Factory Fifteen

Factory Fifteen is a London-based creative studio and directing collective working across film, animation, visual effects and immersive experiences. Its work centres on cinematic worldbuilding, combining architectural thinking with storytelling to create speculative environments, screen narratives and large-scale installations.

Founded in 2011 by Bartlett School of Architecture graduates Kibwe Tavares, Jonathan Gales and Paul Nicholls, the studio developed an approach in which designed environments help drive the narrative. Its architectural background continues to inform projects ranging from future-city visualizations to fictional worlds for film and television.

From screen narratives to immersive environments

The studio provides directing and live-action production alongside animation, CGI and visual effects. Its capabilities include character animation, environment creation, look development, simulations and compositing, with projects combining photoreal imagery and stylized visual approaches. Architectural commissions extend this work into concept films and visualizations for proposed buildings and urban developments.

Factory Fifteen contributed worldbuilding, architectural visualization and VFX to The Kitchen, the dystopian London feature directed by co-founder Kibwe Tavares. Its television work includes the BBC’s Tokyo 2020 Olympics title sequence, Let’s Go There, and animated sequences for Crongton, the adaptation of Alex Wheatle’s novels. Other projects include a cinematic announcement film for AS Roma’s proposed stadium, created for Populous Architects.

Immersive production is another substantial part of its practice. Factory Fifteen contributed to the initial conceptualization of Sphere in Las Vegas in 2016 and subsequently directed content for the venue, including the Mercedes-Benz Snow Globe and two cinematic chapters for Noche UFC. Its experiential work also includes Kia Holiday Joyride, a virtual reality experience created for children at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Across these formats, the studio works for advertising, entertainment, architecture and cultural clients. Its projects range from individual films and broadcast sequences to content designed for dome screens, wrap-around displays, projection mapping and interactive installations.