Weta Digital to create original content
Wellington’s world-famous visual effects studio is going to produce original content for the first time in its 25-year history.
Weta Digital will create animation under the banner Weta Animation.
Majority owners Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh will write, produce and direct several of the company’s projects.
‘‘We are huge fans of animated storytelling in all of its forms, but it can be a long, protracted, and often costly way to make movies. That’s, in part, why we have created this company – to change the model and open the doors to filmmakers and storytellers who might not otherwise be given the chance to show what they can do,’’ Jackson said.
Walsh said the company had begun as ‘‘one machine and just one artist’’ who created the effects for Heavenly Creatures.
‘‘None of us knew what we were doing, but even in those early days we could see the incredible potential of this new technology. Since then, VFX has become a huge industry, but our goal has remained the same – to bring stories to life, through the power of imagination. If you can dream it, we can create it.’’
Senior effects supervisor Joe Letteri said the time was right to start developing original animation. ‘‘Storytelling is an essential part of what we do in visual effects and being able to bring our creative experience to new stories in early development opens up a world of unique possibilities.’’ The company has also announced its new chief executive, Prem Akkaraju, who said he was thrilled to join the team. ‘‘For over 25 years, Weta has led the VFX/animation industry by fostering an incredibly talented group of artists who work in tandem with a gifted team of computer scientists and engineers.’’
Los Angeles-based Akkaraju has worked as the chief content officer of SFX Entertainment.