Digital Orchard has announced their brand-new 2025 DIT & Video Trainees: Cleopatra Southcombe, Lorna McCoid, Monika Sak, Jack Lightfoot, Adella Demou, and James Lau.

For the second consecutive year, Digital Orchard have successfully launched another Access: Trainee Scheme, which has seen a surge in demand, with applications being six times higher than in the previous year. Founded in 2024 by Head of Bookings, Olivia Fitzsimons, the scheme supports new talent entering the Film and TV industry. It aligns with Digital Orchard’s Foundation, a key advocacy and networking initiative focused on promoting and supporting under-represented groups in the industry.

Managing Digital Orchard’s On-set talent agency revealed a gap in support for new DIT and Video technicians. The Access Trainee Scheme was created to address this, offering hands-on training in a supportive environment. Trainees develop essential skills at their own pace, receive close supervision and feedback, then shadow on set before stepping into paid roles. This initiative is personal to me, as it opens doors for those facing industry barriers, giving them the foundation for successful careers.

Olivia Fitzsimons, Head of Bookings at Digital Orchard

The DIT & Video scheme provides expert guidance on key topics like on-set etiquette, rates, and negotiation, with mentors offering ongoing support. Digital Orchard’s 2024-25 trainees: Tommy Shackles, Madison Marshall, Daniel DiFranco, Christian Chun Kit Wong, and Michalina Wilk, have completed their first year of the scheme. It’s just the start, with many staying on as trainees, and others moving into DIT or Video Assistant roles. Over the past year, the trainees have worked on productions including The Diplomat S3, Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning, Pressure, Mechanical S3, Vauxhall S4, and Preschool.

In 2025, Tommy transitioned to DIT Assistant roles, already building an impressive CV in just a year and aiming to work on high-end dramas and features.

My first year with the trainee scheme was extremely valuable, it allowed me the time and resources to truly understand the fundamentals of DIT and Video. I had space to practice key skills like coiling cables and setting up transmitters, quickly becoming a valuable asset to Technicians and Operators. I highly recommend the scheme and thank Digital Orchard for the opportunity.

Tommy Shackles

I wanted to express how pleased we all were with Tommy on this production. He’s so lovely to work with and very forward thinking and diligent, so it was a real pleasure having him on the crew. I’d be happy to recommend him on/ have him come aboard whatever I may do in the future.

Jessica O’Shaughnessy, Production Manager

Digital Orchard is thrilled to get their 2025 trainee cohort stuck into another informative programme. Aspiring trainees like Adella Demou are eager to gain hands-on experience in DIT & Video.

I’m excited and extremely grateful to be joining the Access: 2025 Trainee Scheme with Digital Orchard! I look forward to diving into the details of DIT & Video and getting hands-on in training!

Adella Demou

The conference brings local industry leaders, international creatives, students, and educators to Edinburgh to celebrate industry successes and inspire the next generation of artists.

MOVE Summit boasts three days of talks, workshops, creative reviews, screenings, recruitment, networking, and business development. The Emerging Talent Day (Wednesday 19th February) is dedicated to students, with a programme focused on industry-ready skill development. MOVE’s Industry Days (Thursday 20th and Friday 21st February) bring together practitioners from all over the UK and beyond, highlighting Scotland’s work to a global audience.

This year’s industry schedule features keynote presentations from:

• Chris McDonald (Visualisation Supervisor, Framestore), delving into the craft of previs, techvis and postvis and demonstrating how these techniques were instrumental in developing iconic scenes from Jon M. Chu’s critically acclaimed film Wicked.
• Director Mike Mitchell, taking the audience on a journey through his illustrious career, including his work on many major IP’s including Shrek, Madagascar, Lego, Spongebob Squarepants, and many more.
• Renfrewshire-born James Hodgart (Environmental Model Supervisor, Walt Disney Animation Studios), will speak about his work in 3D environments over the last decade, including recent projects Moana 2 and Disney+’s upcoming Tiana series.
• Maurissa Horwitz (Lead Editor, Pixar) will take delegates behind the scenes of Inside Out 2, sharing how the iconic alarm scene came to life and which new emotions were left on the cutting room floor.

Other notable highlights from the programme include a talk from Blinkink’s Bart Yates on the company’s journey from a boutique production company into an original development studio, creating unique IPs for film, TV and games, while Stephen McNally will take attendees through the adventure of creating HBO mixed media special Peter & the Wolf.

Kate O’Connor (Executive Chair, Animation UK) will join the conference to outline the Animation Blueprint for Growth – a strategic roadmap designed to drive both local and UK-wide growth of the animation industry, inviting delegates to take part in the debate on shaping the future of UK animation.

From Nexus Studios, Hannah Lau-Walker will explore the intersection of her personal and commissioned work, while Deborah Casswell will lead delegates on an enlightening journey into the development and creation of the immersive mindfulness experience Headspace XR.

Ben Krolick (Head of Animation, MPC) will host an exclusive look into MPC’s work in high-end visual effects and animation, including behind-the-scenes glimpses at Mufasa: The Lion King and insights into the cutting-edge techniques shaping the future of animation.

