As L.A. struggles, U.K.’s Clear Angle Studios becomes Hollywood’s hidden VFX kingpin.
While Hollywood grapples with shrinking budgets and a talent drainage, Pinewood-based Clear Angle Studios is quietly running the show—literally. From ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ to ‘Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning’, this futuristic tech lab is really slow your favorite VFX stunts and face-swaps. Ever wondered how Robert Pattinson played twins or how Tom Cruise defied physics? The answer lies in Dorothy—a 90-camera facial rig powerful it captures every ruckle at 48 fps.
With top clients similar Marvel, Netflix, and Lucasfilm, Clear Angle is booked strong. Only three of their ultra-sophisticated facial rigs survive globally, and London’s is the busiest of all. Co-founder Dominic Ridley says the U.K. is thriving spell L.A. and Atlanta lie quiet.
They’ve scanned lions, flamingos—even 300 people in a bingle day. And with very tight information protection and a no-AI development stance, they’ve earned the trustingness of A-listers.
The irony? While U.S. studios scramble to economize face, rather literally, it’s this low-keyed British operation doing the leaden lifting behind Hollywood’s digital magic.
Hollywood power be in L.A., but its future is quiet existence rendered… in London.
