New Zealand’s visual effects outfit Weta FX is set to buy into Taiwan VFX company Moonshine Studio, while partnering with Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) to position Taiwan as an AI hub for Asia through the launch of a technology and content platform.
The multiple Oscar- and Bafta-winning Weta FX, behind blockbuster film franchises such as The Lord Of The Rings and Avatar, is currently running due diligence to purchase a significant share of Moonshine Studio. The latter was founded in 2012 by Lin Chia Chi with recent VFX credits including box office hits 96 Minutes, Incantation and The Bridge Curse.
The partnership with TAICCA spans content investment, technology R&D and international talent cultivation. It will leverage Weta FX’s international film and TV production expertise, visual effects technology, and industry networks alongside Taiwan’s strengths in AI hardware and software supply chains and creative talent.
The announcements came today (November 6) in a spotlight session held after the opening of Taiwan Creative Content Fest (TCCF). An MOU was signed on stage between TAICCA chairperson Sue Wang and Weta FX CEO Daniel Seah.
Minister of Culture Li Yuan was also on hand along with Weta FX chief technology officer Kimball Thurston, visual effects supervisor Sheldon Stopsack and head of research lab, technology and research Andrew Moffat.
Seah said that New Zealand has a small population of only five million and is remotely located, but has dominated the VFX industries in Hollywood. While technology is an indispensable driving force, talent is at the core too.
“When everyone is talking about AI, we still believe in talent. Through Moonshine Studio, we’ll invest in talent and get the best talent from Taiwan,” said Seah, who was CEO at James Cameron’s Digital Domain for 14 years before joining Peter Jackson’s Weta FX two years ago.
He cited Wellington as an example of how the political capital of New Zealand where Weta FX is headquartered was turned into an important global production base. “We think Taiwan has even more of that opportunity,” he said.
Seah has a broad background in visual effects and finance. He was born in Malaysia, grew up in Taiwan, studied law in Beijing and Hong Kong and worked as an investment banker for Barclays Capital in Hong Kong and London.
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