Framestore

For the computer graphics concept, see framebuffer.

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Framestore
Industry	Motion picture special visual effects
Founded	1986
Headquarters	United Kingdom, United States, Canada
Products	Visual effects
Parent	Cultural Investment Holdings

Framestore is a British visual effects and animation company based on Chancery Lane in London. Formed in 1986, it acquired (and subsequently merged) the Computer Film Company in 1997. The company works across several different areas of the media: feature films, commercials, music videos, feature animation and digital. Framestore employs about 2,500 staff - 1,000 in London, and 1,500 spread across offices in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Montreal, Pune in India and Beijing.

History

Foundation

Framestore was founded in 1986 by Sharon Reed, William Sargent, Jonathan Hills, Mike McGee and Alison Turner. Tim Webber joined Framestore in 1988 and led the company's push into digital film and television, developing Framestore's virtual camera and motion rig systems. In 1992, Mike Milne started the CGI department, adding computer-generated animation to the company's range of facilities. The company's work covered award-winning images in commercials, music videos, television graphics and television drama. In 1994 its film visual effects division was set up.^{[citation needed]}

Merger with CFC

Framestore office exterior in London, March 2014, after Gravity BAFTA wins

In 1997 Framestore acquired the Computer Film Company (CFC), which was one of the UK's first digital film special effects companies, developing technology for digital film scanning, compositing, and output. CFC was founded in London in 1984 by Mike Boudry, Wolfgang Lempp (now CTO at Filmlight) and Neil Harris (Lightworks). CFC's first film was The Fruit Machine, in 1988, which utilised early morphing techniques.

In 2004 Framestore opened their first satellite office in New York City, to focus on advertising. This was followed by another office in Iceland in 2008, which has since been closed and has reopened as a local VFX company, RVX. In 2013 Framestore opened an office in Montreal, followed by another in Los Angeles the same year. In 2014, it launched a production arm.

Early projects for the company include the delivery of its first feature animation project The Tale of Despereaux with Universal; the completion of Europe's first digital intermediate for the film Chicken Run in 2000; contribution of scenes for the 2009 film Avatar, and the completion as a production project of four British feature films which opened in theatres between during 2009 and 2010.

Acquisition by CIH

In November 2016, Framestore agreed to let the Shanghai-based Cultural Investment Holdings Co acquire 75% of it for £112.50 million. At the time, Framestore had its main base in London Soho, and additional offices in New York, Montreal, and Los Angeles, employing around 1,400 staff. It was also working on projects such as Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Beauty and the Beast, and Paddington 2. In April 2017, Framestore opened a third US location, in Chicago, Illinois.

The company also worked on the 2017 film Darkest Hour directed by Joe Wright, working out of the Montreal facility of Framestore to create historically accurate backdrops for 85 shots in the film, including battle scenes.

The team created around 300 shots for the 2017 film Blade Runner 2049, with Framestore winning a special visual effects award at the 2018 British Academy Film Awards. They have also worked on Black Mirror, creating props such as the 60s-style spaceship in the premiere of the fourth season.

In its current incarnation, Framestore delivers images for feature films, television drama, advertising, console and online games, internet and mobile phone applications, and at one point has been Europe's largest post-production house.^{[citation needed]}

Accolades

CFC has been awarded two Scientific and Technical Academy Awards, and 14 Primetime Emmys. In 2008, Framestore won their first Oscar for Best Visual Effects for the film The Golden Compass; they also won the BAFTA Award for that film the same year. Framestore was also nominated for Oscars in 2007 (Superman Returns), in 2009 (The Dark Knight) and again in 2010 (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1).^{[citation needed]}

Tim Webber was the VFX supervisor on Gravity (2013), and the techniques involved in the film realised by Webber and the Framestore team took three years to complete. The team won the best visual effects awards BAFTA Award for Best Special Visual Effects at the 67th British Academy Film Awards, and the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects award at the 86th Academy Awards.

In advertising the team has also won major awards including Cannes Lions, British Television Advertising Awards, Clios, D&AD and others.

