Weta FX is expanding its special effects operations in Australia. Photo: sampane/Pixabay
Multiple Oscar-winning Kiwi visual effects company Weta FX is expanding its Australian presence in Melbourne and creating up to 80 jobs in the process.
According to Victoria’s Minister for Economic Growth and Jobs, Danny Pearson, and Minister for Creative Industries, Colin Brooks, Weta FX originally set up a temporary facility at Abbotsford while working on Robbie Williams’s Better Man.
The company’s list of films dates back to The Lord of the Rings trilogy and includes, past and recent, Avatar: The Way of Water, Better Man, A Minecraft Movie, Captain America: Brave New World, Deadpool and Wolverine, House of the Dragon (season two) and Masters of the Air (TV).
The government believes Weta’s expanded Melbourne hub will attract international productions to the state and boost local jobs in production and animation.
“We’re investing in Weta FX because we see the direct benefits for the state in bolstering our growing screen industry, creating high-value jobs and boosting economic growth,” Pearson says.
Brooks says Weta FX’s decision to expand in Melbourne is “a massive endorsement” of Victoria’s creative talent and industry capability.
“One of the many amazing outcomes of Better Man is that Weta FX set up a visual effects facility in Melbourne for the film — and now, they’re here to stay.”
MP for Northern Metropolitan Enver Erdogan says the expansion is “a huge win for our screen industry, creating jobs, attracting global productions and reinforcing Victoria as a world-class hub for visual effects and post-production”.
Weta FX Melbourne Hub Manager Sharna Hackett says the state government’s support is “critical” to their decision to invest more in Victoria.
Weta’s currently working on Marvel’s Fantastic 4: First Steps, season two of The Last of Us, Avatar: Fire and Ash and In The Blink Of An Eye.
The state government also recently supported Spanish production company Fever in establishing its Australia-NZ headquarters in Melbourne.
