Site: UK Screen Alliance
Oscars Visual Effects Longlist Honour UK Screen Alliance Members
The longlist of twenty Oscar finalists for Best Visual Effects has been released, highlighting the exceptional work of UK Screen Alliance members
Variety has confirmed the titles longlisted for Best Visual Effects Oscars, highlighting the remarkable work of UK Screen Alliance members across the board:
Cinesite
“The Lost Bus” (Apple Original Films)
Industrial Light and Magic
For “Avatar: Fire and Ash” (20th Century Studios)
“The Electric State” (Netflix)
“F1” (Apple Original Films/Warner Bros.)
“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” (Marvel Studios)
“Frankenstein” (Netflix)
“Jurassic World: Rebirth” (Universal Pictures)
“Lilo and Stitch” (Walt Disney Pictures)
“The Lost Bus” (Apple Original Films)
“Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” (Paramount Pictures)
“Predator: Badlands” (20th Century Studios)
“The Running Man” (Paramount Pictures)
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.)
“Superman” (DC Studios)
“Tron: Ares” (Walt Disney Pictures)
“Wicked: For Good” (Universal Pictures)
Outpost VFX
For “Captain America: Brave New World” (Marvel Studios)
“The Lost Bus” (Apple Original Films)
“Wicked: For Good” (Universal Pictures)
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.)
Framestore
“F1” (Apple Original Films/Warner Bros.)
“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” (Marvel Studios)
“How to Train Your Dragon” (Universal Pictures)
“Mickey 17” (Warner Bros.)
“Predator: Badlands” (20th Century Studios)
“Wicked: For Good” (Universal Pictures)
Important Looking Pirates
“Jurassic World: Rebirth” (Universal Pictures)
“Predator: Badlands” (20th Century Studios)
Belo FX
“The Lost Bus” (Apple Original Films)
DNEG
“Mickey 17” (Warner Bros.)
LIGHT
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.)
The Yard VFX
“Predator: Badlands” (20th Century Studios)
The Oscar VFX bake-offs will take place from 10-11 January, where 10 shortlisted films will be considered for the final nominations which will be announced on Thursday, 22 January.
One of Us
“Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” (Paramount Pictures)
MILK DELIVER VFX SPECTACLE FOR ‘THE WITCHER’ SEASON 4
Milk contribute 46 shots of complex, detailed, and creative visual effects for the fourth season of the Netflix fantasy series
Milk Visual Effects’ contribution to The Witcher Season 4 included complex, choreographed battles between Witchers and Mages, featuring magic, blood, CG swords, and action-packed visual storytelling.
Working closely with Production VFX Supervisors Sara Bennett (VFX and Post) and Richard Reed (on-set supervision) and Production VFX Producer David Stephens, Milk VFX Supervisor David Sadler-Coppard and VFX Producer Jasmine Ford-Elgood led a team of artists to create 46 shots for the series.
Milk’s primary focus was on two epic combat scenes for Episode 6, involving a blend of CG magic attacks, blood and gore FX, and digital swords. Artist’s crafted CG sword extensions, including sequences with flying magical blades, a particularly exciting and creative challenge for the team.
“We were given scans and references of two distinct hero swords belonging to characters Lambert and Vesemir. On Set, the stunts were shot with dummy sword handles, then Milk’s Assets team created CG blades. We also created clean and bloody texture variations to use as needed”.
David Sadler-Coppard, VFX Supervisor
One of the most technically intricate shots in the sequence involved a continuous, extended take with multiple choreographed magical attacks, CG blood and sword and dagger blade extensions.
On set, actors performed choreographed hand movements to simulate magical combat. Milk’s VFX team later elevated these performances by adding intricate magical effects that responded to each gesture, transforming simple movements into dynamic and visually striking magical attacks.
Beyond the action sequences, Milk’s artists contributed to a wide variety of VFX shots throughout the series. This included environment extensions, creature work and compositing and lighting that helped build out the atmosphere of The Witcher’s world and support the narrative.
See Milk’s breakdown reel for The Witcher Season 4 here:
CINESITE’S IMMERSIVE TEAM DELIVERS HIGH-TECH CHRISTMAS EXPERIENCE
The Cinesite Immersive team has partnered with Printworks Manchester to launch a captivating digital Christmas campaign
Cinesite‘s festive campaign transforms the leading leisure, entertainment and dining destination’s entertainment complex using its newly installed digital ceiling, the largest of its kind in Europe.
