Fox VFX Lab
- Open roles
- 0
- Founded
- 2000
- Employees
- N/A
- Offices
- 2
About Fox VFX Lab
Fox VFX Lab was the in-house virtual production, facial performance capture and real-time visualization unit of Twentieth Century Fox Film. Its work combined production engineering, custom capture hardware and on-set visualization to help filmmakers work with digital environments and performances during filming.
The business originated as Technoprops, founded by Glenn Derry in 2000. Technoprops developed head-mounted facial capture cameras, virtual camera systems and simulcam workflows, with contributions to productions including Avatar and The Jungle Book. Twentieth Century Fox acquired the business in April 2017 and established Fox VFX Lab as a dedicated internal production technology operation.
Production capabilities
The lab brought together hardware development and real-time filmmaking workflows. Its capabilities included facial performance capture, optical marker tracking, virtual cinematography, previs and techvis, alongside custom engineering for capture equipment and stage systems. Unreal Engine supported real-time rendering and asset integration, allowing directors and visual effects supervisors to assess digital environments, camera compositions and performances live on set.
Its production support extended from designing and fabricating equipment to supervising virtual production pipelines during filming. The combination of capture engineering and visualization supported work across feature films, high-end episodic television and interactive media. Reported projects include virtual production and capture work for The Call of the Wild, as well as previs and research for the unproduced Mouse Guard.
Integration into ILM
Following Disney’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox in 2019, Fox VFX Lab was folded into Industrial Light & Magic in 2020. Its team and production technology were integrated into ILM’s virtual production operations, including StageCraft. The Fox VFX Lab brand was retired, while Technoprops continued within ILM as a hardware operation supporting facial capture and virtual production. Fox VFX Lab therefore represents a historical production unit whose technology and engineering capabilities continued within a successor organization.
More about Fox VFX Lab
Historical leadership
Fox appointed Glenn Derry Vice President of Visual Effects in April 2017 to lead the newly formed lab. The report states that he later transitioned to independent industry consulting following the integration into ILM.
Production infrastructure
Fox invested in a custom virtual production stage and motion capture facility measuring more than 31,500 square feet. The development formed part of its effort to make real-time filmmaking workflows available across its film slate.
Notable credits
7 creditsOffices
Current and former locations of Fox VFX Lab
- Los Angeles, California, United States
Los Angeles office
- Los Angeles, California, United States
Los Angeles office
- 330 S Alameda St, Los Angeles, CA 90013Los Angeles, California, United States
Los Angeles office
Former officeOpened 2017
About this office
Historical downtown virtual production stage and motion capture facility. Following integration into ILM, it was subsequently vacated and listed for commercial sale or lease.
- 7002 Sophia Ave, Van Nuys, CA 91406Van Nuys, California, United States
Van Nuys office
Former officeOpened 2000 · Closed 2020
About this office
Historical Technoprops design, engineering and assembly workshop that supported Fox VFX Lab after the 2017 acquisition. The facility and hardware team were integrated into ILM in 2020.
Open roles
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