Whiskytree is a visual effects and content creation company that is equal parts agency & production company, as well as a computer graphics powerhouse.
Our work spans industries and generations. You are just as likely to find it on the silver screen as you are on television, the internet, in an app, a game, VR or AR, or on the cover of a book.
If you have a creative challenge and want to engage with a world-class team of artists, designers, and technicians, look no further.
Welcome to Whiskytree!
Whiskytree is a visual effects and content creation company that is equal parts agency & production company, as well as a computer graphics powerhouse.
Our work spans industries and generations. You are just as likely to find it on the silver screen as you are on television, the internet, in an app, a game, VR or AR, or on the cover of a book.
If you have a creative challenge and want to engage with a world-class team of artists, designers, and technicians, look no further.
Welcome to Whiskytree!
Aidan Fraser
Visual Effects Supervisor
With over 20 years of experience in Visual Effects, Aidan Fraser has worked on such projects as Star Wars: Episode III, King Kong, four of the five Pirates of the Caribbean films, two Star Trek movies, Wonder Woman 1984, and recently Obi-Wan Kenobi. He also has experience working on episodic shows and animated features.
As a Visual Effects Supervisor at Whiskytree, Aidan works with and guides our talented artists to make stunning visuals for some of the world’s biggest feature and episodic projects.
Aidan holds a degree in Film and Digital media from UCSC, and has been involved in some kind of filmmaking project or another since the age of 7. His career informally started at the age of 15, when he won The Visions of US Award from the American Film Institute.
When not at work, Aidan enjoys the outdoors as well as landscape photography.
“There is a great sense of collaboration at Whiskytree. I think we are all driven to create something never seen before.”
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Kingdom, Space Sweepers, Wonder Woman 1984, Ad Astra, Love, Death & Robots, Velvet Buzzsaw, 7 Splinters in Time, The Cloverfield Paradox, Rings, Office Christmas Party, Star Trek Beyond, Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse, The Walk, Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, Need for Speed, Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones, The Lone Ranger, Star Trek: Secrets of the Universe, Star Trek: Into Darkness, Space Out, ParaNorman, Lifeline, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, The Other Guys, Iron Man 2, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, Surrogates, The Warrior and the Wolf, Coraline, Adam, The Narrows, The Heart is a Hidden Camera, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, King Kong, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, xXx: State of the Union, My Big Fat Independent Movie, The V-Party, The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D, Van Helsing, Peter Pan, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Independent Lens, Off the Charts: The Song-Poem Story, The Broken Wings of Elijah Footfalls, Space Out, The Last Supper, Limbo
Paul Hudson
Tools Developer
Paul holds a degree in computer science and engineering with a minor in film from the University of Akron.
In high school, Paul painted his bedroom wall as a blue screen and for his 10th grade research paper he chose to write about Jurassic Park, noting that it was a crossover of the different philosophies of Phil Tippett and Dennis Muren.
At Whiskytree, Paul leads most programming and app building tasks including the development of custom tools needed for various projects. His ability to bridge the gap between technical and artistic frameworks allows him to assist his fellow artists in problem solving so that they can complete tasks easier, better, and faster.
Hailing from a small town in Ohio, Paul enjoys city life in San Francisco where he and his wife, Melissa are raising their children. In his free time, Paul enjoys traveling, attending concerts at intimate venues and neighborhood exploration. With an eye for framing and composition, Paul is an avid photographer.
Paul is the godfather of Salsa Friday, a weekly Whiskytree ritual that caps the week with salsa music, chips and dip.
“This is a labor of love.
Many in our group could be working in a booming Silicon Valley startup but they choose to work here, in VFX.”
Babylon, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Bubble, Foundation, Nightbooks, Godmothered, The Captain, Bolden, The Other Side of the Wind, Shatterbox, Skyscraper, Perfect, Monster Hunt 2,The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, Elysium, Thor, Hereafter, Alice in Wonderland, The Mist, Evan Almighty, Spider-Man 3, Snakes on a Plane, Sin City
Michael Kennen
Compositing Supervisor
Michael has been a part of the commercial and motion picture industry since the early 90’s. After working as an assistant feature film editor in Los Angeles, Michael moved back to the San Francisco Bay Area and worked for many years at the commercial post production house Varitel Video. He worked his way up from assistant editor to colorist and finally to Flame compositor.
