Bollywood Superstar Shah Rukh Khan Hires Jeff Kleiser As VFX Supervisor
Press Release from Synthespian Studios
Williamstown, MA – Producer and Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s company “Red Chillies Entertainment Pvt. Ltd” announced that Jeff Kleiser, CEO of Synthespian Studios, has signed on as visual effects supervisor for the upcoming production of “Ra.One,” set to shoot in Mumbai and London this year. “Ra.One,” a science fiction thriller, will be released globally in 2011, following on the heels of Mr. Khan’s current release, “My Name is Khan”, which is being distributed in the United States by Fox Searchlight and opened on February 12th.
“I am honored and excited to join this team of filmmakers, especially after screening Mr. Khan’s brilliant performance in ‘My Name is Khan’” said Kleiser, from his Massachusetts studio. “‘Ra.One’ is a super-hero film, and the visual effects will expand on work we have done in the past for the ‘X-Men’ films (Mystique transformations) and the digital face replacement we developed for ‘The One’ starring Jet Li.” As visual effects supervisor, Kleiser will work closely with Mumbai-based “redchillies.vfx” a visual Effects Studio owned by Mr. Khan as well as a number of global visual effects firms. “There are some challenging visual effects shots required for this film, and it will take a diverse array of talent and artistry to achieve what is in the script,” Kleiser added.
In addition to its visual effects in feature films (“Stargate,” the “X-Men Trilogy,” “Fantastic Four,” and most recently “Surrogates,” Synthespian Studios is well known for two seminal ride attractions: “The Amazing Adventures of Spider-man” a stereoscopic project for Universal’s Islands of Adventure, and “Corkscrew Hill,” a stereoscopic ride at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, VA.
While Kleiser is on location in Mumbai and London, incoming projects at Synthespian Studios and those in production will continue to be managed by their senior teams at the studio’s two locations in Williamstown, MA and North Hollywood, CA. under the direction of partner and Synthespian Studios director Diana Walczak. For more information, visit www.synthespians.net.