The 10th anniversary edition of production event Focus, which takes place at Business Design Centre, London, on Dec. 8–9, includes case studies of “Frankenstein,” “Warfare” and “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.”
The session titled “Crafting Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Frankenstein’” features Tamara Deverell, production designer on “Frankenstein,” Kate Hawley, the film’s costume designer, and Mike Hill, who worked on creature design and character prosthetics make up FX.
The session “The Art of Collaboration: Blending Effects and Design for ‘Warfare’” sees Ryan Conder, a SFX supervisor at Cinesite, and Mark Digby, freelance production designer, talking to Simon Stanley-Clamp, a VFX supervisor at Cinesite, about “Warfare,” directed by Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza.
The session “A U.K. Location Filming Masterclass: From Westeros to ‘The Bone Temple’ to Dept. Q,” includes speakers Hugh Gourlay, supervising location manager at Dept. Q, Naomi Liston, supervising location manager on “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” and “Game of Thrones,” and Mandy Sharpe, supervising location manager on “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.” They will be talking to Samantha Perahia, head of production U.K. at the British Film Commission.
Another panel features producer Pippa Harris talking about the making of “Hamnet” and “The Magic Faraway Tree.” Harris, the producing partner of Sam Mendes at Neal Street Productions, was Oscar nominated for “1917,” and is the executive producer on long-running BBC series “Call the Midwife.”
Another session sees U.K. film distributors Marc Goldberg, CEO of Signature, and Zygi Kamasa, CEO of True Brit, discussing how tech has reshaped film financing.
There are also sessions on hot topics and common pitfalls in U.K. incentives; understanding the French Tax Rebate for International Productions; and an update on Germany’s revamped incentive programs.
Also planned are panels on how AI and tech are transforming the creative industries; navigating the legal landscape to protect your production; what the creator economy can teach film and TV; AI-supported workflows for film commissions and location scouts; strengthening the U.K.’s screen workforce; and discovering the U.K.’s incentives for VFX and post-production.