Printworks Manchester, which recently relaunched as a premier destination for immersive experiences, features an impressive 1,000m² digital ceiling screen. Cinesite was tasked with leveraging this technology to create a dynamic and exciting holiday atmosphere throughout the key festive trading period.
The Christmas campaign features a friendly and inviting Santa Claus on the digital
screens, who points to specific individuals in the crowd, creating a fun, personalised
moment for guests.
The content was revealed during Printworks’ Christmas event last weekend, where TV
legend Will Mellor led the display switch on in front of hundreds of guests.
“Printworks is all about redefining entertainment, and our new digital ceiling is central to that vision. Cinesite’s creative expertise helped us bring this space to life for the holidays in a way that is both visually stunning and highly engaging for our visitors. This festive campaign is a perfect example of how we’re using technology to create memorable moments for everyone who walks through our
doors.”Dan Davis, Centre Manager at Printworks
“It was a fantastic experience collaborating with the Printworks Manchester team, who clearly understand the power of immersive technology to redefine the retail and entertainment space. Seeing our team’s creative and technical skills bring their massive digital ceiling to life for the holidays, creating such unique and unforgettable moments for their visitors, is incredibly rewarding.”
Michelle Mateus, Business Development Manager at Cinesite
Cinesite’s team created the custom content to be displayed across Printworks’ four main digital screens, with varying resolutions, leveraging the best of both traditional VFX tools and new technologies. This combination of established knowledge of lighting, composition, and visual storytelling paired with AI-generated elements, ensured a polished, professional finish.
This festive campaign at Printworks Manchester marks the latest in a series of high profile immersive projects Cinesite has delivered, further establishing the team as a leader in experiential media. Cinesite’s work spans across groundbreaking digital installations, including content creation for Frameless, London’s largest immersive arts experience; the impactful short film FORSAKEN, directed by Roland Lane for Greenpeace at Outernet London; and world-renowned theme park attractions like The Bourne Stuntacular at Universal Studios.
This project highlights Cinesite’s ability to produce high-quality, scalable content for immersive environments, further expanding its portfolio in the growing field of digital and experiential media.
For a deeper dive into the transition of VFX houses into immersive installations, get your pass for Focus 2025 and attend UK Screen Alliance’s panel, Where Stage Meets Screen: A New Frontier of Live Entertainment, with Chris Fitzpatrick, Cinesite; Phil Adlam, Production Park; and Vincent Woods, Troubadour Studios; moderated by Charlie Watson, UK Screen Alliance.
HOW CINESITE DELIVERED OVER 200 VFX SHOTS FOR ‘THE LOST BUS’
Cinesite share how their team enhanced the danger, menace, and atmosphere of Paul Greengrass’ drama
Directed by Paul Greengrass, The Lost Bus is a movie drama inspired by the real events of the 2018 Camp Fire. In the midst of the nation’s deadliest wildfire in a century, determined father Kevin (Matthew McConaughey) risks everything to rescue dedicated teacher Mary (America Ferrera) and her students in a film inspired by a true story of survival.
Cinesite delivered over 200 visual effects shots, led by in-house Senior VFX Supervisor Max Dennison. From swirling embers that dance through the air to thick, rolling smoke that cloaks the screen in tension, every element was carefully crafted to heighten the atmosphere and bring the sense of danger to life.
Find out more through Cinesite’s case study of The Lost Bus.
View Cinesite’s breakdown reel here:
VINE FX AMPLIFIES PSYCHOLOGICAL TENSION FOR HARLAN COBEN’S ‘LAZARUS’
From de-ageing Bill Nighy to shaping psychological landscapes, Vine FX delivers for Prime Video thriller series
Based on an original story by New York Times best-selling author Harlan Coben and adapted by BAFTA winner Danny Brocklehurst, Lazarus blends psychological suspense with themes of grief, memory, and buried truths. The cast includes Sam Claflin, Bill Nighy, Kate Ashfield, Karla Crome, David, Fynn, Alexandra Roach, and more.
As sole VFX vendor, Vine FX was embedded in the creative process from the start of the project. Working closely with the Quay Street Productions and Prime Video teams and aligning with the show’s various directors, Vine FX delivered over 235 shots across 6 episodes.