Victor Paredes (Animator & Product Manager, Moho Animation) will demonstrate how to create 2D animation in new non-traditional ways, using examples from Scavenger’s Reign, My Father’s Dragon and Wolfwalkers. Delegates can also trial the software for themselves and gain first-hand guidance from Victor in a special workshop hosted during the conference.

Sam Taylor and Abe Coyne (REALTIME) will walk delegates through a full rigging walkthrough with KineFX and APEX in Houdini, as well as leading a deep-dive into the world of character cloth simulation in a workshop perfect for CFX artists, technical animators, and anyone refining their cloth sim skills.

Meanwhile, Dane Winn (Blue Zoo Animation) will provide an up-close look at an exciting inhouse R&D project to create a one-click facial rig that can accommodate a vast array of animation styles.

Creative Sprouts’ Marion Edwards and Chris Rose will lead a deep-dive into the kids’ animation landscape in 2025, providing insights and tips to help stand out from the crowd, while My SMASH Media’s Christine Hartland and Fiona Gillies will guide delegates through the process of pitching a project confidently and successfully in an informative workshop.

MOVE attendees can also enroll in ‘Networking for the Anxious’, a relaxed roundtable-style workshop led by screenwriter. playwright and author Ross Mackay and psychologist and hypnotherapist Alan Freeburn.

Navigating the funding landscape can be extremely challenging, and MOVE aims to demystify the process with panel discussions covering both traditional and non-traditional founding routes for animated projects. Delegates can hear about the BFI’s UK Global Screen Fund with first-hand case studies from companies who’ve been supported, plus representatives from the BFI, Screen Scotland, UKRI and the Edge competition will provide the lowdown on their available opportunities.

1:1 meeting opportunities continue to be an important part of the MOVE experience, and the conference has introduced Pitch Prep 1:1s to the Business@MOVE strand this year. Attendees will have the opportunity to test their show pitches on a selection of industry experts in an intimate 10-minute 1-to-1 format, receiving vital feedback and top tips on how to improve.

Returning for 2025 is also MOVE’s live pitching showcase, where a selected shortlist of creatives pitch their show concepts in front of a panel of industry experts and commissioners – as well as a live audience! Participants will receive invaluable feedback on their pitches and concepts as well as the chance to win a cash prize.

MOVE’s 2025 short films in competition programme include work from Duncan Rudd, Will Anderson, Sarah Beeby and Sammi Duong to name just a few, and there’ll be a chance to hear from several of the selected filmmakers themselves during a Skwigly Animation Podcast event taking place at the conference. Attendees will also be treated to an early preview screening of Gints Zilbalodis’ animated feature Flow, which has received multiple nominations for this year’s Academy Awards.

As always, MOVE’s Emerging Talent Day on Wednesday 19th February provides a unique opportunity for the UK’s animation students to learn from international industry professionals. This year’s Emerging Talent Day speakers include Maurissa Horwitz (Pixar), Bart Yates (Blinkink), plus representatives from Scottish studio Wild Child Animation. Students will also be treated to a live demonstration with acclaimed 2D animator and animation director Peter Dodd, and Cécile Blondel (GOBELINS) will draw on 35 years of experience in teaching and programme development to explore the critical intersection of education and industry.

Plus, students will have the exciting opportunity to take part in MOVE’s annual Creative Challenge which this year will be set by director Mike Mitchell and feature mentors from animation studios such as Wild Child, Eyebolls and Cahoots.

MOVE Summit 2025 is made possible thanks to the generous support of the event’s funders and partners, who include Screen Scotland, Rockstar Games, Wild Child Animation, SideFX, Wacom and Moho Animation.

The full conference agenda is expected to be released within the coming days. Visit https://movesummit.co.uk for more information.

Award-winning animation production studio, A Productions, has been named one of the UK’s Best Places to Work in TV 2025. This marks the third time the Bristol-based company has been awarded the coveted accolade by leading industry website and magazine, Broadcast. The survey recognises the employers that are “doing things right and creating cultures that make employees proud to be a part of them”.

Training schemes, employee benefits and company culture are among the key factors that determine the Best Places to Work in TV. A special report based on the survey has published, with 32 companies having made the cut.

We pride ourselves in ensuring that A Productions is a diverse, inclusive and enjoyable place to work, where everyone can fulfil their potential and feel valued. It’s important to us to engage staff regularly in sharing their feedback and shaping the way we run the company, with our team’s wellbeing central to our ethos.

Katherine McQueen, Joint Managing Director at A Productions

A Productions invests significantly in its team with a dedicated welfare manager who offers staff 1:1 support; flexible working policies; an extensive mentoring programme; regular social events; a virtual suggestion box; and a half day Friday ‘wellness afternoon’ for staff every month in addition to holiday, among many other initiatives.

The studio has established an ever-evolving equality, diversity & inclusion programme, which includes: unconscious bias training and regular workshops for staff on topics such as neurodiversity and mental health; outreach work with schools, colleges and universities; recruitment via non-traditional routes; and apprenticeships, internships and placement opportunities. A Productions recently offered a free animation course to budding animators who were all newcomers to the industry, with two participants offered a role at the end.

