Windmill Lane Opens 'Lock Out'

Irish film post production firm, Windmill Lane Pictures, is currently creating a new film visual effects facility in Sandyford to carry out 'post' work on Lock Out [working title], a new sci-fi feature film that is to start shooting in Belgrade towards the end of the year.

Windmill Lane will now produce all the visual effects in its new Dublin facility.

Lock Out is written and directed by talented Irish filmmaking duo Stephen St Leger and James Mather, the team behind the 2004 short Prey Alone.

Their first foray into feature films is made with the backing of French Studio Europacorp headed by the acclaimed Luc Besson (I Love You Philip Morris, From Paris with Love) who will also produce the film.

Lock Out (previously entitled Section 8) takes place in a prison orbiting 50 miles above the earth. The prison houses 500 of the world's most dangerous prisoners, who are kept asleep by sophisticated techniques until they suddenly awaken. The project boasts a $30 million budget.

James Morris, Chairman of Windmill Lane has expressed his gratitude to members of team, saying: "Stephen and James are the creative driving force behind this project and must take all the credit for developing it and securing the backing of Luc Besson."

Windmill Lane are thus commencing a recruitment drive for key VFX personnel. The drive is already attracting key UK industry interest.

A range of skills is being sought where the pipeline will be based on the tried and tested International VFX model: Maya, Nuke, Photoshop all of which will make up some of the principal software tools that will be used within a Linux OS. The film is due for completion in June 2011 and the total VFX production team will be based in Dublin in Windmill's aforementioned Sandyford facility.

(BMcN/GK)