In the early 2000’s, Michael moved from the commercial industry to the motion picture industry while he worked as a compositor utilizing various programs such as Flame, Shake, After Effects, and Nuke. During this time, Michael worked for numerous VFX companies such as ILM, Sony Imageworks, Rhythm + Hues, Tippett Studio and The Orphanage, to name a few.
Michael joined Whiskytree in 2014 as Senior Compositor, and has since worked on a wide variety of projects, including films, commercials, games, and virtual reality worlds.
“I was drawn to Whiskytree by the size of the company,the quality of work,
and the skill level of the artists working here.”
Babylon, Andor, Obi-Wan, Kenobi, The Bubble, Foundation, Nightbooks, Godmothered, The Captain, Bolden, The Other Side of the Wind, Shatterbox, Skyscraper, Perfect, Monster Hunt 2, Thor: Ragnarok, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Transformers: The Last Knight, Tomorrowland, The Revenant, The Last Witch Hunter, The Big Short, Thor: The Dark World, Star Trek, Pacific Rim, Chasing Mavericks, The Amazing Spiderman, Battleship, Cirque Du Soleil, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, Super 8, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Mars Needs Moms, The Other Guys, Iron Man 2, Alice in Wonderland, The Box, The Spiderwick Chronicles, Live Free or Die Hard, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Zodiac, The Messengers, The Last Mimzy, The Good Shepherd, Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, Danika, Pan’s Labyrinth, King Kong, The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl, Sin City, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, The Cat in the Hat, Seabiscuit, Baby Bob
Andrew Martin
Production Manager
Andrew has a background in Animation and Computer Science, combining the two majors for a broad understanding of the VFX process. This dual perspective allows him to tackle production tasks using methods not normally considered.
Andrew has worked in motion graphics for children’s media in Chicago, in Render Wrangling for animated features, and in VFX production management for film, theme attractions, and commercials. He has had opportunities to work on set supporting VFX Supervisors and matchmove artists as well as wrangling set data.
At Whiskytree, Andrew is a Production Manager focusing on day-to-day communications, scheduling, and organization. His technical skills are also leveraged for workflow optimization. Ensuring that artists are able to focus on their areas of expertise by documenting and working through organizational and technical challenges is one of his motivating factors.
A Midwestern native from Ohio, Andrew enjoys staying active with hiking and swimming during the week, and barefoot waterskiing on the weekends. He also enjoys volunteering with various community groups, watching or reading science fiction, and exploring new corners of the Bay Area.
“Collaborative storytelling with a cohesive team is a rewarding and inspiring environment for those of us in production management”.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Black Widow, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, Terminator: Dark Fate, Us, Captain Marvel, Bumblebee, A Quiet Place, Mother!, Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Deepwater Horizon, Warcraft, Captain America: Civil War, Ant-Man, Star Tours: The Adventures Continue, Mission: Space, Velocicoaster, The Boss Baby, Trolls, Kung Fu Panda 3, Home, Penguins of Madagascar, Rocky and Bullwinkle, How to Train your Dragon 2, Almost Home, Mr. Peabody & Sherman, Turbo, The Croods, Rise of the Guardians, Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted
Emerald May
Systems Technician
After college, Emerald moved to New York City and tried bartending. Still flying half a ship, she happily landed a gig a few years later in San Francisco as a software developer.Now at Whiskytree, Emerald assists with monitoring and managing the render farm, updates software tools for artists, deploys OS updates, archives footage, assists with plate loading, and more.In her free time, she is probably editing videos, learning new programming languages and computer software, re-enacting Star Wars duels at conventions, or trooping with her non-profit charitable group, Rebel Legion.
“It is exciting to work with a highly talented team who care about the art and technology behind creating world-class visual effects! Whiskytree is a close-knit family and everyone has a voice.”
Babylon, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Bubble, Foundation, Nightbooks, Godmothered, The Captain, The Other Side of the Wind, Shatterbox, Skyscraper
Emily Manheim
Production Manager
Emily is a bright, cheerful team member with a positive outlook on life. Born and raised in the East Bay, Emily currently resides in Richmond, CA. She is well traveled and has visited Singapore, Peru, and Ghana while working on documentaries in college. She attended Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts where she received a Bachelor of Fine Art degree in creative producing.
Most of Emily’s professional experience is on-set, and her can-do attitude, desire for new experiences and her knowledge of the different areas of the production pipeline make her a valuable addition to the Whiskytree team. Emily is responsible for keeping clients up to date on each project. She helps to schedule all the shows and relays any feedback to the Whiskytree team so that everyone is on the same page.
