Argon Effects is an independent company based in London, UK.
We deliver the highest creative and technical quality in Pre and Post Visualization.
Our talented, experienced team have a passion for film-making.
We understand the language of cameras and the importance of succinct and clear storytelling.
Our approach is flexible and collaborative. Whether we develop our client’s ideas from discussion or a more detailed brief using storyboards, concept illustrations and a script, we will provide a visualization that can assist the decision making process of a complex production.
Previsualization is a method that enables film makers to explore ideas before committing additional resources towards realising their visions. Using digital animation, a scene can be represented with clarity and realistic detail, providing a proof of concept and the accurate technical information that can be indispensable to the efficiency of a film’s production.
Our expert knowledge of visual effects and animation means we have a considered creative and technical approach, supporting the pipeline requirements of our colleges at visual effects facilities around the world. We can deliver camera and other essential motion files that are easily transferable into the layout of digital shots, removing unnecessary replication of work.
After shooting a scene, we can assist the editorial department by combining the production’s photography with the existing animation created in previsualization. This facilitates the refinement of primary aspects of the shots, such as timings, motion and composition.
Using this method can save time and money further down the line, as once a shot begins VFX post production, any necessary changes to the primary aspects will affect a small army of digital artists, consuming man hours exponentially. Using our post-visualization service enables decision making with greater confidence, reducing those changes and increasing the amount of time spent making the VFX on screen look amazing.
Post-visualization is also a valuable tool for VFX producers in the budgeting process. It can provide visual effects facilities with the detail that enables them to plan their resources precisely, and in return, deliver more accurate bids on completing the shots.
Our talented animators are able to support their keyframe animation using our motion capture system, in-house tools and our motion library.
Our motion capture system is mobile, flexible and fast to set up. Within minutes our animators can set up the system in a room of any size, capture a performance and plug it into our character rigs and see the performance within a digital environment.
We are always looking to expand our technology to increase our creative and technical abilities.
As well as using industry standard applications such as Maya, Z-Brush and Substance, we use Argon’s proprietary digital tools to create and rig creatures, characters, vehicles and digital environments that represent practical sets, locations and set extensions with speed and accurate detail to our client’s specifications.
Coming soon in 2020
We are currently enjoying our third opportunity to work with Kenneth Branagh on Disney’s movie adaptation of “Artemis Fowl” which is now in production for a 2020 release.
We are thrilled to have provided previs and postvis services
for Ridley Scott’s Alien: Covenant.
We were delighted to provide previsualization services for
Matthew Vaughn’s Kingsman: The Golden Circle.
We were pleased to provide previsualisation and
postvisualisation services for Ridley Scott’s production of The Martian.
We were pleased to provide previsualisation and postvisualisation services for Sir Kenneth Branagh’s production of Disney’s “Cinderella”.
We were pleased to work on Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows
as the production’s previsualization supplier.
Argon was set up by leading animator Jason McDonald, who has supervised previsualization on various films including; Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Xmen: First Class and most recently, Ridley Scott’s Prometheus. Jason has worked as an Animation Supervisor, CG Supervisor and on-set VFX Supervisor for The Moving Picture Company and Cinesite.