The company's R&D team spun off to create the technology company Filmlight, which in 2010 received four Scientific Academy Awards.^{[citation needed]}

Advertising and trade characters

Framestore has collaborated with companies and advertising agencies to create trade characters, and also created an attempted photorealistic computer-generated Audrey Hepburn for a Galaxy advert. A combination of elements including body doubles, motion capture, FACS and a lighting program called Arnold were used to mimic the appearance of the actress 20 years after her death. The advert drew press attention both for the cutting edge technology utilized and the ethical implications of using a person's likeness posthumously for commercial purposes.

Film projects

Recent

• The Suicide Squad (2021)
• Tom and Jerry (2020)
• Army of the Dead
• Dolittle (2020)
• Untitled Schulman/Joost project
• Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
• Mulan (2020)
• No Time to Die (2020)
• The King's Man (2020)
• Lady and the Tramp (2019)
• Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019)
• Pokémon Detective Pikachu (2019)
• Avengers: Endgame (2019)
• Dumbo (2019)
• Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
• Alita: Battle Angel (2019)
• Mary Poppins Returns (2018)
• Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)
• Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle (2018)
• Christopher Robin (2018)
• Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
• Paddington 2 (2017)
• Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
• Geostorm (2017)
• Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
• Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017)
• Alien: Covenant (2017)
• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
• Beauty and the Beast (2017)
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)
• Doctor Strange (2016)
• Pan (2015)
• The Martian (2015)
• Everest (2015)
• Avengers: Age Of Ultron (2015)
• Paddington (2014)
• Dracula Untold (2014)
• Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
• Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
• Gravity (2013)
• Wrath of the Titans (2012)
• Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)
• War Horse (2011)
• Clash of the Titans (2010)
• Harry Brown (2009)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010) and Part 2 (2011)
• Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang (2010)
• Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)
• Salt (2010)
• Sherlock Holmes (2009)
• Your Highness (2011)
• The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010)
• Coca-Cola Siege advertisement (Super Bowl XLV)
• We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks (2013)

Past

• The Affair of the Necklace (2001)
• Australia (2008)
• Avatar (2009)
• The Ballad of Big Al (2000)
• The Beach (2000)
• Blade II (2002)
• The Bone Collector (1999)
• Bright Young Things (2003)
• Casino Royale (2006)
• Cast Away (2000)
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
• Chased by Dinosaurs (2002)
• Cheri (2009)
• Chicken Run (2000)
• Children of Men (2006)
• The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)
• A Close Shave (1995)
• Cold Lazarus (1996)
• Cold Mountain (2003)
• The Constant Gardener (2005)
• The Dark Knight (2008)
• Die Another Day (2002) - title sequence only
• Dinotopia (2002)
• Doctor Who - title sequence only
• Doom (2005)
• The End of the Affair (1999)
• Enduring Love (2004)
• Enemy at the Gates (2001)
• Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
• The 51st State (2001)
• G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009)
• Goal (2006)
• The Golden Compass (2007)
• The Good Thief (2002) & Dirty Pretty Things (2002)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
• The Jacket (2005)
• The Last Dragon (2004)
• Layer Cake (2004)
• The Lost World (2001)
• Love Actually (2003)
• Mamma Mia (2008)
• Mission: Impossible 2 (2000)
• The Mummy Returns (2001)
• Nanny McPhee (2004)
• noitulovE (2005)
• Notting Hill (1999)
• Primeval (2007–11)
• Prehistoric Park (2006)
• The Proposition (2005)
• Quantum of Solace (2008)
• The Queen (2006)
• Resident Evil (1996)
• Sahara (2005)
• Sea (2007)
• Sea Monsters (2003)
• Sexy Beast (2000)
• Skyfall (2012)
• Sleepy Hollow (1999)
• Superman Returns (2006)
• The Tale of Despereaux (2008) - under Framestore Feature Animation
• Thunderbirds (2004)
• Troy (2004)
• Underdog (2007)
• Underworld (2003)
• V for Vendetta (2005)
• Walking with Beasts (2001)
• Walking with Cavemen (2003)
• Walking with Dinosaurs (1999)
• Walking with Monsters (2005)
• Wanted (2008)
• What Lies Beneath (2000)
• Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
• X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)

See also

• Weta Digital
• Industrial Light & Magic
• Moving Picture Company (MPC)

External links

• Official website
• The Computer Film Company on IMDb
• Wired article on the company

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