Latest news with #WētāFX
NZ Herald
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
Wētā FX earns two Emmy nominations for visual effects work on House of the Dragon, The Last of Us
Wētā Workshop co-founder Sir Richard Taylor speaks about Lord of the Rings 20 years on from the final instalment of the trilogy. Video / Marty Melville Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech. Wētā FX earns two Emmy nominations for visual effects work on House of the Dragon, The Last of Us New Zealand visual effects company Wētā FX has landed two Emmy Award nominations for its contributions to two high production value television shows. The Wellington-based company's special effects for the second seasons of The Last of Us and House of the Dragon were recognised in the Outstanding Special Visual Effects category. 'Having our work recognised by our peers and the global entertainment community is something we deeply appreciate,' Matt Aitken, Wētā FX's head of visual effects (VFX), said in a statement. 'The nominations are testament to the outstanding quality of work contributed by everyone at Wētā FX and we couldn't be prouder to be adding to the rich history of these iconic series.' The House of the Dragon team's VFX supervisor Wayne Stables said he was 'honoured' to be recognised with VFX producer Marcus Goodwin on their team's behalf.
RNZ News
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
Wēta FX gets two Emmy Award nominations
The nods for Outstanding Special Visual Effects are for its work on the second seasons of TV shows 'House of the Dragon' and 'The Last of Us'. Photo: Supplied Special effects company Wētā FX has secured two Emmy Award nominations. The nods for Outstanding Special Visual Effects are for its work on the second seasons of TV shows House of the Dragon (VFX supervisor Wayne Stables and VFX Producer Marcus Goodwin) and The Last of Us (VFX supervisor Nick Epstein and animation supervisor Dennis Yoo). Stables said he and Goodwin were honoured to represent the crew who worked on House of the Dragon . "This Emmy Award nomination is for all of us," he said. "It's a proud moment when we can share everyone's creativity and talent with fans around the world, and even more so when that work is celebrated in such prestigious company." Wētā FX said its work on the series centred on the dragons Seasmoke and Vermithor, as well as the digital environments of Harrenhal and inside Dragonmont cave. The cave featured in a complicated tracking shot comprising 5400 frames "meticulously stitched together", the company said. Epstein and Yoo said they were ecstatic about their nomination for The Last of Us, which they described as a "uniquely challenging" show. The company said its work featured primarily in the second episode where a giant horde of zombies - called the 'Infected' - emerges from the snow to wreak havoc on the township of Jackson, Wyoming. Wētā FX has previously won four Emmys for the first season of The Last of Us , seasons 7 and 8 of Game of Thrones , and most recently for thriller Ripley , last year. The Emmy awards ceremony will be held in Los Angeles in September. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
11-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
New Zealand Film Commission Initiates Next Phase Of Strategic Global Trade Mission In France And Ireland
Press Release – New Zealand Film Commission – NZFC The New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC) is doubling down on their global trade mission in 2025 by attending the Annecy International Animation Film Festival's business marketplace, Mifa, and solidifying its treaty partnership with Ireland. This year is the 40th edition of Mifa, the world's largest and most important animation business event, with more than 18,000 attendees from 117 countries in Annecy. Chris Payne, Head of Co-Production and Incentives, and Bevin Linkhorn, Investment and Development Executive, lead the 30-strong NZFC delegation in partnership with Screen Wellington – the largest ever New Zealand presence at Annecy. Attending for the first time since 2016, NZFC are promoting the New Zealand screen sector and its appeal as both the home of incredible stories and storytellers, and a co-production and inbound production partner of choice. 'Animation provides a major growth opportunity for New Zealand; like VFX it fits seamlessly into a digital economy. Supercharging the New Zealand animation industry involves scaling up the development and production of unique, universally resonant feature film and series animation for global audiences, while growing New Zealand's role as a key provider of animation services for the world's leading studios,' says Payne. For the first time, the NZFC is taking a booth at Mifa to promote the New Zealand animation industry, and to serve as a hub for the New Zealand delegation. The NZFC is also delivering a programme of sessions in partnership with key sister agencies and organisations such as those in Australia, Taiwan, Korea and Scotland, with the goal of developing relationships that lead to co-production and other collaborative outcomes. 