From the release:

The Loc Studios, the independent London VFX studio founded by Jamie Leonard and Chris Chitty, has expanded into 3D and on-set VFX this year and grown its grading and deliverables offer in response to rising demand from UK independent films and co-productions.

The studio completed VFX on A Long Winter, a co-production between The Bureau, Emu Films and Canada’s Nomadic Pictures, financed by Film4 and Mubi, and contributed VFX to 7 Miles Out, directed by Carol Morley and produced by Cairo Cannon. Both premiered at the BFI London Film Festival this month.

The expansion comes as HMRC figures show film tax relief paid out reached an all-time high, at £702 million across 1,145 claims for the 2024/25 financial year, up 39% on the previous year. The BFI’s figures for the first half of 2026 show a mixed picture: total UK feature production spend fell 6% to £1bn, but UK spend on local UK films rose 20% and on co-productions 35% compared with the first half of 2025.

Loc’s work this year also includes VFX and supervision on Sense & Sensibility (Working Title/Focus Features) and Unspeakable (Film4/BFI), and finishing and grading on 70 Up with long-term collaborator Asif Kapadia. The studio is currently completing post-production on The Man Who Stole Portugal (Emu Films/Beta Cinema), which combined private investment with the UK tax credit and Portugal’s film tax rebate.

Executive Producer Jonathan Rawlinson said: “We’re seeing the VFX uplift and the Independent Film Tax Credit start to drive growth, especially in features. Filmmakers are putting storytelling first, and we’re seeing independent projects with big ambitions. That’s driving demand across VFX, grading and finishing, for studio films and indies alike. UK producers are turning to partners in Canada and Europe to finance films, and exploring private investment and even brand funding to get them across the line. This keeps a healthy pipeline of quality stories being post-produced here.”

VFX Supervisor James Coore said: “Getting involved early with some of our recent films has given us some of our best results. We were able to help with recces, shoot planning and VFX methodologies, giving directors and producers a better idea of what’s possible before they get to set. Maybe you can hire a plane, but you can’t rent a runway. Or you have an airport but need it to look like JFK. There are so many ways we can approach these things and working them out early can make a huge difference.”