Emily likes to travel and enjoys being outdoors, hiking, backpacking and camping. She also enjoys macro photography and taking candid shots of people in their everyday setting.
“I greatly enjoy working with a team that has so much passion for the power of visual effects. Everyone has their hands on some part of each project making this a fun and collaborative work environment where everyone has a voice.”
Babylon, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Bubble, Foundation, Nightbooks, Godmothered, The Captain, Bolden, The Other Side of the Wind, Shatterbox, Skyscraper, Perfect, Monster Hunt 2, Thor: Ragnarok, Gina’s Journey: The Search for William Grimes, Zola Jumped In, Blood Ransom
Brian Meanley
Visual Effects Supervisor
After beginning his career on the East Coast, Brian relocated to California in 2012 to join the Whiskytree family. He has 15 years of visual effects experience in commercials, animation, and film.
Brian started at Whiskytree as a Technical Director, serving as a bridge between both the technical and the creative side of projects. Now, he continues to be a key member of the Whiskytree team as Visual Effects Supervisor.
Brian enjoys camping, hiking, running, and being outdoors in his free time. Some of his favorite, somewhat local, places to visit are Big Sur, Sonoma County and the Mendocino Area.
“We’re a small team
and we complement each other well which allows us to act quickly and try new things.”
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Bubble, Foundation, Nightbooks, Godmothered, The Captain, Bolden, The Other Side of the Wind, Shatterbox, Skyscraper, Perfect, Monster Hunt 2, Thor: Ragnarok, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Warcraft: The Beginning, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, Tomorrowland, The Revenant, The Last Witch Hunter, The Big Short, Transformers: Age of Extinction, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Thor: The Dark World, The Lone Ranger, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Elysium, Bighorn, Crooked Lane, The Bureau, Tweet
JP Monroy
CG Supervisor and Director of Artist Development
JP spent his early life growing up in Guatemala City, Guatemala. As a youngster he enjoyed making clay figures and mini movies with the help of his good friend, Carlos, and his brothers, Jorge and Jose.
From an early age, JP had an interest in art, technology and VFX, but the real catalyst for JP’s career came after attending an SFSU conference where Jonathan Harb, Whiskytree CEO & Founder, happened to be speaking. After the conference, JP introduced himself to Jonathan and soon after began his career with Whiskytree. He started as an apprentice in 2007 and has since earned his keep as CG Supervisor and Director of Artist Development.
Having graduating from San Francisco State University, JP holds a degree in fine art with an emphasis on painting and drawing.
“Since starting as an apprentice,
I’ve gained artistic, career, and life experiences that have helped shape me.”
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Bubble, Foundation, Nightbooks, Godmothered, The Captain, Bolden, The Other Side of the Wind, Shatterbox, Skyscraper, Perfect, Monster Hunt 2, Thor: Ragnarok, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, The Big Short, Tomorrowland, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, Transformers: Age of Extinction, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Elysium, I’s, Captain American: The First Avenger, Thor, Sucker Punch, Rango, TRON: Legacy, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Theif
Pierre Nahoum
Technical Director
Pierre grew up in the eastern suburbs of Paris. At an early age, he knew he wanted to work in film animation. He started his education at ArtFx, a school located in France, before moving to the United States in 2010 to finish his studies in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Pierre became an official member of the Whiskytree family in 2014. His artistic and technical contributions to the studio are felt in his ability to bring designs to life. In applying his modeling, shading, and lighting abilities, Pierre can recreate anything from real-life cityscapes, to a hand sketched monster from the most imaginative mind.
During his weekends, Pierre likes to spend time with his wife, Madiana, and his dog, Mellow, a German Spitz. Together they enjoy exploring the Bay Area, trying new cuisines, and finding other dog-friendly activities.
“We have a consistent visual identity
and good company culture.”
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Foundation, Nightbooks, Godmothered, The Captain, Bolden, The Other Side of the Wind, Shatterbox, Skyscraper, Monster Hunt 2, Thor: Ragnarok, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, Legendary, Tomorrowland, The Big Short, The Invisible Highway, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, Interlude, Nuisible
Alanna Pickerrell
Ops Admin, Production Coordinator
Born and raised in the Bay Area, Alanna attended Humboldt State University, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in History with a minor in Film. During her time in college, Alanna enjoyed making short documentaries and working in the equipment cage for the film department, where she gained a better understanding of the production process. Additionally, her internship on a live television set for the PBS North Coast Station taught her the value of working with a team.
