South Australia is internationally renowned as a hotspot for leading visual effects talent, with a network of award-winning post production studios delivering world-class work fuelled by the South Australian Film Corporation’s SA PDV Rebate incentive.
Having just marked 21 years in the business, South Australian VFX studio Resin is just one of those, with some of its latest work on show in season three of hit Showtime series Yellowjackets.
Founded in 2004 with roots in design and advertising, Resin is now a major provider of VFX for film and TV with a portfolio of work including 2021 blockbuster Mortal Kombat, Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis and Australian family favourite Red Dog as well as series including Netflix’s The Recruit, NBC’s La Brea, AMC’s Preacher and Prime Video’s Electric Dreams.
After providing more than 400 VFX shots for season two of Yellowjackets, Resin returned as primary vendor for season three, handling close to 600 shots across all 10 episodes. Their work, supported by the South Australian Film Corporation’s 10% SA PDV Rebate, has included set extensions, blood and gore, simulation FX, travel simulation, beauty FX and environment work.
Not that you’d necessarily know it. Resin’s Visual Effects Supervisor Steve Sexton says with the VFX on Yellowjackets needing to be as discreet as possible, much of the studio’s work is designed to go unnoticed as it blends seamlessly into the action.
“Much of the work we do on a shot should go unnoticed, and for season three we delivered a large number of shots where our work was invisible,” he says.
“We pride ourselves on having a diverse team with the combined skills to confidently approach any shot requirements and meet the production’s expectations of quality without affecting deadlines or turnaround times.”
Resin Visual Effects Supervisor Steve Sexton
Resin’s work even extended beyond the on-screen VFX work, with the team brought in early for look development and prototyping that helped inform some of the production methodology on set. The benefits of this early involvement were exemplified in one scene where Resin proactively developed a compositing solution, saving the production the cost of a CG alternative.
“Returning to a project is always enjoyable, and the best part of returning to Yellowjackets for season three was the people – the team,” Resin Co-Founder Grant Lovering says.
“We’re comfortable working with each other and we trust each other. Working with a repeat client also allows us to review and improve upon the pipeline we have already built.
“Systems and processes aside, the trust we’ve established just makes the whole process of working together so much more efficient and hopefully it shows through in the results.”
“South Australia has a strong offering in the PDV sector, and it has reached a maturity that allows for sharing of opportunities when it makes sense. There really is a sense of collaboration even though we are sometimes competing for the same work,”
Resin Co-Founder Grant Lovering
Lovering says being based in South Australia has given Resin an edge in attracting VFX work from around the world, with the SAFC’s SA PDV Rebate an “incredibly important” incentive for international productions.
Offering a 10% rebate on the cost of post production, digital and visual effects work undertaken in South Australia on eligible projects, the SA PDV Rebate can be combined with the Australian Federal Government’s 30% PDV offset to offer a total 40% rebate on all post-production work undertaken in the state.
For Yellowjackets, the time difference between South Australia and the USA also proved to be a real asset to the process, with Resin working on VFX shots while the production team was sleeping, then the production team reviewing shots and providing notes while Resin staff slept – creating a seamless workflow that allows for continuous progress.
All this combined with favourable exchange rates which allow the US dollar to go further, Lovering says there are “huge economic benefits” of doing VFX in South Australia.
“Backing up our credentials as a VFX studio with rebates and a favourable exchange rate are all really important pieces in the puzzle for winning the work,” Lovering says.
“Everything is price sensitive, and the rebates just make the decision easier for offshore companies to go through the extra steps of setting up for claiming rebates.
“The PDV rebate in SA is really straight forward to access and productions aren’t weighed down with paperwork and red tape.”
Resin Co-Founder Grant Lovering
“All of this combined helps bring work to South Australia and to grow the VFX industry.”
The SA PDV Rebate is just one of a range of innovative funding incentives offered by the South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC).