The 2016 Oscars that recently honoured Ex Machina with the Best Visual Effects award also recognised and appreciated the studio behind the film Double Negative. The Prime Focus World and Double Negative merger has proved beneficial for both the giants to deliver heavy VFX sequences which would be otherwise a tough call.
This is the second Oscar in as many years for Double Negative, and its third in the last six years; the company has previously taken home the prestigious award for Christopher Nolan’s Inception in 2011 and for its work on Interstellar last year. Andrew Whitehurst, Paul Norris, Mark Ardington and Sara Bennett were thus honoured at the 88th Annual Academy Awards for their work in Ex Machina.
Double Negative’s work on Ex Machina was selected over other nominees that included The Martian, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Revenant and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Double Negative was the lead VFX house on Ex Machina, and Andrew Whitehurst was the overall VFX Supervisor on the movie. Under Whitehurst’s supervision, Double Negative created ‘Ava’, the beautifully realised main character who, while strikingly human, has obviously artificial robotic elements, courtesy of the talented VFX team.
Prime Focus, Executive Chairman & Global CEO, Namit Malhotra said, “This is an incredibly proud moment for all of us at Prime Focus and Double Negative. I want to congratulate Alex Hope, Matt Holben, Andrew Whitehurst and all the creative, production and technical teams at Double Negative for bringing home this honour, and for continuing to innovate and push the boundaries of what is possible. This comparatively low-budget film was up against huge competition from some of the highest-grossing films of last year, which only makes this achievement even greater. And the fact that it is Double Negative’s second consecutive Oscar win, after Interstellar last year, further validates our efforts to provide our clients with the very best in creative and technical excellence.”
Double Negative, Managing Director, Alex Hope stated, “Director Alex Garland, producers Andrew Macdonald and Allon Reich and the team at DNA Films have produced a sci-fi masterpiece that holds its own against some of the biggest films of the year. Ex Machina was a hugely rewarding experience for us – a creative collaboration with a talented filmmaking team in which the VFX is absolutely fundamental to the storyline.”
Double Negative, CEO, Holben added, “Winning the Academy Award for our work on Ex Machina is testament to the strength of the talent at Double Negative, and the collaborative nature of the production. What was achieved here, on a limited budget, is incredible.”
Since its merger with Prime Focus World (PFW) in 2014, Double Negative and PFW have provided clients with a unique service offering of Academy Award winning visual effects and industry-leading stereo conversion. The transaction with Double Negative was brought together through investment from Anil Ambani’s Reliance Capital and merger with the Reliance Mediaworks’ FMS business.
Projects currently in production at Double Negative and PFW include Captain America: Civil War, Star Trek Beyond, Alice Through The Looking Glass, The Huntsman Winter’s War, Warcraft, Jason Bourne, The Legend of Tarzan, Wonder Woman, Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them and Assassin’s Creed. Recently delivered titles include Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, In The Heart Of The Sea, Spectre, Bridge Of Spies and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2.
