Visual effects studio Framestore has added VFX supervisor Patrick Ledda and animation supervisor Daniel Blacker to its creative leadership team in London. Both seasoned supervisors join Framestore following their recent work at MPC on high-profile projects Mufasa: The Lion King and Snow White.
With a PhD in computer graphics, Ledda started as a generalist at Terry Gilliam’s Peerless. He joined MPC 15 years ago, initially as a lighting lead, ascending to head of lookdev working on high profile productions including Prometheus, 47 Ronin and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. His supervisory debut on Disney’s Cinderella paved the way for boundary-pushing work on Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar’s Revenge, Lady and the Tramp, Dumbo and The Little Mermaid.
“I’ve long admired Framestore’s innovative approach and this is an incredible opportunity to collaborate with some of the industry’s most talented minds across a global network of studios,” stated Ledda. “Hugely motivating to be joining a company that continually pushes the boundaries of creativity and technology in filmmaking.”
Having started his career at Framestore over 18 years ago cutting his teeth as an animator on Spike Jonze’s Where the Wild Things Are, Blacker returns after 15 years at MPC. With 20 films under his belt including World War Z and The Jungle Book, Blacker has guided animation teams across Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, Cruella and most recently Barry Jenkins’ Mufasa: The Lion King as animation supervisor.
“Framestore has always championed handcrafted, animated performances that are brought to life with such care and attention by teams of artists,” said Blacker. “Coming back to guide these teams and collaborate too with art department, visdev and FPS to tell these stories for our clients is really exciting.”
“Patrick and Daniel join us at a pivotal time, as we embark on film productions that are both creatively ambitious and technologically demanding,” said Fiona Walkinshaw, CEO of film and episodic at Framestore. “We know that they are more than up to the task and are really looking forward to seeing what they create.”
