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DNEG Adds Oscar-Winning Talent to VFX Team

Academy Award-winning industry veterans Eric Brevig and Greg Butler join the visual effects and animation company at a time of unprecedented growth.

DNEG continues to build its VFX dream team, boasting the addition of Oscar-winning industry veterans Eric Brevig and Greg Butler. Both bring impressive and notable credits, including an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for Brevig’s role as VFX supervisor for Total Recall (1990) and an Academy Award and BAFTA for Best Visual Effects for Butler’s work as VFX supervisor on Sam Mendes’ war drama 1917 (2019).

Brevig’s credits include Oscar nominations for Hook (1991) and Pearl Harbor (2001), as well as a BAFTA nomination for Men in Black (1997), while Butler earned his first BAFTA nomination for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011). Earlier in his career, Butler received a Visual Effects Society Award for ‘Outstanding Character Animation’ for his work on Gollum in The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (2003).

“I am proud to have both Eric and Greg, two highly accomplished industry veterans, each with their own incredible legacy of breathtaking work, join DNEG’s creative ranks,” commented DNEG chairman and CEO Namit Malhotra. “Eric and Greg will certainly help us continue to push the creative boundaries of what is possible during this period of technological advancement in our industry and unprecedented demand for our services. Adding professionals with track records, talent, and expertise such as theirs further solidifies DNEG as the VFX and animation studio leader in the category.”

“I have had the pleasure of working with DNEG and Namit on several projects in the past, and I am delighted to become part of this world-class creative team,” commented Brevig. “DNEG’s commitment to excellence and future growth plans make this a very exciting time for me to join the company.”

He continued, “My approach to the craft of VFX has always been to find the right techniques to create the most believable, engaging, and immersive experience for the audience. Using both virtual and physical tools, we can now realize anything the filmmaker can envision.”

Butler joins DNEG from Method Studios, where he worked as a VFX supervisor on feature, episodic, and advertising projects, including a large-scale yet-to-be-announced project for Amazon.

“I have been following DNEG for many years - even before my London Soho days – as a competitor, a collaborator, and as the home to many of my favorite people in visual effects,” said Butler. “I am very excited to join DNEG’s Montréal office, and I know we are going to make some great work together.”

“Visual effects is a magic trick,” he continued. “Its purpose, to keep the audience engaged in the story and the world of the film. Whether it is used to create fantastic wand duels in Harry Potter, or invisible cuts in 1917, visual effects is a series of illusions created in service of the story. While it’s the end result that matters, I have always been enthralled by the filmmaking process; the dynamic behind-the-scenes collaboration of VFX artists and the live-action crews whose work is their foundation.”

Source: DNEG

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Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.