A Productions is a creative-led animation production studio that makes iconic children’s content for TV and film for audiences in the UK and around the world, with the development of its own original, creator-driven content core to its long-term strategy.

The studio has worked on many notable shows including: JoJo and Gran Gran, produced by BBC Studios Kids & Family Productions in association with A Productions for CBeebies; Love Monster for CBeebies; Sesame Street animated specials, Furry Friends Forever: Elmo gets a Puppy and The Monster at the End of This Story, for Sesame Workshop, and segment animations for the iconic Sesame Street series; as well as Pip and Posy Let’s Learn, produced by Magic Light Pictures for Sky Kids with animation services provided by A Productions.

A Productions is also working on My Friend Maisy, starring the globally-loved characters from the bestselling Maisy books. BBC Studios Kids & Family Productions and Trustbridge Entertainment are co-producing My Friend Maisy, with animation created by A Productions and Karrot working together.

The Best Places to Work Survey asks companies’ management about pay and best practices, while employees are asked to share their views on areas such as leadership and planning, training, development and resources, role satisfaction and environment. The scores are weighted in favour of the employees’ responses.

Agenda

• UWL taking on Level 6 VFX apprenticeship: discussion and feedback with guest speaker Janet Rowson, Head of Apprenticeships at UWL.

Panellists for the “Why Children’s Content Matters” event were Braydon Bent, TV presenter, vlogger and BAFTA Young Presenter alumnus; Kez Margrie, commissioning editor, Factual & Factual Entertainment, BBC Children’s; Kate O’Connor, executive chair, Animation UK; Nathan Bryon, actor, author, screenwriter; and Anna Rafferty, SVP, Digital Consumer Engagement, LEGO Group. Additional speakers were Catherine Ellis, head of climate content, BAFTA albert and Sarah Joyce, head of unscripted and children’s TV, ScreenSkills. Cartoon Network, Moonbug Entertainment and Nickelodeon are the Official Supporters of the Young BAFTA programme.

Children have never had so much choice of entertainment. From on-demand blockbuster movies and games to homegrown and international shows, plus the bewildering choice to consume, create and respond offered by TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, Instagram and beyond, the options are seemingly endless. 

But cutting through the noise is harder than ever and the UK children’s media industry is fighting for survival. Despite the enduring popularity of characters and stories beloved by children around the world, from Paddington to Peppa Pig, Paw Patrol and Teletubbies, the volume of first-run UK original children’s programmes hit a ten-year low last year. The PSBs spent £80m on children’s content in 2022, a drop of £30m over a decade, with one major government intervention – the £44m BFI Young Audiences Content Fund – quietly closed. 

Industry champions like BAFTA Fellow Baroness Floella Benjamin and Russell T Davies are shouting from the rafters about the urgent need to protect well-funded, high quality output. It’s a timely reminder that for the good of their social inclusion and emotional wellbeing, children deserve to see their lives, in all their diversity, reflected in spaces free from unregulated and potentially harmful content funnelled through narrow algorithms.

This BAFTA masterclass set out to ask: why does children’s content matter? Animation UK executive chair Kate O’Connor offered the audience one obvious answer: children “represent 25% of the audience and 100% of our future.” 

Kez Margrie, a commissioning editor in factual and factual entertainment for BBC Children’s, picked up the theme.

You’re only a child once. We all remember characters and stories that we saw as children and took with us into the world, that helped us in our life.

Kez Margrie

Children’s TV also makes careers. It is an entry point for audiences – and a pathway to family viewing of shows like Gladiators or Ghosts – and for talent, with a rich history of nurturing future stars of grown-up TV.  

BAFTA’s approach to this part of the industry is to keep evolving with no loss of commitment; alongside events such as this, it will spotlight creative success in children’s content in dedicated categories at each of BAFTA’s annual flagship Film, Television and Games Awards from next year. 

The masterclass was the first event held under the Young BAFTA brand under Young BAFTA Advisory Group chair and BAFTA Trustee, Andrew Miller MBE, who started at Channel 4 as one of British TV’s first disabled presenters of children’s programmes. 

The children’s media sector leads the way when it comes to diverse, well-regulated and educational storytelling.

Andrew Miller MBE

With events like this, he said, BAFTA recognises that it needs to “keep banging the drum for the sector alongside supporting and nurturing young people’s creativity” through National School Roadshows and its Young Game Designers and Young Presenters programmes. 

O’Connor highlighted the stark contradiction of a sector that can feel justified in feeling a little bruised and unloved. 

We’re at the top of our game. The world looks to the UK for our excellence in storytelling and innovation and craft. And yet we’re just not investing in our content in the UK for kids – we’ve seen a massive decline in PSB investment over the last 15 years on all screens. And that’s just not good enough.

Kate O’Connor

Online disruptors have traditionally borne the brunt of the industry’s ire, but Margrie urged more traditional players to embrace the competition and apply traditional storytelling skills into new forms, whether 10 seconds or half an hour. Creators can also benefit from spending more time with their audience and producing content centred on their particular passions, she added. Margrie said producers and commissioners have much to learn from the imaginations of young creators.

