Supervising the sunken city

During his career he has worked with recognisable studio names like Cinesite and Vine FX, having started out working on commercials in the ‘90s. And now following the BAFTA Craft Award nomination for VFX in the BBC’s TV series Atlantis, he’s on a high.

 “It's great to achieve such a high standard of visual effects for Atlantis and for that to be recognised,” he says. “The show had a very high shot count for a relatively small team to accomplish, so it really does reflect the skill and talent of everybody involved.”

Ivor’s really enjoyed his time on this project, his favourite aspect being involved in a wide spectrum of shots. “I think the best part [of Atlantis] was the range of work – we had multiple creature sequences, FX animation, set extensions and matte paintings, and green screen compositing.”

Working on a TV series is somewhat different from a film. Turn-around times are much faster and there’s a whole different kind of pressure. But it’s something that Ivor doesn’t shy away from doing. With work so challenging and diverse long-form provides an ideal arena for anyone in VFX to test their mettle. What becomes hugely important in that scenario is the technology behind the art.

“Escape Technology helped from the start by designing and setting up an efficient and robust network” Ivor reveals, “and then with system support throughout the project. In addition, one of the things that was particularly helpful was ongoing information about new technology and software. My personal favourite was getting Deadline working on my iPhone – I could see that the renders were getting through late at night.”

It’s exactly that kind of forward-thinking approach that sets us in the higher echelons of technical support firms. Because we quite literally know the industry from the inside out we’re more capable than most to create the best pipeline for the work at hand. And make sure that pipeline is adaptable in the future.