London’s VTR Group has released details of the progress it is making to re-position as a global post market leader following the recent purchase of VTR and high-end boutique Clear by the Mumbai-based Prime Focus in July.
VTR plc will be re-named Prime Focus UK plc, to reflect the global nature of the new business, with the company’s 37 Dean Street and 58 Old Compton Street premises becoming what the company terms ‘centres of excellence’ for talent and technology in visual effects, CG animation, telecine and DI, and broadcast editing.
The strong historical associations that each divisional name has for their respective businesses will be retained as follows:
Clear: The new visual effects division, combining the visual effects and CGI facilities from Clear, VTR and The Hive, will be rebranded as Clear with Simon Huhtala as managing director. Huhtala will continue to work as a visual effects artist and supervisor.
VTR: The telecine and DI division, incorporating the telecines from VTR, VTR Digital Cinema and Blue, will all be housed within 37 Dean Street under the VTR brand with day-to-day management being handled by Neil Lane. The branding and “feel” for Clear and VTR is in the latter stages of planning and design, with building work on 37 Dean Street scheduled to be complete by mid-November.
TMR: Installation of TMR’s encoding, digital asset management operations and digital restoration for video and sound and a group MCR, will soon completed in the basement at 58 Old Compton Street, where Blue is located. Blue: Blue’s newly installed set of six Avid are now fully operational at 2 Bourchier Street, with the installation of an additional seven Avid suites at its 58 Old Compton Street premises to be completed next week. Blue’s sound studios will soon be upgraded to incorporate Dolby 5-1 surround sound. Simon Briggs, previously MD of The Hive, is now MD of Blue. The names of K