If we bring in a gamer or a YouTuber who’s used to creating their own content into our TV world, they’re like, ‘Oh my god, how long does it take for you to make this? What, it’s not coming out until six months later? What are you talking about?’ It’s things like that that we really need to learn from.

Kez Margrie

Efforts are underway at ScreenSkills to bridge that gap with entry-level placements on schemes such as Dream Big and Trainee Finder. 

We need to look at ways that we can bring people into the industry who are currently making their own content. There are techniques and technologies that need to be absorbed within the more traditional linear landscape for the industry to keep evolving and to keep being groundbreaking.

Sarah Joyce, Head of Unscripted and Children’s TV at ScreenSkills

Hours spent in the seemingly authentic world of social media has made children more sceptical of what they see and Margrie encouraged producers to push harder on presenting the value of their content. 

The biggest thing that traditional TV content is learning is that kids just want to see the truth. Traditionally, TV has been quite fake and kids see that. You used to cut out anything that went wrong and put it at the end as bloopers … let’s just put that at the top and get kids really excited. Why do they want to watch half an hour when they’re used to spending 10 seconds watching? They have to know right from the top what they’re going to get, why they want to watch it, and who is presenting it to them.

Kez Margrie

Braydon Bent, a presenter, vlogger and BAFTA Young Presenter alumnus, offered a 15 year-old’s perspective on content consumption, which in his case is typically in 30-second to minute-long bursts, and on breaking down traditional formal entry points into content production. 

Nowadays, if you have an idea, there are lots of ways in which you can get it across. You can hear what people have to say and you can collaborate – all it takes is a message.

The best way to get across to young people is having it peer-to-peer. If you’re watching something with an adult on it and they’re just offloading information, you can just switch off. Whereas if you’re hearing it from someone your age, then you almost have an incentive to listen a bit more because you can relate to each other.

Braydon Bent

Actor and writer Nathan Bryon, who entered TV without connections or a degree who got his break on the Rastamouse writer’s room, praised children’s TV for its track record of breaking new and diverse talent. O’Connor, meanwhile, said the sector’s reputation for inclusion is key to its survival.  

We have to invest even more in the kids content sector because we are the engine of the overall sector and people in all sorts of roles in all sorts of capacities will move on to other parts of the wider industry if they want to.

Kate O’Connor

It’s a different story in video games, however, which, as a younger part of the industry, has a less mature look on representation, according to LEGO Group SVP, digital consumer engagement Anna Rafferty. This is something the sector’s trying to put right, with the Geena Davis Institute for Gender in Media producing a report and toolkit for creators to avoid unconscious othering of games’ characters. 

Some parts of game narrative and content haven’t completely caught up with the TV industry. Kids really need to be able to see female characters that aren’t bit parts [with] oversexualised body images. It’s about the workforce and about making sure that your team has a representation, which has been difficult in that industry as well.

Rather than try and keep kids out of digital spaces – which doesn’t work because they just lie about their age and go into places that weren’t designed for them – we will try to give a really good blueprint for people who create digital content and show them what good looks like.

Anna Rafferty

The work feeds into the LEGO Group’s mission to make games a safe and positive space for young players. The company has partnered with UNICEF on Responsible Innovation for Technology in Children (RITEC), an initiative to rigorously test the design of digital content to produce an experience that positively impacts children’s wellbeing. 

Above all, children want and need to see themselves on screen. Margrie points to CBBC’s long-running first-person documentary strand My Life, and highlights Operation Ouch’s popularity with disabled children. 

It would be very easy to just do medical model portrayal of disabled kids and we work really hard [to ensure] that isn’t the case. The child is very specific about their disabilities, and it’s really important to them that you know ‘this is who I am and this is what I bring and this is what I love about myself’. It’s so valuable. For the children watching, it will mean that they hopefully go out and be confident citizens in the world.

Kez Margrie

It comes back to that word ‘authenticity’: rather than a box-ticking “Benetton group of kids”, she said, it’s about lived experience of individual children. 

We would never commission a show that didn’t absolutely reflect the children from across the UK. We would be failing UK children if we didn’t take it really seriously and embrace it.

Kez Margrie

Explore BAFTA’s upcoming events in their year-round programme here.

The recognition follows a comprehensive assessment of Salon’s processes and security protocols, underscoring their dedication to maintaining the highest standards in the industry.

Specialising in delivering non-linear editing systems, such as Avid and Adobe, storage solutions, such as Nexis and EditShare, and remote editing workflows, from cloud based systems through to their hugely popular SalonSync system, Salon serves a global clientele, including most recently productions such as Matthew Vaughn’s Argylle, Warner Brothers’ Barbie, and ITV’s Mr Bates vs the Post Office.

With the continuous expansion of our remote offerings, the popularity of SalonSync workflows, and our growing integrations with strategic partners, obtaining TPN Gold status allows us to easily showcase our adherence to MPA best practices.

Nick Long, Managing Director of Salon

As part of Salon’s proactive approach to enhanced security, the company has undertaken a significant redesign of its West London Headquarters and established a brand new machine room to support an expanded range of remote services. Notable advancements include a faster on-set to edit portal system in collaboration with MASV.io and increased automation within the SalonSync network.

