Benefitting from a worldwide boom in film and series production, Adelaide-based Rising Sun Pictures has opened a visual effects production studio in Brisbane. Visual effects supervisor Marc Varisco and compositing supervisor Matt Greig are leading the studio’s artist team. Veteran visual effects producer Jayne Herrmann is overseeing production.
RSP is expanding to keep pace with a rapidly growing workload. The studio currently has a full slate of feature film and series projects in-house and expects demand to continue rising throughout 2022 and beyond. Having a physical presence in Queensland allows RSP to better serve film and series productions shooting in the state.
“There is an abundance of wonderful film and series projects out there at the moment and opportunities to do great work,” says Rising Sun Pictures managing director Tony Clark. “To take advantage of those opportunities, we need a strong base of talent. We’ve worked with some wonderful artists who are based in Brisbane, so it made good sense to build a facility around those people. It also puts us adjacent to a very popular global filmmaking destination.”
In 2021 RSP was acquired by The Fuse Group, which facilitated the growth and expansion into Brisbane, now one of ten studio locations operated by the group, including Los Angeles, Vancouver, and Montréal, among others.
The new studio is located in South Bank, the city’s arts and entertainment district. The facility, which is linked to RSP’s head studio in Adelaide via secure technology, has the resources to support up to 60 artists. In addition to workspace for dozens of artists, the facility features rooms for meetings, review sessions and client use. Plans call for the construction of a 4K screening room later this year. The studio has direct, high-speed links to RSP’s pipeline in Adelaide and operate in full compliance with TPN protocols.
RSP expects to staff the new studio by hiring experienced local artists and others eager to move to Brisbane as a lifestyle choice. “There are a lot of very good artists who are originally from Brisbane and want to move back. Other artists want to plant new roots there,” explains head of business development Jennie Zeiher. “Brisbane appeals to people for quality-of-life reasons, especially those with young families.”
Zeiher adds that RSP is focused on hiring artists with exceptional creative and technical skills, that are culturally a good fit. “We’re looking for people whose values reflect ours,” she says. “Marc Varisco, Matt Greig and Jayne Herrmann are very much RSP people, and we want to keep that going. Our commitment to excellence and service is paramount to us.”
RSP will also provide visual effects training in Brisbane. The studio operates a program of undergraduate and graduate certificate training in partnership with the University of South Australia. Its graduates are in high demand as junior artists at studios across Australia and beyond. Many have moved directly into jobs at RSP. RSP will commence its educational offerings in the new studio in the second half of 2022. It is an important philosophy that RSP builds capability, particularly in the areas in which it operates.
Herrmann expects the new Brisbane studio to be fully staffed by mid-year. “It’s a cracking space. We have CG review rooms, comp review rooms and, eventually, a large screening theater,” she says. “It’s located at the hub of the local arts community with theatres, museums, and restaurants nearby. It’s also close to the airport and the Gold Coast where the Village Roadshow Studios are located.”
"With demand for content at an all-time high, there couldn’t be a better time or a better place for RSP to expand. This studio represents a substantial commitment to Queensland and to artists living there,” says Clark. “We look forward to being in Brisbane for a long time and producing lots of great work there.”