Visual effects studio Pixomondo (PXO) is opening a new London division, which will offer VFX and virtual production services. Alex Webster has been hired as head of the London site, with a focus on growing the company’s virtual production services in Europe.
Pixomondo has three LED ‘volumes’ in Canada, and has set its sights on building a UK facility, with potential locations under review. The company also has operations in Germany’s Frankfurt and Stuttgart.
“Over the last few years I have witnessed first-hand the speed with which the integration of virtual production with visualisation is reshaping the VFX industry,” said Webster. “PXO is driving innovation in this space and making VP central to its workflow, becoming one of the most agile and creative studios working in the industry today. I’m thrilled to be working in close collaboration with the whole PXO team to design and build a state of the art integrated VP studio, which will combine teams in concept art, previs, virtual art and in-camera VFX with a brand-new LED volume in the UK.”
Pixomondo already has offices in Los Angeles, Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Frankfurt and Stuttgart. Its Toronto virtual production stage is the set for season four of Star Trek: Discoveryas well as the forthcoming Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
Jonny Slow, PXO CEO said: “We could not be more excited to be welcoming Alex to the PXO team as we continue to roll out our growth plans. We have our roots in Europe, and Germany remains a central and crucial part of our VFX production and artistry capabilities. Adding a London presence to complement this strong foundation, focused on virtual production and run by Alex, will ensure that we can continue to expand our offering to clients, and service the significant amount of demand for these services in the UK and Europe.
“London is second only to Los Angeles for physical production services and home to a significant number of hugely talented crew, experienced in high-end TV and Film production. Virtual production demands that we locate ourselves close to these facilities and talent. A significant push during 2020 from the UK Department of International Trade to make the UK a virtual production Centre of Excellence, as well as investment from Mayfair Equity Partners, has allowed this part of our plan to be accelerated. I very much look forward to working with Alex in the years to come,” added Slow.
At Framestore, Webster built FPS, the company’s pre-production division to more than 120 employees, specializing in previsualization, virtual production, techvis and postvis for clients in film, episodic and experiential media. Prior to that he was managing director of The Third Floor London and executive producer at VFX boutique Electric Theatre Collective, where he established its sister production company Friends Electric.
Slow recently relocated back to London to assist with the launch after almost a decade in Los Angeles and three years at PXO.