Nike's Good versus Evil spots from The Mill was epic in scope and production. Image courtesy of Nike and The Mill.

Although small compared to such VFX titans as Industrial Light & Magic and Digital Domain, the Mill is recognized as one of the top five VFX studios in the world. Thus, the London-based company has evolved over the years to suit the changing needs of a volatile industry.

A Baby Is Born
When Robin Shenfield and Pat Joseph set up the Mill in January 1990, it was the first fully digital VFX company in Europe. It didn’t take long for the new kids on the block to bag their first commercial with British Gas’ Water Babies. Directed by Mike Portelly for ad agency BMP DDB, this simple, memorable spot gave The Mill a steady push on the bumpy road to digital visual effects stardom.

By the following year, artists at The Mill was working on commercials for agencies like Saatchi & Saatchi, COI, and Bartle Bogle Hegarty with directors like Ridley Scott, Graham Rose and Tarsem. Unforgettable TV ad’s like Halifax’s House, Levis Swimmer, and Guinness’ Art established The Mill as a creative force. Within the first year, this fledgling company was in the process of forming long term relationships with many top agencies and directors.

In 13 years, co-founders Robin Shenfield (left) and Pat Joseph have managed to make The Mill one of the most respected names in visual effects. Courtesy of The Mill.

Football, Fast Cars, Jeans and John Smiths
It didn’t take long for The Mill to make its mark on the advertising world, and by 1997 the company had completed work on around 50 commercials, each one leaving a lasting impression on the TV advertising industry, and indeed the public. No less than five Levis commercials were undertaken by Mill artists, including the famous Taxi, Drug Store, and Night and Day, directed by Tarsem.

Tarsem’s Levis commercials were becoming something of a legend, and he was turning to The Mill more and more to realize his visions. Nike’s Good versus Evil was an epic spot in which an all-star football team featuring Eric Cantona and Ronaldo, among others, come up against an evil team set on destroying the game. This very cinematic-looking commercial seemed to be the way The Mill was going, and its reputation for this was growing…

The Mill whipped up a storm with Tony Kaye’s Twister, an impressive ad for Volvo commissioned by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO. This was undoubtedly a company coming into its own, able to create a feature film look and feel for the TV market. And things showed no sign of slowing down. The Mill was soon working on Sony Playstation spots Double Life and Mental Wealth, and more memorable Levis ads, including the hugely popular Twist, in which a group of people twist their hands, arms and legs in various inexplicable ways (because they’re wearing Levis, of course!).

Although commercials form the bulk of The Mill’s work, they have dabbled in other areas, completing work on Madonna’s Frozen, and the Prodigy’s Breathe. The BBC’s Perfect Day was The Mill’s biggest accomplishment of 1997, on which artists spent literally months placing clever background behind the various singers.

Other memorable Mill moments include Guinness’ Bet on Black, Frank Budgen’s brilliant spot in which a CG snail race takes place. The Mill’s credits read like a who’s who of British popular culture. Alcohol, fast cars, fashion, mobile phones.

The Mill Conquers Hollywood
1997 saw The Mill step into the feature film VFX industry, when it set up Mill Film. With an already established talent base and production pipeline, The Mill expanded its operations and was soon catching the eye of the Hollywood studios. Mill Film existed with a core of around 35 artists, but this number was often increased to more than 150 via a huge freelance talent base.