Engaging in the TPN assessment prompted Salon to conduct a thorough re-evaluation of its business practices, leading to the creation of new processes, intensified staff training, and the implementation of increased disaster recovery solutions and redundancy measures. Throughout the journey, the TPN team and their assessment partner, ISE, provided invaluable feedback and support.

DNEG, a world-leading visual entertainment services company, has announced the launch of a new division, DNEG IXP, with Josh Mandel named as Managing Director to lead the new business area. Using the global capabilities and talent of the DNEG group, DNEG IXP (Immersive Experiences) delivers super- premium content in service of businesses, brands, and game publishers looking to craft breakthrough creative experiences across gaming, concerts and other live events, theme parks, retail, product launches, location-based experiences, and more.

Combining an unmatched creative offering with a unique combination of market science, audience insight, technological leadership, and production excellence, DNEG IXP brings DNEG’s Academy Award-winning services to new audiences. Businesses can work directly with DNEG IXP creatives and thinkers to create and deliver high-quality experiences that resonate with and engage their key audiences.

As we expand and fortify DNEG’s services on a global scale, this new division allows us to diversify our offering to complement our Hollywood partnerships and projects. Ambitious businesses can now leverage DNEG’s Academy Award-winning talent and creative capabilities in order to fully realise and maximise the ways in which they connect with their audiences, whether on-stage, in-game, at a theme park, as part of a location-based experience, or through state-of-the-art headsets.

Namit Malhotra, CEO of DNEG

Mandel brings more than 20 years of experience in the media and entertainment industry to his new role as Managing Director of DNEG IXP. Having held numerous senior leadership roles, including CEO, President, CSO and Head of Marketing, at leading companies, he has notably collaborated with culture-rich brands like Nike, adidas, Samsung, EA, Google, Beats by Dre, Apple, and Activision.

It has never been more challenging for a business to create a resonant, emotional relationship with its key customers. An ever-fragmenting media landscape makes it harder than ever for a business to reach its audience in meaningful ways. Businesses need a partner that can help them decide what to make and how to make it; a partner that can provide breakthrough creative ideas, the technologies to craft them, and the production nous to get them from concept to reality. This is where DNEG IXP comes in.”

No-one knows the ambitions, desires and needs of a brand’s key audiences better than the brand itself. Through DNEG IXP, brands can work directly with the entertainment industry’s most talented thinkers and makers to create immersive experiences across a range of media that resonate with and feed the passions of their most important audiences.

Josh Mandel, Managing Director of DNEG IXP

DNEG IXP’s work is already underway with several projects currently in production for world-leading brands, with an initial focus on the worlds of gaming, virtual concerts, and theme park ride experiences.

At DNEG, our overarching mission is to provide our partners with creative liberation through a potent combination of cutting-edge digital tools, artistic collaboration, and financial acumen. Josh has a wealth of experience working with some of the world’s biggest brands, building approaches around the vision of clients to support how they want to tell the story or shape the brand experience. DNEG IXP, under Josh’s leadership, brings to the fore yet another way in which DNEG is transforming the future of storytelling.

Namit Malhotra, CEO of DNEG

Though the reality version of Squid Game is not a matter of life or death, there is still a lot on the line. Transforming the South Korean series into the biggest reality competition ever with 456 players competing to win $4.56 million dollars pushes each player to their limits. Squid Game: The Challenge sees Netflix provide the largest cash prize in reality television history. Through a series of games, each player is forced to ask themselves just how far they will go to win, making alliances, deploying different strategies and walking a tightrope of trust and betrayal on their way to the prize.

To pull off such an ambitious production, Studio Lambert and The Garden enlisted the help of ENVY’s onset specialist workflow division, ENVY CAPTURE. The CAPTURE team, under the direction of Studio Lambert’s production management team were on-hand throughout the entire shoot, creating unique rigs for each game, managing the multitude of media record streams, as well as, logging and archiving the material ready for the offline edit at ENVY’s central London facilities. In a behind-the-scenes look, the ENVY CAPTURE team discuss the role they played on set, some of the most exciting challenges and what the future holds for fixed rig productions going forward.

Project overview

The ambitious ten-part series, Squid Game: The Challenge, pushed the boundaries of creativity and technical prowess, all within the tight time frame of 16 incredibly busy days. This production posed a challenge like no other, as the shooting schedule needed to balance capturing reality-style content while also setting up and rigging for the next thrilling game.

It was one of the most extensive reality shoots ever undertaken, featuring some of the most ambitious games designed for a reality setting.

Elliot Leigh, Location Supervisor at CAPTURE

ENVY CAPTURE played a pivotal role in this project, having been actively involved in pre-production from the early stages.

When you’re approached to establish the recording infrastructure for a project of this magnitude, it’s impossible not to be thrilled. Managing complex workflows and challenges is our specialty, and Squid Game presented the ultimate test.

Ricky Martin, Head of Technical Operations at CAPTURE

In its essence, our role is to craft the technology and infrastructure for the most extensive reality production ever undertaken. Then the days when we’re not recording the largest reality production ever, we are tasked with recording some of the most intricate game shows ever conceived.

