Cinesite (Europe) Ltd announced that it has moved into production on visual effects for several major feature films, which will complete throughout 2004. These include TROY (Warner Bros.), HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN (Warner Bros.), ALIEN VS. PREDATOR (Fox), AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS (Walden Media), SAHARA (Paramount), KING ARTHUR (Buena Vista) and ALFIE (Paramount).
Cinesite's work on these productions covers a wide variety of effects, including complex CG, animation, compositing, digital effects, digital matte paintings and high volumes of film scanning and laser recording.
Cinesite chairman Colin Brown says "Our early prediction of how busy the next few months would be ensured that Cinesite's move into new, larger and better equipped offices [last] summer was timely. This is a very buoyant time for the U.K. film industry, and the large slate of films (U.K. co-productions and U.S. funded) shooting and post producing in the U.K. is indicative of the key position that U.K. visual effects suppliers have earned globally. I expect that the next few months will be amongst the busiest Cinesite has ever had."
Cinesite (Europe) moved to new Soho offices at Medius House in August 2003, bringing their total U.K. office and studio space (including both Effects Associates at Pinewood Studios and Cinesite Models at Shepperton Studios) to around 50,000 square feet. Since January 2003, Cinesite's management and creative teams have been largely restructured, including the addition of the models team behind the success of the previous two HARRY POTTER films, and many of the lead creatives previously at Mill Film, which contributed to the Oscar-winning effects on GLADIATOR. Cinesite's production team has expanded by around 40% over recent weeks.
Managing director Antony Hunt says, "Cinesite has won some highly challenging projects for 2004 and this is a great opportunity for our creative teams to show what they are capable of. It is also a fantastic opportunity for us to strengthen our teams of artists by recruiting highly talented individuals from around the world. I am pleased to announce that recent recruitment drives by Cinesite are proving very successful and we are looking forward to welcoming some key international talent over the next few weeks."
Since completing the substantial model build and unit photography on THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN in September, Cinesite's models unit have moved straight into production on THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (Warner Bros.). Cinesite's physical effects company Effects Associates are currently working on Sahara, having completed work on WIMBLEDON, ALFIE and THUNDERBIRDS earlier in the year.
Established in 1992, Cinesite (
www.cinesite.com ) is a Kodak subsidiary and part of the company's Entertainment Imaging division. Cinesite (Europe) Ltd in London offers visual effects and physical effects through their subsidiary Effects Associates. Cinesite Hollywood offers digital mastering, digital restoration and scanning and recording services.