'Mifa is the world's key animation market annually, attended by leading sector representatives from around the globe. This is a crucial date in the calendar for the NZFC to build on our recently announced support for the animation sector and goal to expand it. 'We're here providing a significant strategic opportunity to support local animation studios and practitioners to progress their slates of projects, secure co-production and market partners, and scale their business activities, while also attracting high value animation, post-production and visual effects work to New Zealand,' added Payne. One of the highlights of the Mifa schedule is a panel discussion involving NZFC, Screen Wellington, and New Zealand creatives from Ama Digital Studios (Auckland), Tai Huri Films (Whangārei) and 37 Degrees Studio (Wellington). A clear demonstration of New Zealand's ability to work at all levels and across the country, from internationally renowned Wētā FX to small, independent animation studios delivering unique, culturally distinctive work. Wētā FX will also be showcasing their work as part of a Studio Focus session, Story to Screen: Realizing a Filmmaker's Vision at Wētā FX delivered by Senior Animation Supervisor, Sidney Kombo-Kintombo and Animation Supervisor, Kevin Estey. Productions profiled in the session were supported by the New Zealand Government's Post, Digital and Visual Effects (PDV) rebate. Strengthening ties with treaty partner Ireland Prior to the NZFC delegation attending Annecy/Mifa, the NZFC visited Ireland to participate in Wellington and Galway UNESCO Cities of Film activities highlighting the Te Reo Māori/Gaeilge Animation Exchange in Galway. Ireland provides a strong example of the possibilities of growth within the animation sector, having increased its impact on the Irish economy fourfold since 2009 by developing this aspect of its creative output. A highlight was a visit to TG4, the Irish-language broadcaster based in the heart of rural Connemara, which has a key role in the development and production of Irish-language film, TV and digital content. Also included on the itinerary was a networking reception co-hosted with the New Zealand Embassy in Dublin, along with Wellington and Galway UNESCO Cities of Film, which celebrated both the Exchange and strategic connections for New Zealand with Screen Ireland and key Irish production companies and industry bodies. 'Ireland and NewZealand share a rich storytelling tradition and common creative values. Both our cultures treasure the spoken and written word, passed down through generations and champion authenticity and community. Our co-production treaty has been in place for nearly 20 years, and a key part of this longevity are the deep relationships NZFC has developed with Screen Ireland and the Irish industry in that time, borne out by co-produced feature films such as Come to Daddy and Evil Dead Rise, and the TV series, The Gone which is now in its second season,' says Chris Payne. The New Zealand screen sector contributes around $3.5 billion to the national economy and supports more than 20,000 jobs. The continued growth of this industry is dependent on the expansion of international opportunities and relationships, with a keen focus on new and existing markets for New Zealand, both of which are at the heart of the NZFC's global trade mission strategy.
Scoop
11-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
New Zealand Film Commission Initiates Next Phase Of Strategic Global Trade Mission In France And Ireland
The New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC) is doubling down on their global trade mission in 2025 by attending the Annecy International Animation Film Festival's business marketplace, Mifa, and solidifying its treaty partnership with Ireland. This year is the 40th edition of Mifa, the world's largest and most important animation business event, with more than 18,000 attendees from 117 countries in Annecy. Chris Payne, Head of Co-Production and Incentives, and Bevin Linkhorn, Investment and Development Executive, lead the 30-strong NZFC delegation in partnership with Screen Wellington – the largest ever New Zealand presence at Annecy. Attending for the first time since 2016, NZFC are promoting the New Zealand screen sector and its appeal as both the home of incredible stories and storytellers, and a co-production and inbound production partner of choice. 'Animation provides a major growth opportunity for New Zealand; like VFX it fits seamlessly into a digital economy. Supercharging the New Zealand animation industry involves scaling up the development and production of unique, universally resonant feature film and series animation for global audiences, while growing New Zealand's role as a key provider of animation services for the world's leading studios,' says Payne. For the first time, the NZFC is taking a booth at Mifa to promote the New Zealand animation industry, and to serve as a hub for the New Zealand delegation. The NZFC is also delivering a programme of sessions in partnership with key sister agencies and organisations such as those in Australia, Taiwan, Korea and Scotland, with the goal of developing relationships that lead to co-production and other collaborative outcomes. 