Toby Weller, Solutions Architect at CAPTURE

However, what sets their work apart on this project, from the standard reality production workflow, was having to deal with the additional editorial elements, such as VFX. They had to adapt and develop new workflows to deal with editorial requirements that are more in line with a drama production.

Ahead of and during the shooting stage, high levels of preparation and intricate planning were required to ensure the success of the production stage within a tight shooting schedule.

What was different for Squid Game is that we had to create new work flows and tech that allowed us to incorporate standard reality capture alongside more complex elements. This added a unique layer of complexity to our work.

The scale of the project demanded meticulous planning. Each day of production presented unique challenges, requiring seamless coordination among all technical teams and their respective technologies to smoothly transition from one scene to the next. CAPTURE sat at the heart of this, to ensure that all decisions onset provided the best output for the editorial process both onset and later back in the post-production stages back at ENVY.

Ricky Martin, Head of Technical Operations at CAPTURE

Every stage of production – every game, every dormitory change, every setup – was documented in immense detail by our team and then shared with the entire production, so we were all working to the same up-to-date version of the plan.

Elliot Leigh, Location Supervisor at CAPTURE

From there, CAPTURE designed each recording setup and media pipeline to seamlessly receive content in a way that would streamline the editing and finishing processes in the subsequent stages.

Toby Weller, Solutions Architect at CAPTURE

Behind the scenes: ENVY CAPTURE

Creating a reality show of the magnitude of Squid Game: The Challenge brought forth unique and complex challenges for the production team. Unlike other reality shows, where camera setups often remain consistent, this show demanded a flexible approach.

The multi-camera setup on Squid Game: The Challenge had to be changed and rigged for each individual game to maximise coverage and capture all the key action and drama.

Elliot Leigh, Location Supervisor at CAPTURE

Each game presented its own set of demands, with up to 24 ‘rig’ cameras and dozens of PSC cameras tracking the 210 participants residing in the dormitory. Furthermore, the production team had the flexibility to add extra cameras when deemed necessary. For instance, in the case of the show’s opening challenge, ‘Red Light, Green Light,’ which featured all 456 contributors, the setup had to be shifted to a larger space to accurately replicate the original program.

There were 32 streams of media and an additional 18 cameras recording, which is understandable when you see the size of the game and the number of contestants to keep track of.

Ricky Martin, Head of Technical Operations at CAPTURE

Throughout the reality portions of the production, 24 ISOs (isolated camera feeds) played a central role, with dedicated ISOs for interview rooms. As the show progressed and contestants were eliminated, the ‘Dormitory’ record constantly evolved, adapting to the changing dynamics with varying bed arrangements, cameras and microphones.

ISOs for interview rooms were also transcribed live, with reports delivered straight to production teams after each interview.

Toby Weller, Solutions Architect at CAPTURE

This is one of the shows where we had the most collaboration with production, and everyone was communicating on how certain parts were going to be shot. There is no guide out there to explain how a project like this gets made.

Elliot Leigh, Location Supervisor at CAPTURE

Indeed, it was a testament to the industry’s most innovative minds, coming together to find solutions and streamline the media management process from set to suite. On a production of this scale, one of the paramount challenges was to establish a system that allowed a sizable editorial team to seamlessly annotate and access content in real-time, as the unfolding events demanded. This solution needed to consolidate all production notes into a single, accessible location, obviating the necessity for copious paperwork or the arduous task of sifting through extensive timelines of media content. To address this challenge, CAPTURE spearheaded the creation of a ground-breaking cloud-based solution known as ‘Story.’

We recognised the need for a tailored platform that could cater to the unique demands of our production notes while ensuring accessibility and ease of use for our editing team.

Ricky Martin, Head of Technical Operations at CAPTURE

CAPTURE’s innovative ‘Story’ platform delivered precisely that. It provided fully customised production notes that could be effortlessly edited and reviewed in the cloud. What set this solution apart was its seamless integration with Avid, aligning media and sequences seamlessly with the corresponding notes.

With ‘Story’ in place, each commissioned story received a unique identifier. This ingenious feature simplified the process of locating specific stories for editors and producers during offline edits. In an industry where efficiency and precision are paramount, CAPTURE’s ‘Story’ not only met the challenge but also raised the bar for real-time production note management.

Since its inception in 2021, ENVY CAPTURE has embarked on a global journey, providing solutions to a diverse array of fixed rig productions, each brimming with its unique creative vision and aspirations to elevate their projects to new heights.

By the end of the two week shoot, ENVY CAPTURE had recorded 9536 hours of media, backed up on 272 PSC Cards, which were backed up to 102 LTOs and 828 stories were commissioned throughout the production phase. When combining all of the native media, backups and stream media, the total amount of media amassed to 1.1 petabytes across the whole project.

There was an undeniable grandeur to it, a sense that we were contributing to something colossal. It was truly captivating to witness every participant immersed in the games, living out their lives with the tantalising prospect of walking away with $4.56 million.

We all had our favourites, individuals we were definitely rooting for, and a sense of disappointment if they were eliminated. This sentiment serves as a testament to the exceptional quality of the show’s production, given how deeply we were engaged while working on it.

