I did a Trek in Iceland at the end of summer to raise money for an incredible local charity, Francis House Hospice.
After exploring the city of Reykjavic for a day and night, we flew to Egilstaðir Airport, South East Iceland. We hiked around 75km over the 5 days with ascents up to 1970ft. It was inspiring to see how the Icelandic live and their relationship with nature. Their buildings respect the environment in which they sit and look pure and simple in their form and materiality.
Icelandic Architecture draws from Scandinavian influences and, traditionally, was influenced by the lack of native trees on the island. As a result, grass- and turf-covered houses were developed.
Many high-quality stone buildings were erected in the 18th century, the very first being a mansion on Viðey, made completely out of Icelandic stone. Many Icelanders were themselves encouraged to learn the craft of masonry during the stone construction boom period, leading to the building of many stone houses which mimicked the design of Icelandic turf houses.
The original turf houses constructed by the original settlers of Iceland (from the west coast of Norway were based on Viking Longhouses (langhús).
As the 20th century dawned, Swiss chalet style architecture was brought indirectly to Iceland under Norwegian influence. Settling in the Eastern Region and Westfjords, they brought with them prefabricated houses which they then erected there. The buildings tended to be taller and with large windows, unlike anything of the styles that had prevailed in Iceland beforehand. Notable features of these buildings were the friezes above doors and windows, and eaves which projected out above the walls.
It’s been a busy start to 2017 – we kicked off the new year with lights, cameras and action during a recent Green Screen shoot!
Our project began last year when we filmed lifestyle footage on location for a commercial project we have been working on for several months.
We created a shot list based on our clients brief and set about hiring our talented crew and production team to assist with our location shoot preparations.
The team spent a busy three days outdoors on location (dodging the rain) and moving from one location to next. Our crew included our senior 3D artist/production manager, directors, a producer, lighting technician, runner, hair and makeup, kit and professional actors.
Green Screen Studio – behind the scenes
Back at Our Studio the next stage was for our 3D artists to generate CGI scenes which would act as back-plates for the green screen footage.
Our professional director and technical crew spent some time framing the shots and setting up the lighting for our scenes. Once the props were in place, make up had been checked and our actors had rehearsed – filming of our shots began…
Our team were on standby to ensure every action shot and detail was captured – we were very pleased with the outcome and the experienced team and well equipped studio meant the day ran very smoothly indeed. Here are some shots from behind the scenes on the day.
The final stage in our production is editing all the rushes from the shoot, compositing with our CGI renders and adding the finishing touches in post-production.
(We can’t reveal the client or the name of this project just yet but watch this space for more news on the final film…coming soon).
With special thanks to @JustinAtBigShed for hosting our shoot at big-shed.co.uk studio in Trafford Manchester.
If you would like to discuss a film or green screen project with Our Studio, please contact one of the team as we would be happy to discuss your requirements.
OS has grown since our last photoshoot, so we thought we’d get some more snaps done for our website to show our new team members, Owen Mason and Andy Charlton. As we made our way to Cutting Room Square from our office, the Manchester heavens typically opened! We managed to find shelter in a little coffee shop whilst waiting for the sun to come out. And thankfully it did! We also had some photos taken of our lovely new office in the newly refurbished Sevendale House – you can see more of these on the ‘about’ page of our website.
Plans are in for the first phase of Nikal Developments’ £70m Altair scheme in Altrincham town centre, a 59-apartment scheme at the gateway to the site on Moss Lane.
The block will be built opposite the Tesco superstore, and will be a mix of one- and two-bedroom apartments with leisure and retail space on the lower floors.
Integrated into the scheme is a new entrance for the ice rink and landscaped public realm to include outside seating for a café.
Nikal will be using its Hillcrest Homes brand to deliver the building alongside main contractor, Eric Wright Construction. Work is scheduled to start in spring 2016.
The building was designed by Stephenson Studio and SimpsonHaugh & Partners.
– See more at: http://www.placenorthwest.co.uk/news/nikal-seeks-approval-for-first-altair-resi-block/#utm_source=Place+North+West&utm_campaign=Place_Daily_Briefing__Thursday_2015-10-15&utm_medium=email
We’re looking to grow our team and looking for an experienced 3D Artist
It’s an exciting time for Our Studio with us coming to our 8th year of business.
We have built up a reputable portfolio of work, collaborating with Architects and Developers all over the UK and the Middle East.
We’re looking for a talented and personable individual with good energy and a passion for architectural visualisation. Someone who can make their mark and play a role in Our Studio’s growth into an exciting new phase.
We are looking for a team player to contribute and share new ideas. We’re in need of a good all rounder who is happy to be involved in all stages of production.
A good understanding of architectural terminology and effective production across all necessary disciplines including modelling, texturing, lighting, rendering and post-production. Good knowledge of 3DS Max, Vray, Photoshop
We offer a competitive salary dependent on qualifications and experience, and an annual bonus scheme. Our benefits package includes a pension scheme and child care voucher scheme.
We’ve just completed some interior and exterior marketing images for an exciting residential development in Birmingham called Fabrick Square. We’ve been working closely with Seven Capital over the last year and Fabrick Square is one of many of their residential developments to come to market.
Watch this space as we reveal further developments in the pipeline by Seven Capital.
We are pleased to announce that Owen Mason has joined the Our Studio team as a Junior 3D Artist. Owen has a BA Honours Degree in Product Design from the University of Huddersfield. He’s only been with us a short while but we’re already impressed with his talents and look forward to growing him with Our Studio.
Our Studio is seeking a talented Junior/Mid-level 3D artist that is capable of creating high quality visuals. We are looking for someone with an eye for detail and good at creative problem solving. This is an exciting role within a small team of highly motivated 3D artists working collaboratively to achieve the best result for every project.
Desired Skills:
– Proficient in 3DSMax, V-ray and Photoshop.
– Good eye for detail in modelling, lighting and texturing.
– Positive attitude towards learning new skills and techniques.
– Good understanding of architecture and interpreting architectural drawings.
– Passionate about architecture and creating believable environments.
– Animation experience is beneficial, but not essential.
competitive salary, 23+ days holiday, staff development and training, company bonus scheme, childcare voucher scheme
To finish off our year on a positive note, Our Studio made a donation to one of our favourite charities. The Gumboots Foundation (UK) is a small charity supporting projects in South Africa working to alleviate poverty. Gumboots provides avenues for people living in the UK who are interested in making a difference to the countrys future. By supporting community based projects with local leadership Gumboots helps change the life chances of some of the countrys poorest people.
The money we donated has allowed for two children living in the townships to receive private, weekend tuition for a year. This gives many of the children the opportunity to achieve the results to take them on to University. The results of this initiative have been impressive so far.
We were sent a wonderful photograph of the children saying thank you from the Sigiya Sonke Dance troupe that Gumboots supports.