'Mifa is the world's key animation market annually, attended by leading sector representatives from around the globe. This is a crucial date in the calendar for the NZFC to build on our recently announced support for the animation sector and goal to expand it. 'We're here providing a significant strategic opportunity to support local animation studios and practitioners to progress their slates of projects, secure co-production and market partners, and scale their business activities, while also attracting high value animation, post-production and visual effects work to New Zealand,' added Payne. One of the highlights of the Mifa schedule is a panel discussion involving NZFC, Screen Wellington, and New Zealand creatives from Ama Digital Studios (Auckland), Tai Huri Films (Whangārei) and 37 Degrees Studio (Wellington). A clear demonstration of New Zealand's ability to work at all levels and across the country, from internationally renowned Wētā FX to small, independent animation studios delivering unique, culturally distinctive work. Wētā FX will also be showcasing their work as part of a Studio Focus session, Story to Screen: Realizing a Filmmaker's Vision at Wētā FX delivered by Senior Animation Supervisor, Sidney Kombo-Kintombo and Animation Supervisor, Kevin Estey. Productions profiled in the session were supported by the New Zealand Government's Post, Digital and Visual Effects (PDV) rebate. Strengthening ties with treaty partner Ireland Prior to the NZFC delegation attending Annecy/Mifa, the NZFC visited Ireland to participate in Wellington and Galway UNESCO Cities of Film activities highlighting the Te Reo Māori/Gaeilge Animation Exchange in Galway. Ireland provides a strong example of the possibilities of growth within the animation sector, having increased its impact on the Irish economy fourfold since 2009 by developing this aspect of its creative output. A highlight was a visit to TG4, the Irish-language broadcaster based in the heart of rural Connemara, which has a key role in the development and production of Irish-language film, TV and digital content. Also included on the itinerary was a networking reception co-hosted with the New Zealand Embassy in Dublin, along with Wellington and Galway UNESCO Cities of Film, which celebrated both the Exchange and strategic connections for New Zealand with Screen Ireland and key Irish production companies and industry bodies. 'Ireland and NewZealand share a rich storytelling tradition and common creative values. Both our cultures treasure the spoken and written word, passed down through generations and champion authenticity and community. Our co-production treaty has been in place for nearly 20 years, and a key part of this longevity are the deep relationships NZFC has developed with Screen Ireland and the Irish industry in that time, borne out by co-produced feature films such as Come to Daddy and Evil Dead Rise, and the TV series, The Gone which is now in its second season,' says Chris Payne. The New Zealand screen sector contributes around $3.5 billion to the national economy and supports more than 20,000 jobs. The continued growth of this industry is dependent on the expansion of international opportunities and relationships, with a keen focus on new and existing markets for New Zealand, both of which are at the heart of the NZFC's global trade mission strategy.
Forbes
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘A Minecraft Movie' VFX Team Talk Characters, Comedy, And Much More
Last weekend I took you behind the scenes of director Jared Hess' A Minecraft Movie, as VFX Supervisor Sheldon Stopsack and Animation Supervisor Kevin Estey talked about their ambitious work on the film. This weekend, I continue with an even deeper dive into how Wētā FX helped bring the world and characters of Minecraft to the big screen. You can read my first article about Wētā FX's work on A Minecraft Movie here, in which Stopsack and Estey discuss Wētā FX's heavy lifting to help bring the unique world of Minecraft to life, seamlessly blending the game's blocky designs with live-action filmmaking. At nearly $880 million worldwide box office and going strong, A Minecraft Movie is on course to finish as one of the year's biggest blockbusters and could even top some of the summer's top tentpoles like Fantastic Four: First Steps and Superman, depending on how many more ticket sales Minecraft can stack up as it approaches $900 million. VFX character designs for "A Minecraft Movie." Source: Wētā FX Wētā FX's detailed world-building was foundational for A Minecraft Movie. Stopsack explained, 'The question often comes up how our environments had an impact on the style and appearance of our characters. Ironically it was the other way around. Our characters had a strong influence on the environment. Particularly Malgosha and Dennis needed to create emotional connections with our cast. This was what in large part established how realistic or abstract we could go with the appearance and performance. We used this knowledge to apply to our environment to ensure that the digital character did not feel out of place." Their efforts resulted in the creation of the mindbogglingly expansive Overworld, combining 64 distinct terrains into a continuous environment for both day and night scenes. The vast digital landscape was shared with Digital Domain for the film's final battle. Stopsack highlighted the immense scale, saying, 'An interesting fun fact to illustrate the sheer scale we ended up with is our grass dressing. For the Overworld, we ended up placing more than 2 billion clumps of grass patches, comprised of individual grass blades.' VFX character designs for "A Minecraft Movie." Source: Wētā FX When I asked if there were creatures or other aspects that presented specific challenges or were particularly fun, Estey offered extensive insights about animating the distinct characters. 