VFX house Lightrunner Studio opens in London

Indian visual effects company Basilic Fly has launched a VFX house, Lightrunner Studio, in London. The studio will focus on hero environments and animated creatures/characters for feature films, television, and advertising.

The company is helmed by managing director Christina Graham, who was previously a global executive producer at MPC. At MPC, she worked on Sam Mendes’ acclaimed 1917 and Jon Favreau’s reimagining of the classic Lion King.

Valter Sagrillo will serve as Lightrunner Studio’s head of computer graphics (CG). He has previously worked at DNEG, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Framestore, and MPC, and his credits include Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One, Lana Wachowski’s The Matrix Resurrections, Star Wars: Solo, and Netflix’s The Witcher.

Jamie Briens joins as head of pipeline. He has previously worked at DNEG and Redefine on films such as Stardust, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Venom and Bohemian Rhapsody. Jamie’s role will focus on building end-to-end automation and implementing machine-learning models to ensure efficiency across various Lightrunner Studio projects.

Graham said: “Lightrunner Studio will draw on top talent across the world to work on projects that are sure to delight audiences. London sits at the heart of the global entertainment industry and the crossroads between east and west, so it was the obvious choice to have as our creative and client base. I look forward to welcoming even more talented VFX and tech colleagues as we begin our growth journey.

“With streaming services producing even more content in the battle for eyeballs, combined with the post-pandemic rebound of cinema, the VFX industry is busier than ever. Lightrunner Studio is excited to bring fresh, innovative capacity to market to allow more storytellers to bring their visions to life and to collaborate with established studios to deliver project assets.”

Yogalakshmi Balakrishnan, director and chief operating officer at Basilic Fly Studio, added: “We’re thrilled to tap into London’s talent pool. Given its strategic location, Lightrunner Studio will be closer to its clients, ensuring fast and easy access to our innovative VFX solutions. By drawing on the experience and knowledge of our highly-qualified visual effects experts, coupled with our increased investment in technology, the studio can take on ambitious projects and produce more incredible work for us to enjoy on the big screen.”

Lightrunner Studio’s credits include Gangs of London (pictured), Superman and Lois and Swan Song.