Crafty Apes, a full-service visual effects powerhouse, was tapped to produce shots for this year’s most anticipated films. In addition to providing visual effects for television shows including Better Call Saul and Stranger Things, Crafty Apes’ work can be seen in many of 2019’s Oscar contenders, including The Hate U Give (Oct. 5) and The Front Runner (Nov. 21), both completed out of the company’s Atlanta flagship office, as well as some of the highest-profile summer films including Deadpool 2, Uncle Drew and Ant-Man & the Wasp.
Crafty Apes’ Emmy-nominated work ranges from creating the demonic possession scenes in the second season of Stranger Things, to digital matte painting using 2D and 3D techniques to replicate Red Rocks Amphitheatre in The Front Runner. In 2018 alone, over 18 features, five episodic series, and six digital streaming movies have had visual effects work done out of Crafty Apes’ Georgia facility.
In the fiscal year of 2018, feature film and television productions shot in Georgia generated a total economic impact of $9.5 billion. Having emerged as the leader in the visual effects market in Georgia, Crafty Apes has been an integral part of the industry’s growth on a local and national level, with additional facilities in New York and Los Angeles.
“We started our division here several years ago with the belief that Atlanta was going to become a primary location for film and TV production and to meet the large demand that these projects would have for photo-real VFX services,” said Crafty Apes Co-Founder, Chris LeDoux. “As the industry has grown, we’ve expanded quickly to meet the demand. We now have nearly 60 experienced artists and supervisors, dedicated to VFX for the Georgia market.”
Many of the major film and streaming studios that shoot in Georgia also consider utilizing the state’s 30% tax credit for post-production and visual effects. In Savannah alone, which offers an extra 10% tax credit in addition to the Georgia state incentive, production spend in 2018 has currently surpassed $110 million, with a total economic impact for Savannah’s economy of over $230 million.
“We are proud to be the premiere VFX vendor in Georgia, for the broad spectrum of content that is being created statewide,” said Crafty Apes’ Head of Production, Matt Akey. “We have seven on-set VFX supervisors in Atlanta that are working throughout the state weekly, helping supervise these productions with A-list directors and showrunners, which has been outstanding. Having our supervisors on-site to creatively collaborate during production saves time and money in post.”
Notable Film Releases Include:
A Star is Born: Directed by Bradley Cooper (Oct. 5)
The Hate U Give: Directed by George Tillman (Oct. 5)
Mid90s: Directed by Jonah Hill (Oct. 19)
The Front Runner: Directed by Jason Reitman (Nov. 21)
If Beale Street Could Talk: Directed by Barry Jenkins (Nov. 30)
About Crafty Apes
Crafty Apes is a full-service visual effects company started in Los Angeles, with studios in Atlanta and NYC. Beginning as a 2D compositing company for film & TV, Crafty Apes has grown to include a talented roster of creative and production supervisors that offer high-end compositing and CG services. Crafty Apes’ work can be seen in such projects as “La La Land,” “Hidden Figures,” “Doctor Strange,” “Captain America: Civil War,” “Deadpool 2,” “Ant-Man and the Wasp” and many more.
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