Welcome to Deadline’s International Disruptors, a feature where we’ll shine a spotlight on key executives and companies outside of the U.S. shaking up the offshore marketplace. This week, we’re talking visual effects powerhouse Union VFX, an independent outfit based in London and, more recently, Montréal, which has spent the last 15 years quietly building a reputation for delivering some of the most seamless and invisible visual effects across the film and television spheres. We sit down with three of their heads to talk about how the business has grown, why it’s important to involve VFX teams at early stages and what’s next for the company.
The best visual effects are the ones that you don’t notice, the ones that blend seamlessly into the storyline and bring the audience deeper into the world of the storyteller. For instance, if you tuned into Amazon Prime Video...
The best visual effects are the ones that you don’t notice, the ones that blend seamlessly into the storyline and bring the audience deeper into the world of the storyteller. For instance, if you tuned into Amazon Prime Video...
- 11/22/2023
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: British visual effects outfit Union is launching its first international studio in Montreal, Canada, as it looks to expand the services it offers its clients in feature film and high-end television.
The new studio, which comes as Union enters its 15th year, is based in a refurbished industrial building called Le Nordelec between Griffintown and Pointe-Saint-Charles. Union is in the process of recruiting technical, creative and production roles across all levels for its Canadian team.
Founded by Adam Gascoyne and Tim Caplan in 2008, Union has grown from strength to strength and has fast become a top player in the London VFX scene. The fully independent studio has worked across a raft of projects from top talents such as Sam Mendes, Martin McDonagh, Danny Boyle and Stephen Frears. In the last three years, Union has invested heavily in expanding its CG team, delivering VFX on projects including Apple TV+’s For All Mankind,...
The new studio, which comes as Union enters its 15th year, is based in a refurbished industrial building called Le Nordelec between Griffintown and Pointe-Saint-Charles. Union is in the process of recruiting technical, creative and production roles across all levels for its Canadian team.
Founded by Adam Gascoyne and Tim Caplan in 2008, Union has grown from strength to strength and has fast become a top player in the London VFX scene. The fully independent studio has worked across a raft of projects from top talents such as Sam Mendes, Martin McDonagh, Danny Boyle and Stephen Frears. In the last three years, Union has invested heavily in expanding its CG team, delivering VFX on projects including Apple TV+’s For All Mankind,...
- 3/30/2023
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
Visual effects firm will also re-team with The Theory of Everything director James Marsh on the upcoming Donald Crowhurst biopic.
Union has been named VFX vendor on Stephen Frears’ Florence Foster Jenkins, starring Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant.
The film is the true story of the legendary New York heiress and socialite who obsessively pursued her dream of becoming a great opera singer. But while the voice she heard in her head was beautiful, to everyone else it was awful.
London-based visual effects facility Union previously worked with Frears on Philomena and upcoming Lance Armstrong biopic The Programme.
Tim Caplan, Union co-owner and lead visual-effects executive producer, said the company would “help create pre-war New York” on the film, which is being shot in the UK.
Union is also recreating 1930s New York for Michael Grandage’s Genius, the upcoming biopic of literary editor Max Perkins, starring Jude Law as Thomas Wolfe and Colin Firth as Perkins...
Union has been named VFX vendor on Stephen Frears’ Florence Foster Jenkins, starring Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant.
The film is the true story of the legendary New York heiress and socialite who obsessively pursued her dream of becoming a great opera singer. But while the voice she heard in her head was beautiful, to everyone else it was awful.
London-based visual effects facility Union previously worked with Frears on Philomena and upcoming Lance Armstrong biopic The Programme.
Tim Caplan, Union co-owner and lead visual-effects executive producer, said the company would “help create pre-war New York” on the film, which is being shot in the UK.
Union is also recreating 1930s New York for Michael Grandage’s Genius, the upcoming biopic of literary editor Max Perkins, starring Jude Law as Thomas Wolfe and Colin Firth as Perkins...
- 5/27/2015
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Courtesy of Fox Searchlight
2010 was a strong year for British film-making, as the strength of UK contenders at this week’s Bafta Awards confirmed. Any cursory glance through this year’s Oscar nominations will also confirm the depth of the talent pool that these fair isles can draw from these days- two Best Films, a director, a lead actor, and a best supporting nod for each sex- right now, it’s good to be British. And to walk a horribly over-trodden road, it is clear that Britain really has got talent.
Now back to those two Best Film nominations. Both The King’s Speech and 127 Hours are thoroughly British films: one may have been filmed in London and the other in Utah, but cut them and both would bleed the red, white and blue of the Union Jack. In celebration of the fact, and to draw attention to some of...
