SYDNEY — Visual effects and animation studio Dneg (dneg.com), in coordination with New South Wales (NSW) Government, has outlined plans for a new studio in Sydney, Australia. Located in Pyrmont, within Sydney’s Tech Central district, the VFX and animation studio is slated to open in early 2023, and will have a total capacity of up to 500 seats.
Photo (L-R): Doug Mitchell, Dominic Perrottet and George Miller on the New South Wales set of Furiosa.
As part of the announcement, Dneg also confirmed that its new Sydney studio will lead the visual effects work for George Miller’s highly anticipated Mad Max prequel, Furiosa.
“The opportunity to collaborate and partner with filmmakers of the caliber of George Miller, whose work I love and respect, is the driving force behind everything that we do,” explains Dneg CEO/chairman, Namit Malhotra. “Extending our filmmaker-focused approach to a fourth continent and building a substantial and sustainable presence in Sydney that allows us to engage with Australia’s talented and experienced creative leaders, artists, technologists and production crews, marks another milestone in our mission to bring the very best VFX and animation services to filmmakers all over the world. My thanks to the producers for choosing Dneg as their partner on Furiosa, and to the NSW Government for their support and for extending such a warm welcome to our team.”
George Miller's Furiosa is a return to the dystopian world he created more than 30 years ago with the Mad Max films, this time with an original, standalone action adventure that will reveal the origins of the powerhouse characters. The film is being produced in Australia by Miller and producer Doug Mitchell, and stars Anya Taylor-Joy in the title role, alongside Chris Hemsworth and Tom Burke. The film is a Warner Bros. Pictures production, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures (US), and is expected to premiere in 2024.
Dneg employs nearly 8,000 people, with worldwide offices and studios across North America (Los Angeles, Montréal, Toronto and Vancouver); Europe (London); Asia (Bangalore, Chandigarh, Chennai and Mumbai); and Australia (Sydney). Dneg Sydney will be a full service VFX studio, leading on complex VFX projects for film and episodic projects, and will also be home to a new studio for Dneg Animation, the animation studio behind Kid Cudi’s animated love story Entergalactic for Netflix.
Academy Award- and BAFTA-winning VFX supervisor, and Australian national, Andrew Jackson, has relocated from Dneg London to head up the studio’s work as creative director for Sydney. With a career spanning more than 30 years, Jackson was production VFX supervisor for Christopher Nolan’s Tenet, which earned him an Academy Award and BAFTA for Best Special Visual Effects. Prior to that, Jackson received an Academy Award nomination for his work on Mad Max: Fury Road. He has most recently completed work as production VFX supervisor for Nolan’s forthcoming biopic, Oppenheimer.
One of Dneg’s first hires for the new studio is VFX supervisor Dan Bethell, who joins from Rising Sun Pictures. Bethell is serving as Dneg VFX supervisor on Furiosa, having previously received a Visual Effects Society (VES) Award for his work on Mad Max: Fury Road.
The company’s expansion to Sydney is supported by the Australian State Government of New South Wales (NSW) and its $250 million Jobs Plus Program. Delivered through Investment NSW, the program provides eligible companies with support to establish and expand their footprint in NSW, including payroll tax relief, support for infrastructure, and subsidized training programs, along with the provision of free or subsidized government spaces and accommodation.