Axis Group Unites Brands Under Axis Studios

The new global identity unites U.K. brands Axis Animation, Flaunt Productions and axisVFX under one banner, accompanies company growth and is being celebrated with a limited-edition art book showing the behind-the-scenes work that goes into ‘delivering the unexpected.’

'Dawn of War III' from Axis Animation

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND -- Animation and VFX collective Axis Group has announced the official launch of Axis Studios -- a new powerhouse identity that unites Axis’ three branches and locations across the UK.

Axis Studios cements the creative output of Axis Animation, Flaunt Productions and axisVFX under a singular banner with one common goal: deliver the unexpected. The three brands will operate with a greater degree of collaboration, enabling Axis Studios to tackle a wider range of exciting, large scale projects across all three locations, in every sector of the entertainment industry.

This change also reflects the continual growth and physical expansion taking place across Axis Studios’ three sub-brands. AxisAnimation and Flaunt Productions in Glasgow and axisVFX in Bristol have expanded their spaces to house a creative crew of 230 people, and Axis London plans to relocate to a new studio in late Summer 2017.

Although each brand has distinct goals, strategies and talent bases, the companies will share and collaborate under the aegis of Axis Studios. Talent and creative skills will work across projects in a unique setup of three studios acting as one.

Richard Scott, CEO at Axis Studios, commented: “Axis Studios bolsters our ability to be involved in the most creatively challenging areas of the entertainment industry. Whatever the demands of the project, Axis Studios can look across three companies and locations to select the optimum creative approach, production workflow and culture. We’re not beholden to one set template. Collaboration is at the core of Axis Studios, ensuring every project is tailored to its requirements.”

As the mothership of Axis Studios, Axis Glasgow has doubled its physical space in its Skypark HQ, allowing for a creative crew of 180 people. This move is complemented by axisVFX’s recent expansion in the South West’s major film studio, The Bottle Yard Film Studios. AxisVFX’s Bristol studio now has capacity for up to 50 people, with aims to grow the 2D and 3D teams to deliver VFX work on Aardman Animation’s upcoming feature film Early Man, along with a slate of television drama productions.

Axis London is also moving to a new central London location in Summer 2017, where the team will continue to specialize in pre-production for a range of projects in television, films and video games, supporting all three studios in the Axis Studios group.

Debbie Ross, Executive Producer at Axis Studios, added: “The Axis Studios expansion gives us access to a deeper pool of creative talent across all three locations. The artists in each of our studios have different but very complementary skillsets. It is so important for us to nurture, develop and work collaboratively with the best talent as they are the backbone to realizing our future ambitions.”

To celebrate the announcement of Axis Studios, the team is set to release a brand-new art book detailing the fantastic work created behind the scenes at all three Axis Studios locations. From sci-fi to fantasy, from traditional to digital, the art book contains an abundance of imagination committed to paper.

Jon Beeston, Head of Art at Axis Studios, said: “Concept and production art are the maps that lead us to fantastic treasures. Audiences don’t get to see the reams of work created during the pre-production and production stages of a project; we wanted to shine a spotlight on a number of the incredible artists who help us explore and define our characters, worlds and stories.”

Axis Studios is based in the United Kingdom with a global clientele. It boasts one of the largest CGI production staffs in the UK and is on course to triple turnover between 2015 and 2018 to £15m.

Recent engagements include the Emmy Award-winning Lost in Oz for Amazon Studios, the Academy Award-nominated feature film Shaun the Sheep the Movie for Aardman Animations, the Royal Television Society Award-nominated visual effects for the BBC’s Doctor Wh, and the Royal Television Society Award-winning Dawn of War III for Sega.