When producers on global TV epic House Of The Dragon realised that some of its footage wasn’t right, they didn’t turn to a team from Los Angeles, London or New York.
Instead, the answer came from a small company working in the heart of historic York.
Viridian FX, a team of 15 based in Swinegate, have recently completed work on around 250 shots for ten episodes of HBO’s House Of The Dragon.
The show, the acclaimed prequel to Game Of Thrones, is screened on Sky Atlantic in the UK. Their work included transforming a key shot filmed on a static camera into something much more dynamic – which required a creative and technically flawless solution.
Head of studio Ben Louden said: “The response we’ve had from our work on House Of The Dragon has been incredible.
“The supervisors at HBO were pleasantly surprised at the standard of work coming out of a little-known company in the heart of York, and for me, that’s the true vindication of the hard work the whole team has put in to get us to this point.
“Strangely it now feels like we’re just getting started, with more big projects on the horizon that have since come to us off the back of House Of The Dragon.”
Five years ago, visual effects (VFX) companies would have struggled if they were based outside London.
Today, Viridian FX thinks its location in York is an advantage. “With more affordable spaces for small companies, combined with the increasingly normalised remote working culture, it’s now easy to see why places like York are hugely attractive for small tech companies like us,” said Ben.
“The quality of life and the vibrancy of the city are big factors in our staff retention, and with London only an hour and 50 minutes on the train, going down for meetings with clients on the bigger projects couldn’t be easier.”
The company was founded by five University of York graduates who wanted to make an experimental 90-minute green-screen movie for Universal Pictures.
Since then it has worked on movies including sci fi thriller Deus and war movie Waiting For Anya before what Ben called the “huge turning point” of the House Of The Dragon commission.
And the company’s passion for York and the power of its connections has led it to support York’s Aesthetica Short Film Festival.
As well as sponsoring screenings, the company is hosting a networking event at York Theatre Royal on Tuesday (1 November) aimed at encouraging young aspiring filmmakers to explore the world of visual effects.
Kit Monkman, a company founder and director, is also lending his artwork People We Love, which was shown in York Minster in 2021.
Kit said: “I’ve spent all my working life in York and have been nourished and inspired by the place and its people.
“When Cherie (director of Aesthetica) told me that this year’s festival would have a York focus, I wanted to support it in any way I could.
“I’m so proud of Viridian’s progress from students at the university to the elite of the UK’s VFX industry, and I’m delighted that the company is supporting the festival.
“Also, after a successful run in the Minster, I’m very pleased that People We Love is returning to the city. All of the portraits from this edition were filmed in York and are either of residents or visitors to the city.”
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