Global movie special effects company Technicolor to set up in Adelaide, creating 500 jobs

THE global visual effects company behind The Shape of Water, Wonder Woman, and Blade Runner 2049 will set up a $26 million visual effects centre in Adelaide, creating 500 jobs and propelling the movie industry in SA.

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GLOBAL entertainment giant Technicolor will set up a $26 million visual effects centre in Adelaide, creating 500 jobs.

Technicolor will establish Mill Film in Adelaide — a 3000sq m centre — and set up an Adelaide Centre of Excellence and VFX Academy, together accommodating 500 people, ranging from technologists to artists, when running at full strength within five years, Premier Jay Weatherill announced on Tuesday.

A moment from The Shape of Water, for which Technicolor did the effects.

Jay Weatherill at the Capri Theatre in Goodwood to announce Technicolor’s expansion to Adelaide. Picture: Tait Schmaal

The initial focus for Mill Film will be delivering visual effects for major film studios and streaming services, with a later expansion into emerging opportunities in virtual and augmented reality.

A French company, Technicolor employs more than 15,000 globally and has facilities in Paris, London, Los Angeles, Montreal, New York, Vancouver, Bangalore and Shanghai.

Technicolor has worked on a huge range of Hollywood blockbusters, including The Shape of Water, recently nominated for 13 Oscars, from Pan’s Labyrinth director Guillermo del Toro.

It has also worked on effects for The Jungle Book, The Martian, Blade Runner 2049, Wonder Woman and Pirates of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.

Mr Weatherill said the investment would be a boost for existing Adelaide VFX businesses, with the Centre of Excellence and Academy set to attract talented artists to South Australia from around the world.

Technicolor was behind the special effects in last year’s breakout hit Wonder Woman.

A shot from the sci-fi thriller Blade Runner 2049, which Technicolor worked on.

The State Government will provide up to $6 million from the Economic Investment Fund to support the project, which is expected to have an economic benefit of around $252.6 million over ten years.

In December, the State Government announced a newly expanded rebate to foster new business development for large post-production and visual effects film productions that use visual effects in blockbuster films.

The old $150,000-per-film grants scheme was replaced by a new “uncapped rebate”, with the Government now covering 10 per cent of project expenditure, with no upper limit.

Technicolor’s Chief Executive Officer, Frederic Rose, said Technicolor chose to expand to Australia because it provided an ability to engage with a pool of proven creative talent; work with leading universities; and build on a modern and mature infrastructure that is critical for working on high-end VFX projects.

“Investment Attraction South Australia worked with us to provide a complete investment package,” he said.

“The State Government’s 10 per cent PDV rebate, stackable with the Federal Government’s 30 per cent incentive was an opportunity too good to ignore.”