Elliot Leigh, Location Supervisor at CAPTURE

Challenges and key moments

Although the production and CAPTURE rig is planned far in advance, there can sometimes be changes that are not anticipated or changes that want to be made during the shooting stage – the challenge can be to accommodate that. Even with twenty-four streams recording all the action, the task to record all of the action for 456 players proved to be an interesting challenge.

We would have discussions with production on how to best record a particular sequence, sometimes there were requests to capture extra streams or factor in different cameras to maximise the content being recorded.

Elliot Leigh, Location Supervisor at CAPTURE

With any fast-moving productions, you have to expect the unexpected and we always had a plan in place to best prepare us for any requests, sometimes that was simply more equipment, other times that would be rethinking the way a scene is shot entirely to make things work.

It was about following what looked interesting, never about following a particular person and creating a story from that. You could never predict what would happen in the next game. Fixed rig used to be about recording everything and creating the story after it has been recorded.

Toby Weller, Solutions Architect at CAPTURE

By not predicting potential winners of the show and by equally recording everyone’s conversations, it keeps the outcome a mystery. Squid Game: The Challenge replicates the original Netflix show perfectly, with several of the original games being made in real life. When the show’s creator, Hwang Dong-hyuk paid a visit to the sets, even he could not believe how detailed and true to the original the different areas were.

When asked about their favourite game from the production, the CAPTURE team had diverse preferences.

I’d go with ‘Glass Bridge.’ It was brief but incredibly tense watching it live, knowing there was a 50/50 chance of elimination or advancement.

Elliot Leigh, Location Supervisor at CAPTURE

For me, it’s a no-brainer—’Red Light, Green Light.’ It presented a monumental challenge in terms of scale, and it marked the first and last time we saw over 400 players in action.

Ricky Martin, Head of Technical Operations at CAPTURE

I’d pick ‘Marbles’ for its deceptive simplicity. It was one of the trickier games to capture perfectly due to the close- quarters action, requiring a delicate touch and precision.

Toby Weller, Solutions Architect at CAPTURE

Squid Game: The Challenge truly took fixed rig productions to new heights. The combination of technical excellence and creative ideas have created a series that the entire team are proud of. When amalgamating all the native media, backups, and streamed content, the cumulative volume of media amassed to an awe-inspiring 1.1 petabytes, a testament to the colossal scale and complexity of the entire project.

The world of fixed rig recording has evolved significantly, offering much greater scalability than in the past. We’re discovering innovative methods to enhance our recording capabilities.

Toby Weller, Solutions Architect at CAPTURE

Stories are now being crafted right on the set, and we’re exploring more creative pathways to seamlessly integrate them into the editing process. This, in turn, enriches the overall quality of the show, benefiting everyone involved.

Ricky Martin, Head of Technical Operations at CAPTURE

ENVY creatives

Once the offline edit was completed, the post production was wrapped up by ENVY’s team of talented creatives to transport us into the game. Squid Game: The Challenge was delivered for Dolby Vision HDR in the Aces Colourspace.

Squid Game: The Challenge was a very fun project to be involved with, especially being a fan of the original drama.

The series presented an exciting challenge with such a large number of cameras and different framerates being recorded across the games and sections in the players dorm. I really wanted to unify all these different elements to make it look uniform. Initially I graded in the style of the drama series, which was cold and gritty, but the producers and I decided it didn’t match the feel of a lighter entertainment show.

The other unique challenge in this series was that I got to composite shots within Baselight. The VFX vendors for the show were NVIS and they were fantastic to collaborate with. They regularly checked in on the colour pipeline and once that was locked down, they provided EXR files with embedded elements and data that could be loaded into Baselight. These shots were prepared by George and Sally in ENVY’s Data Lab which were conformed and set up on the timeline along with the locked cut of the programme ready for me to finesse. I would then comp the VFX elements into the original shot then grade each of the elements to make it look cohesive. The reason for having the VFX elements created separately allowed me to have more control of the shot and was way more efficient when it came to delivering a complex grade. NVIS were involved in the reviews making sure the VFX elements were working okay with the original shots and could make tweaks as needed.

There were also sections where I would rotoscope shots with a lot of movement which took time but the final results were absolutely worth that extra time. Squid Game: The Challenge was a real team effort across the entire project and something we can all be proud to be a part of.

Andrew Cloke, Colourist at ENVY

The brief from the Studio Lambert and The Garden teams was to keep it true to the 2021 series and before mixing the show, I rewatched the original series to remind myself of the mood and tension that gets created using the sound.

We wanted to match the effects to the original such as the tannoy system and the sound of the guards which were revoiced and blended into the mix. The show also contained music from the original show and that was fused into an amazing score that helps drive the stories on the screen and also amplifies the tension of the games.

There were no boom microphones in the show, so I largely was cleaning and utilising audio from the players’ radio microphones. All of the best microphones were selected in the tracklay and then in the mix, I isolated each of the individual voices and reduced any background noise picked up by the radio microphone.