Alanna assists the production staff with daily tasks, helping take each project from client turnover to final delivery. She also helps to maintain a healthy and fun work environment for the Whiskytree team.
Alanna enjoys hiking, skiing, and live music.
“Having always had a passion for film, I am thrilled to be working for such an energetic and imaginative company and am looking forward to the excitement, challenges and experiences ahead of me.”
Babylon, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Bubble, Foundation, Nightbooks, Godmothered, The Captain, The Other Side of the Wind, Shatterbox, Skyscraper
Behnam Shafiebeik
Compositor
Behnam has been working in the feature film industry for over 16 years as a Senior Compositor. His professional journey started when he was selected for the first ever Compositing Apprentice Program at Rhythm & Hues Studios in Los Angeles, CA. Upon completing the four week program, he started working on several feature films and went on to become a Lead Compositor at Rhythm & Hues.
Behnam then traveled to Australia to work at Rising Sun Pictures where he was a compositor on the final chapter of the Harry Potter franchise. After that, he continued to work with many other studios, such as Weta Digital, Method Studios, and Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) – just to name a few.
After close to a decade of living and working in LA, Behnam decided to move back to his hometown of San Francisco, CA to work with ILM, where he had the opportunity to work on high profile projects such as the Transformers franchise, the Star Wars saga, Kong: Skull Island, and several of the Marvel Cinematic Universe films.
Behnam’s first introduction to the team at Whiskytree came in 2019 when he was hired to help out on a project. The talented artists and leadership team made a big impression on Behnam, so when the opportunity presented itself to re-join Whiskytree in 2022, Behnam knew he couldn’t pass it up. He is so excited to be a part of such a great company.
“The collaborative atmosphere, respect, and license to be creative to achieve high-end visual effects while promoting a work-life balance sets Whiskytree apart from other studios”.
Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Book of Boba Fett, Fengshen Trilogy, The North Water, Loki, Black Widow, Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker, Playing with Water, The Captain, Aladdin, Skyscraper, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Avengers: Infinity War, A Wrinkle in Time, Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, Thor: Ragnarok, Kong: Skull Island, Doctor Strange, Warcraft, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, Captain America: Civil War, 13 Hours, Hardcore Henry, Ant-Man, Tomorrowland, Seventh Son, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Into the Storm, Transformers: Age of Extinction, Divergent, 300: Rise of an Empire, Thor: The Dark World, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, Snow White and the Huntsman, The Cabin in the Woods, Cowboys & Aliens, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Knight and Day, Cirque de Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant, Aliens in the Attic, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, The Incredible Hulk, The Golden Compass, Evan Almighty, Night at the Museum, Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties
Lisa Wagner
Director of Studio Operations
Born and raised in Marin County, Lisa has always had an interest in artistic pursuits which eventually brought her to Whiskytree. As Whiskytree’s Director of Studio Operations, Lisa oversees and handles the vital day-to-day operations. She also maintains the overall employee experience which contributes to making Whiskytree a great place to work.
Along with her time at Whiskytree, Lisa has over thirteen years of combined operations, administrative, and production experience in the entertainment industry, and has worked at companies such as LucasArts Entertainment and Sega Studios San Francisco.
She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in apparel marketing and design, with a studio art minor from California State University, Sacramento.
Lisa truly appreciates the natural beauty of the outdoors and loves making summer trips to Lake Tahoe and working in her garden on weekends.
“We are a tight-knit, collaborative team and everyone is very welcoming and supportive.
Employees work hard, but it’s an exciting and fun environment as well.”
Babylon, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Bubble, Foundation, Nightbooks, Godmothered, The Captain, Bolden, The Other Side of the Wind, Shatterbox, Skyscraper, Monster Hunt 2, Thor: Ragnarok
WHISKYTREE®
Under clear skies in San Rafael, CA 94901 at historic 818 Fifth Avenue, Suite 200 there is a team of ARTISTS and TECHNICIANS committed to the HIGHEST standard of QUALITY. Meet us at whiskytree.com
The Studio
Whiskytree is a small yet powerful team of digital artists that is consistently entrusted with bringing the stuff of dreams to life. Since our beginning in 2007, we have been blessed to attract talented individuals with varied background who have contributed to the success and tight-knit culture of our team.
