BRIEFINGS INDUSTRY.
UNION OPENS CANADIAN OFFICE
BALDWIN: MANSLAUGHTER CHARGE DROPPED
London VFX house Union has established its first international satellite studio in Montréal. The studio was set up in a renovated industrial facility, Le Nordelec, situated between Griffintown and Pointe-Saint-Charles. Union has started recruitment for various technical, creative and production roles at all levels, to expand its Canadian team. Adam Gascoyne and Tim Caplan founded the company in 2008 and it has collaborated with renowned Oscar and Bafta- winning directors such as Martin McDonagh, Danny Boyle, Sam Mendes and Stephen Frears on projects ranging from period dramas to dystopian fantasies. “Adam and I have backgrounds at bigger VFX studios and our plan with Union was to build a BIG NAME PRODUCTIONS Recruitment has begun at Union’s newest facility, allowing for local talent to get involved in Montréal
VFX company that had all the best bits from our experiences, with the benefits and personability of an independent studio,” Caplan said. “Over the last 15 years we’ve definitely achieved this in London and, with the ongoing upturn in film and TV projects globally, the time is right to do the same in another region.” He added that Union “decided on Montréal pre-pandemic” seeing the city as a “perfect place, ideally positioned to work with clients across multiple time zones, with an incredible pool of local VFX talent and a generous tax relief system”. Since 2020, the company has made significant investments to enhance its CG team and has also successfully delivered VFX for numerous projects including, For All Mankind , The Irregulars , Operation Mincemeat , The Wheel of Time , Moon Knight , Pennyworth and award-winning The Banshees of Inisherin .
Alec Baldwin will no longer face criminal charges for the tragic shooting on the set of Rust in October 2021, which resulted in the death of Halyna Hutchins. The actor, who was accused of two counts of involuntary manslaughter, has been cleared of wrongdoing. The decision to drop charges is a surprise, as a trial was set to begin in May. A statement by New Mexico special prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis said that “over the last few days... new facts were revealed” which require further investigation. “This decision doesn’t absolve Mr Baldwin of criminal
culpability, charges may be refiled... Our follow-up
investigation will remain active and ongoing.” Filming of Rust resumed 20 April.
19. JUNE 2023
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