As the story demanded a fusion of the past and present, a haunting exploration of generational trauma, woven within an intense web of psychological suspense. The VFX environment mandate was just as ambitious: to create a world with a consistent atmosphere and entirely indistinguishable visual effects. The Vine FX team was tasked with creating a visual language that felt slightly futuristic and neither overtly British nor rigidly North American, but evocative, moody, and international in tone.
“The clients wanted the environment to appeal to a broader audience and feel neither distinctly UK nor North American. Shooting in Manchester and Liverpool gave the show an urban backbone, but the team was asked to obfuscate location cues, insert extensions, and create variations in weather and lighting that emphasised claustrophobia, density, and tension.”
Kaitlyn Beattie, Executive VFX Producer
Led by Creative Director Simon Carr, the team were acutely aware of preserving high-profile actors’ identities, performances, and emotional nuance. The Vine FX team faced this challenge head-on with the de-ageing of Bill Nighy and Amanda Root, opting for a hybrid pipeline of cutting-edge CG, machine learning, and seamless compositing techniques to maintain the soul of the performances while reducing the years.
“Retaining Bill Nighy’s performance was key. Bill’s face presents a unique VFX challenge, it’s instantly recognisable and deeply expressive. Obviously the clients wanted a believable finish, so they didn’t want to change his glasses or hairstyle too drastically in the de-ageing process.”
Simon Carr, Creative Director
“It’s not pure CG, we always blend in original elements for subtlety, as performance preservation is paramount. We’re capturing minuscule performances, retaining tiny tics, little twitchy mannerisms, and micro-expressions. This is what makes de-ageing believable.”
Jake Newton, CG Lead.
The multi-pronged method was a clear winner. CG head construction for precise control over facial structure, lighting behaviour and machine learning models trained on synthetic face-pair datasets (young/old). This marked the team’s first full-CG de-ageing pipeline, and with it came a steep learning curve.
The team’s R&D Developer, Peter Noble, developed a domain-constrained de-ageing model
trained on thousands of facial images, specifically tuned for this project by biasing it toward older male facial features to reduce noise and computational overhead, drawing on research from L’Oréal and Disney. The team then finished with a compositing blend that retained original elements, helping to preserve delicate expressions. Facial capture was done using Unreal Engine’s Live Link Face App, supported by FACS (Facial Action Coding System) libraries to map plausible facial shapes. While effective, early outputs pushed the digital likeness too far.
Amanda Root’s role posed a different kind of challenge. Her brow furrow is key to her emotional delivery, and standard smoothing approaches threatened to erase that nuance. To address this, the team leaned heavily on CopyCat-based methods in Nuke, allowing compositors to make frame-specific adjustments that preserved expressive fidelity.
One of the show’s defining visual themes was urban compression, buildings crowding in, the sky nearly squeezed out, with rain and darkness pressing into almost every frame. Vine FX environment work played a central role in achieving this. A standout ‘hero shot’ began low on the street and gradually revealed a skyline of skyscrapers.
“Because the filming locations (Manchester and Liverpool) are so recognisable, the challenge was to create city extensions that felt believable yet geographically unplaceable. Selling scale was also tricky. We had to make buildings feel huge without relying on foreground placement. We used Google Maps and Earth to anchor CG buildings to real street layouts and ensure accurate proportions.”
Simon Carr
With three directors across six episodes, maintaining a consistent tone required careful coordination. The first block’s director, Wayne Yip, established the show’s visual language and internal world rules. Subsequent directors Nicole Volavka and Daniel O’Hara referenced this foundation as they developed their own scenes, but aligned with their own artistic flair, particularly in action or character-driven sequences.
Consistency was further supported by having a single VFX vendor across the entire production.
“We put together an excellent plan as a team and implemented structured systems to absorb the pressure. Frame.io annotation and client engagement also significantly reduced the time required for shot review. In the end, we actually delivered ahead of schedule.”
Kaitlyn Beattie
See Vine FX’s VFX breakdown reel for Lazarus:
All six episodes of Harlan Coben’s Lazarus are now available to watch on Prime Video.