We can be found at 818 5th Avenue which is located in the heart of beautiful San Rafael, California, and is also the seat of Marin County.
Our office is a short commute from both the East Bay and San Francisco as well as from Sonoma County and Napa Valley. In this way, we are lucky to get the best of both city life and small town living.
We are always looking for talented, enthusiastic folks to join our team of world-class artists, technicians, producers, and designers.
While we may not have an available position at the time you contact us, we will keep your information on file for relevant positions in the future.
Openings
*As our studio is currently working on-site and remotely, US-based applications from distant locations are welcome during this time.
Our studio is currently looking for a TD Generalist to join our team and work on some amazing projects.
Responsibilities:
- Responsible for lighting, rigging, simulation (fluid, smoke, cloth, dynamics), camera setup/tracking/animation, render optimization, and jack-of-all trades computer graphics work
- Build and maintain VFX toolsets including Maya, Houdini, Nuke and a range of utility applications
- Write technical design documents for internal use
- Participate and collaborate in both creative and technical discussions with team members
- Contribute to multiple deadline-driven projects while maintaining the client’s visual goals
- Troubleshoot internal pipeline issues with the technical team
- Determine technical opportunities within the company to improve and/or become more efficient
- Guide and develop workflows that streamline production
- Help foresee production obstacles and develop strategies to meet project deadlines
- Interface with production effectively and participate in the success of the company on a daily basis
Requirements:
- Minimum of 3 plus years of professional experience in feature film visual effects, games, and/or animation
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Graphics, or similar discipline
- Capable in principles of 3D, such as modeling, texturing, shading, lighting, animation, basic rigging, and rendering.
- Solid understanding and working knowledge in software such as Maya, Nuke, Python, Arnold, and Shotgun
- Strong traditional art and photography skills
- Strong knowledge of shading, look-dev and lighting
- Ability to light characters and environments, interior and exterior, different times of day, etc.
- Capable of taking initiative to produce independent solutions to technical and artistic challenges
- Eager to learn about and participate in multiple departments
- Ability to work in a self-directed manner and in a collaborative team environment
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Experience in shader writing, C++, MEL, objective C and web development is a plus
- Experience with Unreal Engine and Unity is a plus
- Experience in git/GitHub/GitLab a plus
To Apply:
Please send email to [email protected] that contains the following:
- Subject line “TD Generalist Submission – your name”
- A signed and scanned Whiskytree Inc Content Submission Agreement – https://whiskytree.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/WTCSA_2019-1.pdf
- Your resume and cover letter
- A link to your website or portfolio
- Your date of availability
No phone calls, please.
Introduction
Please send the following by email with the subject line “Position of Interest submission – your name.”
-
- A signed Whiskytree Inc Content Submission Agreement
-
- Your resume and a cover letter explaining your interest in the position
- A link to your portfolio/ reel where we can view your most recent, mind-blowing work
- Availability date
We make every effort to reply via email within 2-6 weeks, but due to the large volume of applications we receive, it is not always possible to respond directly to each applicant. However, you will receive an email acknowledging receipt of your application.
Thank you for your interest in Whiskytree and for taking the time to submit your information.
The Adventure Begins!
Andor
Andor
Whiskytree was brought on by ILM to work on the Star Wars series Andor, the story of thief turned revolutionary Cassian Andor. Our team contributed to the environments seen on Niamos and Coruscant.
For the Niamos beachfront environment we were tasked with set and sky replacements as well as ocean augmentations. Our Generalist team modeled hero building assets and props to integrate into the scene. We then passed the environments to ILM for comp integration.
Our contributions to Coruscant can be seen in the transportation hub interior environment. Our set extensions brought this scene to life, and we completed the composites for these shots as well.
Wakanda Forever
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Wakandans fight to defend their nation from intervening world powers after the death of King T’Challa in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Whiskytree created the Wakandan Bush and Riverbank environment for ILM that surrounds Ramonda and Shuri when Namor rises from the water to confront them.
Our team used set lidar and location reference from ILM to create this CG environment. We integrated dozens of assets into this set including terrain plots, moonlit sky, atmospherics, and a cyc which ILM composited into final shots.
The Captain
The Captain
A routine flight turns nightmarish in Andrew Lau’s The Captain. Tasked with recreating the infamous Sichuan Airlines Flight to Lhasa, a core team choreographed and prevized all shots in-house.
With roughly 500 shots, a handful of CG artist built 37,000 square kilometers of Western China using open source data.