Ben Ormerod, Dubbing Mixer at ENVY

We all really wanted to honour the original show as much as possible. Ben began the series and established the style of the mix and together we made sure that style carried right across the series.

I used RX Advanced 8 to clean up the audio, including the built in tools de-click and de- plosive which removes pops and bumps to the microphones which is especially useful with a lot of movement and action from so many contestants. I also used RX8’s spectral repair and spectral de-noise which analyses pieces of audio, identifies any sound that should not be there and repairs that waveform.

I had a lot of fun on the series and really enjoyed watching it back in review sessions with the clients. People are really going to be blown away by the scale of the production.

Andy Hodges, Dubbing Mixer at ENVY

Squid Game: The Challenge was produced by Studio Lambert and The Garden Productions. The 10-episode series was released on 22 November and is available to watch on Netflix.

ENVY credits

Head of Technical Operations CAPTURE: Ricky Martin; Solutions Architect CAPTURE: Toby Weller; Location Supervisor CAPTURE: Elliot Leigh; Colourist: Andrew Cloke Online Editor: Luke Carter; Dubbing Mixers: Andy Hodges and Ben Ormerod; and Post Producers: Rosie Hargreaves and Luke Gagin.

Rusty Monkey LTD recently teamed up with the North East Yorkshire Primary Care Transformation team on a special new animated short.

Their team wanted an animation that not only explained the role of Social Prescribers within the NHS, but it has to be also accessible, inclusive and informative. Creating an animated piece that ticked all those boxes in under the one minute and a half mark, with the general public in mind, was not a small quest to take on, especially given that the animation format had to be potentially translated into a dozen or so more animations to come.

Rusty Monkey’s talented creative crew, led by animation expert Iulia Matei, started working to craft an animation filled with adorable characters. These characters brought the new social prescriber role to life, highlighting its benefits and showing people exactly how to access it. They also introduced new colours and design elements in the background and character work, balancing the corporate and medical professional look with something that was friendly and inviting.

This is where the power of animation shines though. It’s a medium that can tackle such a complicated criteria because of its nature. It can follow characters that are ambiguous enough that everyone can relate to; it can translate words into visuals that read in an instant and anyone can understand; it can turn complex ideas into something simple and digestible that your audience can absorb easily.

Iulia Matei, Animator at Rusty Monkey LTD

All assets were hand drawn separately in Procreate (with each element like the eyes, mouth and eyebrows on a different layer), exported and animated in Adobe AfterEffects. It was important to keep the human element in this work to make it feel inviting. The pencil textures and the organic nature of the hand drawn lines can be seen in each frame. 

The process involved refining the script through workshops and discussions, character design, storyboarding and audio production. Feedback-driven iterations, great design and meticulous attention to detail led to the creation of a final product that resonates with the general public. They also provided translation services and developed a concise version for social media, ensuring the animation’s relevance to those platforms.

We’re very proud of being able to help tell such stories and do good in the world with the creative solutions that we and our clients collaboratively find. Animation is such a wonderful medium and it’s an absolute joy to tap into its power and bring great stories to life, for better lives.

Matt Burton, Creative Director at Rusty Monkey LTD

We really appreciate all the work done by the Rusty Monkey team and are very pleased with the process and the products.

Carole Wirszyla, NHS England Representative

The Young Animator of the Year UK competition is for animators aged 11-18 from all across the UK, and the 2023 competition is now open. The competition invites talented young animators to showcase their stop-motion, 2D or 3D animation skills. Winning films will be announced and premiered at a special awards ceremony in November at Manchester Animation Festival. 

Run by ScreenSkills, ACCESS: VFX, 3Dami and NextGen Skills Academy, YAY UK encourages young people to pursue creative skills to help build the talent of tomorrow. The programme aims to empower young people to create amazing animation to set them up to have the creative career of their dreams.

The award ceremony

The winning films will be announced and premiered at the UK’s largest animation festival, Manchester Animation Festival, later this year. Winners and their families are invited to join the award ceremony to celebrate the talent and artistry of the young winners.

There will be winners in every category – 3D, 2D, and stop motion – and they will receive special awards to recognise their achievements. The ceremony will have industry professionals watching the films alongside the young animators.

Meeting animation professionals has given these young animators a leg up into the industry. Winners of previous years have gone on to work at major VFX and animation studios, including ILM, The Mill, Blue Zoo, MPC and DNEG. Last year, YAY UK winner, Nishaan Singh, impressed judges with his striking 3D short film and went on to appear in the BBC’s Great British Menu final Banquet.

Amazing tour prizes

Winners will be invited to special tours of the world-famous Aardman Animations in Bristol and Blue Zoo Animation Studio in London to discover how professional animations are made. On previous tours, the winners met animators and received exclusive masterclasses on how studios produce their films and TV animation.

How to get involved

Young animators can submit their short films on the YAY UK website. All entrants must live in the UK, be between 11 to 18 years old and entries must be made by the individual or with a team of animators aged 18 or under.

The YAY UK website has built a safe community for young animation artists to share their work and develop their animation skills. Animators can create a profile, upload their work and build an online portfolio where industry professionals can comment and give feedback. All posts are moderated to ensure safety and enjoyment for everyone.