Breaking from tradition, a French company is crossing the Channel to settle in Great Britain ! Read the interview with Laurens Ehrmann, founder and Senior VFX Supervisor at The Yard, as he shares insights with French media Écran Total.
Following the announcement of The Yard’s new studio opening in London, Laurens Ehrmann, founder and Senior VFX Supervisor, was interviewed by French trade media Écran Total. Discover the insights he shared on the motivations behind entering the UK’s VFX market.
The Yard VFX, created in 2014 by Laurens Ehrmann, is continuing its expansion across the Channel. The company has announced the opening of a studio in London by the end of the year. This decision, a first for a French visual effects company, might come as a surprise, especially since the sector, which is dependent on American productions, experienced a significant slowdown following the Hollywood strikes, and the recovery has been slow.
I felt it was a time to drive something a little different; It was important for us to have a presence on the ground.
London is a hub for VFX, with many supervisors and producers based there. Additionally, British authorities are about to enhance the tax credit, which will attract more productions. London was chosen over other major VFX locations like Montreal, where Laurens Ehrmann considered the competition was too strong.
Doubling Revenue
Everything moved very quickly.
The decision, from the moment I made it to the date we opened, took less than a month.
The goal isn’t to open a large studio. The space will accommodate between 20 and 30 people, with many artists accustomed to working remotely.
While The Yard VFX has largely been spared from the Hollywood strikes, the recovery has been complicated, particularly due to two long-term projects: season two of Halo for Paramount and The Rings of Power for Amazon.
There is a rationalization of our industry. American studios have announced that they will reduce the number of their projects by 30%, reassess budgets, and increasingly sign with regular vendors.
However, according to its founder, The Yard VFX is well-positioned.
We’ve had the fortune of working with the majority of studios and have a very good relationship with them.
The company, which Laurens Ehrmann owns 100%, has maintained stable revenue for the past three years, between €10 million and €12 million annually, with the goal to double by 2026′ The two studios, in Paris and Montpellier, can employ up to 120 people, and The Yard VFX, which is supported under the France 2030 initiative, has development projects planned in Rennes and Lille.
The company can also rely on French clients. Laurens Ehrmann, who received the César Award for Visual Effects for Notre-Dame on Fire by Jean-Jacques Annaud, notes that ‘the budgets allocated to VFX in French projects are increasing. Producers have become more aware of the value and cost of these visual effects and are responding with slightly more appropriate budgets. The Yard VFX has notably worked on Second Tour by Albert Dupontel and Bâtiment 5 / Les Indesirables by Ladj Ly.
