CHICAGO — Filmworkers (www.filmworkers.com) has formed a new in-house creative unit, Churchill’s Studio, that’s focused on visual effects and animation. Headed by VFX director Rob Churchill, the new unit will provide services ranging from compositing and visual effects to full CG production. The new venture also features the talents of art director Daniel Pernikoff, who joins Filmworkers from Method Studios, as well as a team of compositors and animators.
Churchill Studio’s technical resources include multiple Autodesk Flame and The Foundry Nuke workstations, and a variety of CG, visual effects and animation desktop systems. The group will work out of new space built within the Filmworkers facility.
Visual effects work at Filmworkers has been growing steadily. The studio’s work includes projects for McDonald’s, State Farm, La Quinta, Embassy Suites, Capital One and Pizza Hut. The added personnel and technology will enable the company to tackle more and more complex projects.
L-R: Daniel Pernikoff and Rob Churchill
“We now have enough horsepower under the hood to take on the most demanding projects,” says Churchill, who has been on staff at Filmworkers since 1997. “We can do it all, technically and creatively, from concept through finish.”
In its first project, Churchill’s Studio has produced a fully-animated spot for amusement park operator Cedar Fair and its new ride, Banshee. Pernikoff served as art director on the project. “It was great to have the whole team of artists working on the project in the same studio,” Churchill says. “It made it easy to trade ideas and comments, which is so important to doing great work — and it shows in the finished product.”