates as a hub for Milk France's hybrid remote and office-based team, leveraging the stu- dio's London infrastructure, in addition to its own local capabilities. The announce- ment follows Milk's recent acquisition of Lola Post Production. "We're excited to open Milk for busi- ness in France, a country I know well, having split my time between here and London over the last decade," notes Jag Mundi, Milk executive chairman. "In particular, Bordeaux, with its technical and creative leaning, and strong heri- tage in animation and gaming, will be an excellent base. We're especially pleased to appoint Andy Morley, who we have got to know well as our head of studio and Milk's creative lead in the region. Our French studio will be pivotal as we continue to build a strong platform for Milk's growth, enabling us to work with a wide range of talent across Europe to deliver more premium, high-quality film and episodic content to our clients." "I'm excited to help Milk expand our potential and harness the rich network of creative VFX talent in France and across Europe to deliver both film and TV projects working in symphony with the team in London," adds Morley. "At our French studio, we will be able to develop a next generation VFX business, built to be client-, artist- and technology-driven from the outset, focusing on delivering high-end and complex work, initially servicing work sourced through our UK business and then looking to engage in local markets with regional offices of global streamers and national studios, such as Studio Canal and Pathe." UK STUDIOS SEE OPPORTUNITY IN FRANCE LONDON VFX BUSINESSES ARE EXTENDING THEIR REACH IN EUROPE P BUSINESS www.postmagazine.com 28 POST MAR/APR 2023 Milk's Andy Morley One of Us' Paris studio