BLUEBOLT BRING THEIR SKILL TO ‘THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB’
The award-winning, London-based VFX studio have created 250 shots for the Netflix murder mystery
Led by VFX Supervisors David Scott and Angela Barson, BlueBolt created 250 supporting invisible VFX shots for murder mystery, The Thursday Murder Club.
BlueBolt were thrilled to collaborate with director Chris Columbus once again – having worked with him on Nosferatu – to support the storytelling and bring Richard Osman’s iconic whodunnit novel to the big screen.
“What a privilege and a joy to work with Chris Columbus on creating the VFX to support the storytelling on Richard Osman’s brilliant murder mystery and with such an incredible cast! It was especially fun to recreate the eerie 1970’s London environment for the very dramatic opening sequence.”
David Scott, VFX Supervisor at BlueBolt
See BlueBolt’s VFX breakdown reel for The Thursday Murder Club here:
The Thursday Murder Club is now streaming on Netflix
THE YARD WELCOMES KIM PHELAN AS VFX EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
The Yard VFX announce the appointment of Kim Phelan as VFX Executive Producer
With over 20 years of experience in VFX production, Kim brings a wealth of expertise from leading roles across major London studios and international teams. During her career, Kim has contributed to globally acclaimed projects including The Matrix Resurrections, Morbius, Fallout, Jurassic World : Fallen Kingdom, The Witcher, Kaos, and The Last Frontier. Her work on The Crown even earned her a Creative Arts Emmy nomination in 2017.
Kim’s appointment marks a significant step in The Yard’s ongoing strategy to ensure a mix of creative excellence across its London and French studios. In her new role, she will collaborate closely with The Yard’s entire production and VFX supervision teams – a group of seasoned professionals with extensive experience in international productions.
“We are excited to welcome Kim to our team. She brings a rare combination of deep production expertise, creative insight, and collaborative leadership. With her experience in every stage of VFX production and in multi-site coordination, Kim will help strengthen our global production capabilities and ensure every project reaches its full potential”
Virginie Wintrebert, Head of Production at The Yard
“I’m thrilled to be joining the team at The Yard at an exciting time in the studio’s evolution and look forward to supporting the growth here in both the UK and France. I’ve been a long-time fan of The Yard’s work, and feel honoured to be a part of a truly international and creative studio.”
Kim Phelan, VFX Executive Producer at The Yard
HARIN HIRANI PROMOTED TO VFX SUPERVISOR AT FREEFOLK
Freefolk announce that Harin Hirani now holds the dual title of Head of 3D and VFX Supervisor, cementing the continued growth and success of their Film and Episodic division.
This move highlights Freefolk’s strategic investment in leadership and innovation as the company builds on its strong reputation across commercials, film, and episodic VFX worldwide.
A cornerstone of Freefolk’s creative team, Harin has been at the company since 2008 honing both his technical and artistic expertise. His work has been central to many of the studio’s highest-profile projects, including, The Alienist (Paramount) – Emmy winning for VFX, Napoleon (Apple Studios) — Oscar and BAFTA-nominated for VFX — Cursed (Netflix), The Third Day (Sky/HBO), Kaos (Netflix), and Anansi Boys (Amazon Studios), Dr Who (BBC) and Wes Anderson’s The Phoenician Scheme (Focus Features).
In this new role as Head of 3D and VFX Supervisor, Harin will collaborate closely with Head of Film and Episodic Steve Murgatroyd and VFX Executive Producer Meg Guidon, to continue elevating the studio’s creative output and nurturing its growing community of artists.
“It’s incredibly rewarding to lead projects that push creative boundaries alongside supporting our artists to reach their full potential. This dual role as Head of 3D and VFX Supervisor is perfect for me as I get to do just that, to continue to develop Freefolk’s award-winning VFX output.”
Harin Hirani, VFX Supervisor
“Harin is not only an outstanding VFX talent but has an impressive work ethic with huge dedication to his work and to his colleagues. Harin has been an integral part of our team for a long time and is even more so now, as he takes on the VFX Supervisor role, enabling us to continue to grow and expand the department.”
Steve Murgatroyd, Head of Film and Episodic
CINESITE GROUP STRENGTHENS GLOBAL SENIOR TEAM
Cinesite’s Dual VFX Supervisor Appointments: Christian Irles Returns to London and Andy Walker Joins Montreal Team
Reinforcing its investment in talent, the Cinesite Group today announced the promotion of two key internal leaders, ensuring that creative expertise and innovation continue to drive its global network of studios. Veteran Visual Effects Supervisors Christian Irles and Andy Walker are moving from Vancouver’s Image Engine into new leadership positions within the wider Cinesite Group.