Our FX team generated over 170 unique cloud assets for the general terrain and for the storm. Inside the storm, additional rain and sleet effects marked the various phases of danger in the storm.
Working with a data centric light rig, we were able to pull from over 750 procedural HDR skies on a per shot basis.
The team built the A319 to-spec using extensive on-set reference, blueprints, and technical manuals while combining practical set constraints.
The massive environment also included two to-scale takeoff and landing airports, all coming together and contributing to a wild, edge of your seat ride!
Rogue One
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Up and coming Director Gareth Edwards and ILM brought on Whiskytree for work on the film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Whiskytree’s contribution to this amazing project consisted of several CG environments. We created Wobani and the imperial labor camp along with modeling and animating the prisoner transporter. Whiskytree also comped several shots of the final battle scene that took place on Scarif.
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Obi-Wan Kenobi
ILM tasked Whiskytree with bringing the beautiful planet of Alderaan to life for the series Obi-Wan Kenobi. We were responsible for the planet’s full CG establishing shots. With over 100 shots, our team worked closely with ILM to capture the scenic snow-capped mountains, forestry, and cityscape.
Whiskytree was tasked with CG environment work, volume set extensions, asset integration and creation, lighting, and comp. Our team thoroughly enjoyed working on such stunning environments and being a part of the Obi-Wan effort.
Foundation
Foundation
Whiskytree’s contributions to Apple TV’s Foundation can be seen in the final episode of Season One. Our studio was responsible for the time lapse shot showing the growing civilization on Terminus. We created and integrated terrain, vegetation, buildings, machinery, digital characters, clouds, and atmosphere into the scene. We then passed off the animated and lit environment for plate integration.
League Of Legends
League of Legends: Clash
The Clash League of Legends online promo was created in collaboration with Riot Games and Director Dave Meyers. The spot was filmed in L.A. with on-set supervision from Whiskytree. Our work consisted of full CG environment creation and set extensions, ranging from the concept and imagining of a dark pit in a gamer lounge, to PC gaming screen overlays and replacements. Not to mention the first promo animation of the Nautilus, a major League of Legends character. Whiskytree completed final comp as well as final conform for the spot.
Thor: Ragnarok
Thor: Ragnarok
For the third installment in the Thor series, Director Taika Waititi and Marvel came to Whiskytree for the continued development of Asgard. This is a world that Whiskytree knows well after having worked on Asgard in all three films in the franchise. Asgard is a grand and golden city and Whiskytree was responsible for many of the full CG establishing shots in the film. Throughout the film, bifrost travel is heavily featured. Generating final comps of all assigned shots, we worked on creating FX enhancements for the observatory and its surroundings, adding nebulas to the sky, generating mist and fog to the waters below, as well as developing the origin point of the bifrost bridge through space.
The Bubble
The Bubble
ILM brought Whiskytree on to help with Judd Apatow’s The Bubble, a pandemic themed comedy about a group of actors and actresses trying to complete a film. Our team was responsible for creating this night lit desert environment. We integrated animated vegetation and atmosphere to add movement to the scene. We also modeled, animated, and lit the flying spaceship before passing everything off to ILM for plate integration.
Nightbooks
Nightbooks
In Dave Yarovesky’s Netflix film Nightbooks, Whiskytree created the witches candy cottage. With the inclusion of modeled candy, toys, lights, vegetation, and specific shapes and designs we were able to successfully create an inviting yet ominous environment. We then integrated our environment, sky, and atmosphere into the scene, and were responsible for lighting and compositing all assigned shots.
Monster Hunt 2
Monster Hunt 2
In a follow up to the Chinese blockbuster hit Monster Hunt, Whiskytree teamed up with Base FX and Director Raman Hui for the long anticipated sequel, Monster Hunt 2. This film features a luscious tree filled environment which had not yet been seen. Working with a partial practical set, Whiskytree was tasked with comp work and set extensions on over 300 shots. We also constructed the CG monster world environment based on a concept by Raman. Whiskytree created the final comp for some shots while others were passed onto Base FX for monster animation.
Elysium
Elysium
Neill Blomkamp directed this science fiction thriller in which Whiskytree created the surface of the luxurious space habitat called Elysium. With trillions of polygons to contend with, this project was not only a success creatively for our client, but also an envelope-pushing technological endeavor that lead to our company presenting to the Academy of Motion Picture Sciences to be considered for an Academy Award.