'Each character and creature we created has a unique story and presented its own challenge, whether big or small,' Estey noted, 'because none are the same as the next. We ended up with 26 unique characters and creatures, each needing its own distinct personality, behavior, and style of motion.' VFX work for Malgosha in "A Minecraft Movie." Source: Wētā FX Speaking about Malgosha, Estey remarked, "Malgosha was particularly unique as she didn't exist in the game but was a critical antagonist in the film. We were walking a fine line of introducing a new character to a community that knows the game, yet we had to ensure she still fit into the universe and would be accepted. Jared wanted all the characters in The Nether to look and feel as realistic and tangible as possible, yet still maintain an iconic blocky aesthetic so they could exist believably on screen alongside the actors." To achieve the right balance, Malgosha was given a fleshy, detailed appearance with jiggly jowls and a flowing cloak, but maintained a distinctive blockiness, combining realism with the iconic Minecraft look. He also noted a particularly fun part of the process involved some great physical comedy: "One of the most memorable scenes to work on from an animation and performance standpoint was the showdown between Steve and Malgosha, particularly the triple-knife gag. When I first read the script, I was immediately drawn to the ridiculous gimmick where Malgosha repeatedly tries to stab Steve with knives she insists she doesn't have. It was such an absurd yet hilarious concept that I couldn't wait to see how it would play out." VFX character designs for "A Minecraft Movie." Source: Wētā FX Creating Malgosha involved significant collaborative efforts, with motion-capture performer Allan Henry providing the physical performance and vocal inspiration. His humorous interactions with Jack Black, who portrayed Steve, significantly influenced Malgosha's animation. 'I've known Allan for almost 15 years," Estey started. "We've done endless motion capture sessions together since the early days of the first Hobbit films. Not only is he an incredible stunt performer and actor, but he's also one of the funniest people I've ever met. We're constantly cracking each other up on set, even though we do have to remind ourselves that we're there to get work done. You can imagine my excitement when I thought of the humor Allan would bring to this scene. Then, of course, there's Jack Black, someone I've been a massive fan of (I've even been known to belt out an occasional karaoke rendition of 'Tribute' or 'Wonderboy')." FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder He continued, 'To see Jack Black and Allan Henry — two people I hold in the highest regard for their comedic talent — bring this [triple-knife attack] scene to life on set was unforgettable. They ad-libbed plenty of new lines and had the entire crew in stitches with their performance. The two of them even came up with the idea for Malgosha to add the line, 'sneak attaaackk…,' on her final throw as she keeled over onto her face (Allan's physical humor knows no bounds). Jared would run the entire scene for each take to give them freedom to explore the humor, and at the end of every take, when Allan would be face-planted with his bum in the air and Jared would yell 'cut,' almost the entire crew of 100 people would burst out laughing. This happened on every take.' Estey recalled, 'Realizing the humor had been elevated beyond the script by these two comedians placed a great responsibility on us in animation—to make sure that the humor carried through to Malgosha's digital performance without anything getting lost in translation. When Rachel House then provided her vocal performance, we folded that into what Allan had established on set with Jack, along with what our animation department had developed for her unique style of motion and behavior.' 'Seeing the final scene come together and hearing people laugh and talk about its hilarity during screenings was an incredible payoff," Estey concluded. 'That kind of validation, where something you loved working on connects with the audience, is incredibly gratifying. For me, this was one of the most thrilling and satisfying scenes of the film to tackle." A Minecraft Movie is of course full of many more characters and creatures, from Dennis himself to the Piglins and Bee, and I'll continue speaking with Wētā FX when I review the home entertainment release of A Minecraft Movie – that's coming up, so stay tuned and check back soon!
