Rushes has recently turned its focus to ad and promo work. Here the company created photorealistic smoke in an anti-smoking spot (left) and classic rock god imagery in a video for The Darkness. Courtesy of Rushes.

While the U.K. has become ever more prominent in the global movie vfx market, things have been a little less sure-footed at the broadcast level over the last few years. That smaller teams and smaller budgets should leave it lagging slightly behind is only natural. But broadcast is also more susceptible to vagaries of the global economy. A downturn led to smaller ad spends, which in turn meant agencies turned less frequently to visual effects. Now, with more money being thrown around once again, the studios have the opportunity to apply the technique and technology advances that have been so effective in movie vfx to music promos and ad spots.

“We and our main rivals have all kept consistently busy, but work does gravitate to the top, and so people are getting squeezed further down the chain,” says Robin Shenfield. As ceo of The Mill, the largest studio in the U.K. to concentrate purely on the broadcast market, he’s ideally placed to comment on the state of play.

The company also works closely with many U.S.-based clients, via its offices in New York. Shenfield reckons the U.K. to be some six months behind the U.S. on the current market upswing, but says there’s already a real sense of confidence throughout the industry.

“It’s showing in the way people are booking a lot further forward than this time last year. We’re already taking on work for the summer. And I also get the feeling time and budget pressures on agencies has eased off a little, which obviously percolates through to us, and makes the industry more buoyant generally.”

The Mill’s departure from the movie business may have been dramatic, but the move has clearly paid off. Remaining focused, while building on the talent and cutting edge techniques developed during its time as a movie post-production facility, it’s been able to craft an enviable portfolio of video and commercials jobs.