2010 was a strong year for British film-making, as the strength of UK contenders at this week’s Bafta Awards confirmed. Any cursory glance through this year’s Oscar nominations will also confirm the depth of the talent pool that these fair isles can draw from these days- two Best Films, a director, a lead actor, and a best supporting nod for each sex- right now, it’s good to be British. And to walk a horribly over-trodden road, it is clear that Britain really has got talent.
Now back to those two Best Film nominations. Both The King’s Speech and 127 Hours are thoroughly British films: one may have been filmed in London and the other in Utah, but cut them and both would bleed the red, white and blue of the Union Jack. In celebration of the fact, and to draw attention to some of...
- 2/18/2011
- by Simon Gallagher
- Obsessed with Film
Danny Boyle’s latest movie is currently up for awards in both the BAFTAs and the Oscars which we can see in the next couple of Sundays. We’ll be covering both the awards in as much detail as we can. We’ve not been invited to the Oscars as yet but we Will be at the BAFTA Awards blogging live from both the red carpet and the media centre followed by the Afterparty!
Boyle’s movie was not just a well directed, well told story, it also featured some cutting edge special effects to immerse us deeper into the action.
The special effects house responsible for the movie was Union VFX which is based right here in the UK. While Union FX was starting out, they were helped out by Escape Studios which allowed them to create these stunning effects that we saw in the movie.
We were able...
Boyle’s movie was not just a well directed, well told story, it also featured some cutting edge special effects to immerse us deeper into the action.
The special effects house responsible for the movie was Union VFX which is based right here in the UK. While Union FX was starting out, they were helped out by Escape Studios which allowed them to create these stunning effects that we saw in the movie.
We were able...
- 2/9/2011
- by David Sztypuljak
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Sundance Film Festival
PARK CITY -- Is there anything new to say about high school torments? Probably there is, but Assassination of a High School President doesn't find enough novel insights to make for essential viewing. It has echoes of a lot of other movies about adolescent angst and cruelty, from Election to Thumbsucker, Rocket Science and Charlie Bartlett, but it doesn't live up to the best of those.
Alexander Payne's Election might still be the definitive word on the cutthroat atmosphere of high school. Assassination, which had its premiere here, won't achieve the same classic stature.
It will, however, be remembered for confirming the talent of the leading man, Reece Daniel Thompson, who starred as the stuttering teen hero of last year's Sundance prize-winner, Rocket Science and here demonstrates the same ease and charm, minus the stuttering. Not many young actors convey intelligence, but Thompson is completely convincing and immensely likable as an aspiring journalist who wants to expose the truth about the school's top jock.
As the prom queen who takes him under her wing, Mischa Barton also gives a captivating performance. These two actors make the movie worth seeing, even though the script by Tim Caplan and Kevin Jakubowski veers from genuine wit to more routine high jinks.
At his Catholic school in New Jersey, Bobby Funke (Thompson) is beset by a lot of the typical teen perils -- school bullies, an overbearing Spanish teacher (amusingly played by Josh Pais), a tyrannical principal (Bruce Willis) and, of course, the first stirrings of love and lust. The opening scenes have a lot of raunchy interchanges that make us feel we might be in a Judd Apatow high school movie. But Assassination turns out to be more of a high school detective story. When a bunch of SAT exams are stolen from the principal's office, Bobby determines that the school president, Paul Moore (Patrick James Taylor), must be the thief and exposes him in the school paper. He ruins Moore's life, but as he gets to know Moore's girlfriend, Francesca (Barton), he begins to have second thoughts and sets out to rectify matters and find the true culprit.
A high school mystery with a teenage sleuth is an appealing concept, but even this isn't a new notion. A couple of years ago, another Sundance entry, Brick, mined the same territory with a tad more style and originality. The mystery story in Assassination is fun and would be even more fun if the denouement weren't so transparent. Anyone who has a passing familiarity with Hollywood murder mysteries will be able to guess the ending long before Bobby nails the villain. At least the film doesn't take itself too seriously. The last line is a tongue-in-cheek homage to the ending of Chinatown.
Director Brett Simon must be credited with an energetic spin on a lot of tired tropes, but he also misses certain opportunities. In a delightful scene where Bobby cuts loose and dances at a party, the director keeps cutting away from his star and so minimizes the impact of Thompson's performance.
In addition to Thompson and Barton, the other young actors also are very skillful. Willis seems to be having fun with his role, and Kathryn Morris is entertaining as the addled school nurse. On the other hand, Michael Rapaport has little to do as the basketball coach; his part might have been left on the cutting-room floor.
The film runs a tight 90 minutes, so at least it doesn't wear out its welcome. The song selections are smart. All in all, the film is a likable goof that evaporates as soon as the lights come on.
