DNEG

DNEG began operations in London in 1998 as Double Negative, a studio founded by Richard Rouse, Paul Franklin, and Chris Lawrence to deliver high-end digital effects for cinema. The company rebranded to DNEG in 2014 after merging with the visual effects division of Prime Focus, an Indian firm that expanded its global reach significantly. This consolidation created one of the largest independent VFX houses, establishing facilities in major hubs like Vancouver, Los Angeles, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Montreal, Mohali, Bangalore, Chennai, Toronto, and Sydney.

Paul Franklin serves as the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Creative Officer, guiding the studio through two decades of technical evolution. The team has secured eight Academy Awards for films including Inception, Interstellar, Ex Machina, Blade Runner 2049, First Man, Tenet, and the dual entries in the Dune franchise. Their work also earned eight BAFTA awards and multiple Primetime Emmy wins for television series such as Chernobyl, The Last of Us, and Foundation.

Recent strategic moves signal a shift from pure service provision toward content creation and technology investment. In September 2026, Brahma, an enterprise AI startup backed by DNEG, reached a $2 billion valuation. The studio also invested $28.8 million in the Canary Islands-based animation studio Anima Kitchent alongside Spanish partner SETT to produce original animated content. While the broader industry faces labor challenges, DNEG continues to recruit for upcoming projects and maintains editorial workflows using Foundry's Hiero software. [edit]