The promotions are a strategic implementation of the Group’s focus on talent retention, internal mobility, and cross-studio collaboration, deepening the shared creative foundation across all Cinesite partner studios.
VFX Supervisor Christian Irles has transferred from Image Engine to Cinesite’s London headquarters, further strengthening the studio’s senior leadership team. With over 20 years of experience, Christian is a seasoned creative leader known for delivering stunning visual effects across films and streaming series.
During his tenure at Image Engine from 2018 to 2025, Christian supervised the creation of complex visual effects for major projects, including The Gorge, Foundation Season 2, The School for Good and Evil, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, and Mulan. Before that, he served as a VFX Supervisor at Cinesite Montreal, contributing to Assassin’s Creed and Disney’s Mary Poppins Returns.
“It’s a fantastic feeling to be back at Cinesite, a company I hold in high regard. My time at Image Engine was an amazing experience, and I’m thrilled to be returning to London to work with this exceptional team. I’m ready to dive into new challenges and create some truly memorable visual effects.”
Christian Irles
Bringing over 24 years of experience to his new role, Andy Walker joins Cinesite Montreal as a Visual Effects Supervisor, working out of New York. Previously at Image Engine, Andy oversaw a diverse range of projects, including The Old Guard 2, Skeleton Crew, Lift, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Hawkeye, and was nominated as the Visual Effects Supervisor for the 2020 nomination for The Lost in Space episode “Ninety-Seven”.
Andy’s extensive on-set supervision experience covers major features and series such as Gabby’s Dollhouse, Lift, The Unforgivable, and Mowgli, in addition to large-scale commercial campaigns for clients like Pepsi, Geico, and HP. His career highlights include a 2007 VES Award for Outstanding Performance by an Animated Character in a Live Action Broadcast Program for a Geico commercial.
“My time at Image Engine was invaluable, and I’m now ready to leverage my decades of in -house & on-set experience to take on new, ambitious projects. This move is an exciting opportunity to contribute to Cinesite’s rapidly growing global network and collaborate with the phenomenal team in Montreal.”
Andy Walker
Earlier in his career at Framestore, Andy helped establish their New York City office, progressing from technical director to Head of CG. He honed his expertise in look development, lighting, effects simulations, and rigging, contributing to high-profile projects like Gravity, Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 2, Alita: Battle Angel plus Harry Potter The Chamber of Secrets & The Prisoner of Azkaban.
SPACE STUDIOS MANCHESTER HOSTS HARLAN COBEN’S “LAZARUS”
Space Studios Manchester hosted the highly anticipated new mind-bending thriller Lazarus starring Sam Claflin, Bill Nighy and Alexandra Roach, for 33 weeks from December 2023 to June 2024.
Based on an original story idea and written by the New York Times best-selling author Harlan Coben and BAFTA-winner Danny Brocklehurt, the 6-part series aired from 22nd October on Prime Video and is produced by Amazon MGM Studios, Manchester-based Quay Street Productions, and Final Twist Productions.
Production utilised Space Studio’s main production offices and workshops as well as building sets for the laboratory and library and main office. Screen Manchester supported production, working closely with the locations department during the whole shoot, securing multiple filming permits across Manchester.
Major Manchester locations used include Langley Building in the Northern Quarter’s Hilton Street, George Leigh Street in Ancoats, the exterior of BIMM on Faulkner Street, Chinatown, the Southern Cemetery, the impressive exterior of the Gotham Hotel, Mayfield Park, the Rochdale Canal, and popular music venue ‘The Peer Hat’.
“Once again Manchester proves just how versatile it can be when finding the perfect places to help producers bring scripts to life.”
Rob Page, MD at Space Studios Manchester
“It’s great to see these bigger builds coming into the studio and using not only our stages for large, double-storey sets, but also using our production offices and workshops. The sets for Lazarus have been some of my favourites. The attention to detail and skill used to create the haunting effects of the show, is testament to the crew in the north west.”
Leigh Rogers, Studio Co-ordinator at Space Studios Manchester