ASSASSINATION OF A HIGH SCHOOL PRESIDENT
Yari Film Group
Credits:
Director: Brett Simon
Screenwriters: Tim Caplan, Kevin Jakubowski
Producers: Bob Yari, Roy Lee, Doug Davison
Director of photography: M. David Mullen
Production designer: Sharon Lomofsky
Co-producers: Elsie Choi, Suzanne Smith
Costume designer: Amy Westcott
Editors: William Anderson, Thomas J. Nordberg
Cast:
Bobby Funke: Reece Daniel Thompson
Francesca Fachini: Mischa Barton
Principal Kirkpatrick: Bruce Willis
Clara Diaz: Melonie Diaz
Paul Moore: Patrick James Taylor
Marlon Piazza: Luke Grimes
Coach Z: Michael Rapaport
Padre Newell: Josh Pais
Nurse Platt: Kathryn Morris
Running time -- 90 minutes
No MPAA rating...
PARK CITY -- Is there anything new to say about high school torments? Probably there is, but Assassination of a High School President doesn't find enough novel insights to make for essential viewing. It has echoes of a lot of other movies about adolescent angst and cruelty, from Election to Thumbsucker, Rocket Science and Charlie Bartlett, but it doesn't live up to the best of those.
Alexander Payne's Election might still be the definitive word on the cutthroat atmosphere of high school. Assassination, which had its premiere here, won't achieve the same classic stature.
It will, however, be remembered for confirming the talent of the leading man, Reece Daniel Thompson, who starred as the stuttering teen hero of last year's Sundance prize-winner, Rocket Science and here demonstrates the same ease and charm, minus the stuttering. Not many young actors convey intelligence, but Thompson is completely convincing and immensely likable as an aspiring journalist who wants to expose the truth about the school's top jock.
As the prom queen who takes him under her wing, Mischa Barton also gives a captivating performance. These two actors make the movie worth seeing, even though the script by Tim Caplan and Kevin Jakubowski veers from genuine wit to more routine high jinks.
At his Catholic school in New Jersey, Bobby Funke (Thompson) is beset by a lot of the typical teen perils -- school bullies, an overbearing Spanish teacher (amusingly played by Josh Pais), a tyrannical principal (Bruce Willis) and, of course, the first stirrings of love and lust. The opening scenes have a lot of raunchy interchanges that make us feel we might be in a Judd Apatow high school movie. But Assassination turns out to be more of a high school detective story. When a bunch of SAT exams are stolen from the principal's office, Bobby determines that the school president, Paul Moore (Patrick James Taylor), must be the thief and exposes him in the school paper. He ruins Moore's life, but as he gets to know Moore's girlfriend, Francesca (Barton), he begins to have second thoughts and sets out to rectify matters and find the true culprit.
A high school mystery with a teenage sleuth is an appealing concept, but even this isn't a new notion. A couple of years ago, another Sundance entry, Brick, mined the same territory with a tad more style and originality. The mystery story in Assassination is fun and would be even more fun if the denouement weren't so transparent. Anyone who has a passing familiarity with Hollywood murder mysteries will be able to guess the ending long before Bobby nails the villain. At least the film doesn't take itself too seriously. The last line is a tongue-in-cheek homage to the ending of Chinatown.
Director Brett Simon must be credited with an energetic spin on a lot of tired tropes, but he also misses certain opportunities. In a delightful scene where Bobby cuts loose and dances at a party, the director keeps cutting away from his star and so minimizes the impact of Thompson's performance.
In addition to Thompson and Barton, the other young actors also are very skillful. Willis seems to be having fun with his role, and Kathryn Morris is entertaining as the addled school nurse. On the other hand, Michael Rapaport has little to do as the basketball coach; his part might have been left on the cutting-room floor.
The film runs a tight 90 minutes, so at least it doesn't wear out its welcome. The song selections are smart. All in all, the film is a likable goof that evaporates as soon as the lights come on.
ASSASSINATION OF A HIGH SCHOOL PRESIDENT
Yari Film Group
Credits:
Director: Brett Simon
Screenwriters: Tim Caplan, Kevin Jakubowski
Producers: Bob Yari, Roy Lee, Doug Davison
Director of photography: M. David Mullen
Production designer: Sharon Lomofsky
Co-producers: Elsie Choi, Suzanne Smith
Costume designer: Amy Westcott
Editors: William Anderson, Thomas J. Nordberg
Cast:
Bobby Funke: Reece Daniel Thompson
Francesca Fachini: Mischa Barton
Principal Kirkpatrick: Bruce Willis
Clara Diaz: Melonie Diaz
Paul Moore: Patrick James Taylor
Marlon Piazza: Luke Grimes
Coach Z: Michael Rapaport
Padre Newell: Josh Pais
Nurse Platt: Kathryn Morris
Running time -- 90 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 1/25/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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