Today, DNEG announced the promotion of Chas Jarrett to creative director.
Based out of the company’s London studio and working closely with Josh Jaggars, DNEG’s VFX and stereo group president Jarrett will partner with directors and filmmakers to leverage DNEG’s creative capabilities and innovative technology in service of their projects, while helping to maintain and build upon the company’s strong working relationships with its studio clients. Jarrett will also nurture and support the progression and development of DNEG’s talented artists and represent DNEG’s creative teams at the executive level.
The promotion provides further executive-level support for DNEG’s strategic direction and worldwide growth initiative as the company targets an expanded international headcount benchmark of 10,000 employees within the next 12 months. DNEG’s growth plan also explores further opportunities in content development and production, and in adjacent markets, including gaming and metaverse applications.
Jarrett, who joined DNEG as a senior VFX supervisor in 2019, has a wealth of creative and technical experience gained over 20 years in the entertainment industry. This includes 13 years as a client-side production VFX supervisor with credits such as Disney’s live-action Aladdin (2019), Logan, Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes films and Sweeney Todd for Tim Burton. He was a co-founder of boutique VFX house BlueBolt VFX, and previously served on the executive committee of visual effects company MPC.
Jarrett is also an active software developer, currently working with an in-house team at DNEG on the development of xSTUDIO, a new playback and review tool which DNEG intends to release as an open source project later this year. Most recently, he was the production VFX supervisor on the movie adaptation of the highly successful video game franchise Uncharted for Sony Pictures.
DNEG VFX and stereo group president, Josh Jaggars said, “Congratulations to Chas on his well-deserved promotion to creative director of DNEG. He is an outstanding leader and a fine role model for our creative teams, with a talent for developing strong relationships with filmmakers. Chas is an important addition to DNEG’s executive leadership team, and I am looking forward to working closely with him to ensure that our creative output remains second-to-none.”
Speaking about his new role, Jarrett said, “DNEG has an incredible brand and reputation in our industry. Part of my new responsibilities as creative director will be to ensure that DNEG maintains its position as the go-to house for incredibly realistic, huge-scale visual effects, while also expanding our capabilities to bring new and enhanced specialisms and technologies to our filmmaking partners. Equally important to me is the nurturing of our teams of highly skilled creatives across the globe. I will be focused on ensuring that our creative teams have the structure and support necessary to continue delivering the amazing, industry-leading work that DNEG is known for.”
Jarrett will take the reins from incumbent DNEG creative director and two-time Oscar-winning VFX supervisor Paul Franklin, who will continue to provide valued guidance and direction to DNEG’s clients and teams as visual effects consultant, a role he has maintained with notable projects such as Blade Runner 2049, First Man, Jungle Cruise and Venom: Let There Be Carnage. As a director with two short films already under his belt, Franklin will also focus on the development of new and original scripts and is attached as director on a number of projects which are currently in development. Franklin’s Fireworks, which was produced in collaboration with DNEG, Wilder Films and Dimension Studio, was one of the first short films in the UK to be shot using real-time virtual production technology within an LED volume.
Franklin added, “This is a very well-deserved promotion for Chas, who has a wealth of experience at the highest levels of VFX supervision. I am confident that the DNEG creative director post is in very capable hands. Personally, I’m incredibly excited to have this opportunity to press forward with the original projects that we have been developing, and to continue pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with new creative technologies, including virtual production, which is creating some game-changing opportunities for filmmakers.”
Speaking on Franklin, DNEG chairman and CEO Namit Malhotra said, “I wish to extend my thanks to Paul Franklin, who has been instrumental in building DNEG’s reputation as one of the world’s leading visual effects companies since the very beginnings of the company. I am delighted that Paul will continue to be an important part of the culture of excellence here at DNEG, while also taking this opportunity to move forward with the many exciting new filmmaking projects that he has in development.”
